Eyeworld

March 2016 • Ophthalmology Business 11 If you choose to seek an outside resource, such as a practice manage- ment consultant, for assistance with front-end planning and defining of your event's goals and purposes, you may also find their expertise beneficial as it comes time to calculate strategic success and optimize the return on your event efforts. OB "boots on the ground" bring to the table. The collaboration provides momentum that builds and spills over into other situations and interactions that staff encounter on the job. Finally, the facilitator concludes that the practice will compare the results of the strategy to the original situation in order to officially gauge whether the changes were beneficial. These participants have collaborat- ed to: • Identify a factor that stands in the way of their goal of delivering the ideal patient experience • Innovate a strategy that they believe can move their goal within reach • Develop a protocol for tracking and evaluating results that includes staff input Apply it to the bigger picture Remember that patient wait time is just one example of many possible concerns that may come up at your event. Each strategy that you and your staff develop to meet the purposes and goals predetermined for your event should be subjected to a similar system of success analysis after implementa- tion. Participants have already ac- cepted that perceived wait times were at least as relevant—if not more so— than actual wait times. A qualitative approach to tracking improvement in patients' perceptions would entail a bit more effort. The facilitator recom- mends that techs ask patients three short questions in the context of a casual, friendly interaction as they walk them to the exam room and get them situated. • "Did you have to wait very long to- day?" (to elicit a qualitative yes/no answer) • "How long did you have to wait?" (to elicit a quantitative answer that reflects their qualitative perception of time) • "Do you feel satisfied or dissatisfied with how long you had to wait?" (another qualitative question to elicit a one-word answer) The facilitator also recommends that patients' answers be recorded in a manner that makes it possible to com- pare them to the actual wait time data provided by the management system. Over time, the widening or narrowing of the gap between patients' percep- tions of wait times and actual wait times should be useful in determining if actions taken to improve the quality of wait times are actually making a dif- ference in patient satisfaction. Additionally, the facilitator recog- nizes that the implementation and suc- cess of these strategies will inevitably depend upon the staff's cooperation— including their ability and willingness to tweak strategies as needed. The facil- itator recommends follow-up with staff members involved in implementation to determine how effective they believe the strategies to be. By including staff input, the practice takes advantage of its "human capital," acknowledging the material value that a practice's Mr. Rabourn is the founder and managing principal, Medical Consulting Group, Springfield, Missouri. He can be contacted at bill@ medcgroup.com. Mr. Pennow has 25 years of experience managing high- volume refrac- tive and cataract practices. He can be contacted at lpennow@hollingsheadeyecenter.com. " Each strategy that you and your staff develop to meet the purposes and goals predetermined for your event should be subjected to a similar system of success analysis after implementation. "

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