Eyeworld Daily News

14 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | MAY 7, 2019 ASOA NEWS ASCRS ASOA ANNUAL MEETING by Vanessa Caceres EyeWorld Contributing Writer to know your people. That's your strongest resource," Ms. Bailey said. Editors' note: The speakers have no related financial interests. discussion group, ASOA meeting and networking, John Pinto's Little Green Book of Ophthalmology, and the American Academy of Oph- thalmology's Medical Assisting independent study course all can be helpful, the panelists said. Yet there's one resource that will help you above all else. "Get and emotion among other staff members, and Ms. Perry had to reassure staff that others were not getting downsized. One challenge that the pan- elists discussed was managing the differing expectations of practice shareholders. Sometimes, there's an agreement on policies, then someone asks privately if they can be exempt. Many times, it's hard to get shareholders to agree. "I was herding cats, and some of them were feral," Ms. Bailey quipped. One solution for some practices is the use of a partner designated in charge of a spe- cific aspect of the practice. Ms. Perry shared how her practice has partners in charge of human resources, finance, and marketing. Because doctors do not usually re- ceive a business education while in medical school, this responsibility gives them insight to the business side. "It's rewarding to teach these functional areas," Ms. Perry said. One tip to help in your dealings with the physicians and efforts to make changes: "The only way to move the needle with physicians is with data," advised Daniel Karpel, Fort Collins, Colorado, who originally worked with hospitals. "Provide them with data, and you'll be able to do things." Another area of concern is meetings. At one point, Ms. Perry's practice had weekly Monday meet- ings at 4:30 p.m. for the partners. However, they tended to turn into long sessions of discussions and complaining, so they now meet once a month. To help with follow up and to reach doctors who ar- en't present at meetings, make sure to send written summaries, Mr. Karpel said. There are many resources to help any new practice adminis- trator and ones who are making the transition into ophthalmol- ogy. The ASOA EyeMail online P ractice administrators coming to ophthalmolo- gy from other specialties bring solid management and financial skills to the table, but they may find adjusting to ophthal- mology's ebb and flow—not to mention terminology—an initial challenge. That's what presenters dis- cussed during Monday's ASOA session "Making the Leap to Ophthalmology," which provided anecdotes and pearls for those who have health administrative ex- perience from outside eyecare but who now work in ophthalmology. Maureen Waddle, BSM Con- sulting, Sacramento, California, moderated the session. When you are new to an oph- thalmic practice, take some time to speak with everyone and get to know their roles better, advised Sandra Bailey, Memphis, Ten- nessee, whose original background was in hospital administration. "Tell me about what you do" was her go-to phrase, and it helped her learn a lot about the practice. It also helped her identify some long-time employees who would be better suited in another practice position. Often, starting at the practice involves intense work right away. Kristi Perry, Sacramento, Califor- nia, came from a plastic surgery office that had done everything electronically and arrived at a practice where everything was paper-based. Learning the system was time-consuming, and the practice was facing some financial solvency issues that led to the elimination of the billing depart- ment so it would be outsourced instead. Naturally, that led to fear Diving into ophthalmic practice management has its own challenges Ms. Perry discusses what it has been like to work in ophthalmology after a career in another medical specialty.

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