Eyeworld

by Rich Daly, Contributing Writer When to talk to local market leaders trends are affecting a practice's local market. For instance, in some markets even the smallest boutique practice may be tenable for the next 20 years, but in other markets the actions of health systems or insurers may sharp- ly limit opportunities for an indepen- dent practice, according to Mr. Pinto. "So it's important to know where your market is on that spectrum," Mr. Pinto said. To gain such insights, Mr. Pinto's client practices have met with hospi- tals and other local health officials. One practice planning a large capital project learned that a local health system was planning their own major eye department in the N o ophthalmology practice operates in a vacuum, and often other healthcare en- tities have informa- tion that can help practices grow or avoid trouble down the road. John Pinto, president of J. Pinto & Associates, San Diego, has seen many ophthalmology practices ben- efit from reaching out to other local healthcare entities for insights. Such discussions can help deter- mine the extent to which national Other healthcare entities may provide practices with valuable insights continued on page 26 area. That knowledge gleaned by one practice in Ohio led them to shift investment into a different area. "Some practices who were deeply concerned about their position in the market have had their fears laid to rest," Mr. Pinto said "Other practic- es that were pushing hard to go in a particular direction learned that would not be a good direction to go in or something would be blocked for them, so it saved them a lot of money in what would have been wasted efforts." Who to talk to "In my experience it's very straight- forward and feasible to get appoint- ments with the CEOs of your local 24 Ophthalmology Business • July 2017

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)