Practice Management

Educating Your Staff to Improve Productivity

Next in a series of easy, quick management tips that you can implement in your practice today in less than an hour,

 The quickest, easiest and least expensive way to implement staff improvement is the weekly 15-minute staff meeting. This opportunity to introduce the staff to new policies, products and procedures is critical for smooth implementation of these items. This meeting also is excellent for team building and wisdom sharing. Pick a time that everyone is in the office for a standup meeting either first thing in the morning or just before lunch.

 There are many seminars and meetings designed to provide paraoptometric education given in conjunction with the same meetings that the ECP are attending. Having the staff participate in these meetings can be as small of a commitment as one or two hours locally up to sending multiple staff to a multi-day out of town convention. Significant planning is necessary to prepare a budget, schedule adjustments in the office and laying out clear ground rules and expectations for each staff member.

 There are a number of practice management companies that produce excellent weekend seminars for office managers, optician staff, front and back office staff. Additionally, other entities also put on day long seminars for staff that include buying groups, optical laboratories, contact lenses and frame companies. Contact the representatives for the preferred vendors in your office and inquire what is available. If your staff is large enough or you can aggregate staff from a few local colleagues, you may be able to have a private seminar produced on the topics you want at a time and place of your choosing.

Dr. Dubick prepares private practice appraisals, lectures and writes on many practice management issues. He may be reached at 818.843.2214 or email at dubick@studioeyes.com.