Eyeworld

by William B. Rabourn Jr., and Louis Pennow, MBA, BSHA in the way of providing it, and to col- laboratively arrive at solutions that will make it possible to reach that goal. Let's suppose that retreat partici- pants define the ideal patient experi- ence as follows: • Everyone in the practice delivers the best possible care to each patient in a professional, personable manner that communicates concern for the patient's welfare. • Care is delivered in a clean, comfort- able, and accessible facility. • Appointments are available without undue delay. • Patients experience minimal wait time in the reception area. Participants then identify a num- ber of problems, including one that we will focus on here: Reception area wait If you read Part 2 of this series ("Plan to score with a goal-oriented event," Ophthalmology Business December 2015, page 12), you know the importance of defining and articu- lating the purpose of your event, and you may recognize one of the examples we included to illustrate a specific busi- ness purpose for an event: • "We will define the ideal patient experience, identify obstacles to de- livering it, then brainstorm ideas for overcoming those obstacles." The goal, while stated somewhat indirectly, is nonetheless clear: We will provide our patients with an experience as close to "ideal" as possible. The pur- pose of the event will be to agree upon a definition of that ideal experience, to identify the factors that currently stand Part 3 of 3: How do you spell "SUCCESS"? Y our return on invest- ment can't be deter- mined in any mean- ingful way unless the criteria that will be used to define the success of the event have been established. continued on page 10 Make your next retreat your best retreat Is a purpose the same as a goal? GOAL: What you want to achieve PURPOSE: How you expect this event to help you to achieve that goal March 2016 • Ophthalmology Business 9

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