A recent survey by Ophthalmology Management found that 76% of all ophthalmologists feel a need to get more involved in practice management issues today. Indeed, many practice management continuing education providers — such as the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators — report increased attendance by physicians at practice management courses.

It’s no wonder why. In our survey, 85% of doctors said either they or their partners make the final management decisions for their practices. Although administrators are a vital part of your practice, you’re the CEOs.

Keeping that in mind, try looking at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) meeting in a different way this year. Here, we’ll highlight courses that will meet your needs as your practice’s CEO (M.D.), as well as courses for administrators (Admin.), and clinical and surgical staff that can help you maximize efficiency and boost profits. Check the program guides for more specifics on these courses at the show.

Making sure everything’s running smoothly is part of a CEO’s job. Many of the courses at this year’s meeting in Seattle, April 10 to 14 will enable you to make decisions about staff and the most efficient way to run your practice.

Several of these courses focus on the importance of a good business plan. The courses will provide the strategic tools necessary to help you and your staff prepare a budget and perform evaluations of your practice.

"Don’t Just Throw It Away: The Thrifty OR," will share techniques for economizing the use of instruments, supplies and time. Staffing, scheduling and time-saving tricks will be emphasized.

"Controlling Overhead: Cutting Costs with Precision," is designed to help you get more productivity from staff and find the most productive ways to save money.

Interested in starting your own ambulatory surgery center (ASC)? Several courses focus solely on this subject. One discusses how to increase patient volume in a well-designed ASC. "Not For Your Eyes Only," looks at the legalities of converting your facility into a multispecialty entity.

Here’s a listing of some courses that focus on day-to-day operations. Keep in mind that all the dates and times in this article could change:

• 4408 Don’t Just Throw It Away April 12 (M.D.)
• Not for Your Eyes Only 8:30 a.m. April 11 (Admin.)
• Developing a Results-Driven Strategic Plan 4 p.m. April 11 (Admin.)
• Making Better Business Decisions 8:30 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Controlling Overhead: Cutting Costs with Precision 8 a.m. to noon April 12 (Admin.)
• Cash Flow Inefficiencies and How to Fix Them 9 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Controlling Practice Productivity 11 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Cash Flow Inefficiencies and How to Fix Them 9 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• 33 Ways to Make Your Clinic More Productive 2 p.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Increasing Profits by Outsourcing Support Services 1 p.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• The Business Plan: Step-by-Step Guide to Practice Success (3 parts) April 10-12
• Management Team: Improving How Physicians and Managers Work Together 8 a.m. to noon April 11 (Admin.)
• Anatomy of Collection Perfection 8 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Resource-Based Scheduling: An Alternative to Time Slots 2 p.m. April 13 (Admin.)

Want to find out how to best grow your refractive surgery practice? Many courses offer solid advice on this topic.

"The Internet and Refractive Surgery" will cover how consumers seek information about refractive surgery on the Internet, and how you can use the Internet to provide information to increase your practice’s visibility.

"Refractive Surgery: Ingredients for Developing a Successful Practice" addresses the transition to a successful refractive practice. It’s designed for the M.D. attempting to generate market awareness and effectively manage current and new patients considering refractive surgery.

Consider these refractive surgery courses:

• 2104 The Internet and Refractive Surgery 7:30-9:30 a.m. April 11 (M.D.)
• 3101 The Team Concept of Building a Successful Refractive Surgery Practice 7:30-9:30 a.m. April 12 (M.D.)
• 4101 Refractive Surgery: Ingredients for Developing a Successful Practice 7:30-9:30 a.m. April 13 (M.D.)
• Branding Your Laser Vision Correction Practice 4 p.m. April 11 (Admin.)

One of the big problems doctors tell us they face today is receiving proper reimbursement for their services. Several courses touch on common coding mistakes, and how to avoid errors that can get your claim denied.

"Advanced Workshop in Surgical Coding" will help you use ICD-9 diagnoses codes and then properly coordinate them with surgical CPT-4 codes.

And to understand the many problematic terms and provisions in a contract, attend "Hidden Traps in Your Managed Care Contracts." This will also help you propose and negotiate appropriate alternative language to minimize the risk of such traps.

Tentative dates and times for reimbursement courses are:

• Medicare Coding Misconceptions 8:30 a.m. April 11 (Admin.)
• Advanced Workshop in Surgical Coding 1 p.m. April 11 (Admin.)
• Hidden Traps in Your Managed Care Contracts 8 a.m. April 11 (Admin.)
• Strategies for Improving Medicare Reimbursement 8:30 a.m. April 13 (Admin.)

Shared care raises a myriad of issues. Several administrators’ courses deal with the ins and outs of these sometimes complicated relationships.

Become aware of the legal ramifications of poorly designed co-management programs in "Legal Restrictions on Co-Management." This course will look at the co-management options in both cataract and refractive cases.

Implementation techniques for creating successful optometric networks will be shared in "Optometric Networking for Refractive Surgery." These strategies have already proven successful.

Check out these co-management programs:

• Legal Restrictions on Co-Management 11 a.m. April 11 (Admin.)
• Developing Co-Management Referrals from Rural and Multispecialty Practices 8:30 a.m. April 13 (Admin.)
• Co-Managing for Success for Refractive Surgery 9:30 a.m. April 13 (Admin.)
• Optometric Networking for Refractive Surgery 1 p.m. April 13 (Admin.)

Want to get more patients into your practice but not sure how to do it? These administrative courses share strategies on everything from boosting your refractive practice to succeeding with direct mail.

Here are some administrator courses that can give you more insight on marketing techniques:

• Develop a Refractive Laser Practice from the Inside Out 8:30 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Direct Mail Is Not For Beginners 9:30 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Accessing and Retaining Patients 11 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Promoting Your Practice from Inside to Outside noon April 12 (Admin.)
• Building Patient Relationships that Work 2 p.m. April 12 (Admin.)

Whether you’ve already got an optical in your practice or are thinking of starting one, many courses look at the pros and cons of having one in your practice.

Not sure if you’re making the best use and making the most profit from your optical, sign up for "Sound Business Operations for Your Optical Shop."

If you have questions about whether your practice’s location and demographics are right for an optical, two courses address these issues. "Effect of Baby Boomers on Ophthalmology" and "Starting an Optical Shop" will give you information to form the best strategies for your practice.

To find out more about your optical, attend:

• 2101 Doctor’s Unite! Strategies for Consolidation of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Optical Services 7:30 a.m. April 11 (M.D.)
• 2401 Effect of Baby Boomers on Ophthalmology 4-6 p.m. April 11 (M.D.)
• Starting an Optical Shop 8 a.m. April 13 (Admin.)
• Loss Prevention for Ophthalmic Practitioners 10:30 a.m. April 13 (Admin.)
• Sound Business Operations for Your Optical Shop 1:30 p.m. April 13 (Admin.)

How do you find the best employees? And once you have the best, how do you build them into an effective, efficient team?

These staff management courses outline the best tactics. Other issues include "Employee-Related Lawsuits" and a review of staff contracts. As CEO, you need to be up-to-date on all the latest hiring issues.

Staff management courses include:

• Employee-Related Lawsuits 1 p.m. April 13 (Admin.)
• Efficient Staffing of Your ASC 1:30 p.m. April 11 (Clinical/Surgical)
• 10 Steps to Anxiety-Free Hiring in a Tight Job Market 9 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Employee Physician Contract Review 10:30 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)
• Discover Your Staff’s Personalities and How to Develop Them into a Dynamic Team 11:30 a.m. April 12 (Admin.)

The computer lab at the annual meeting will offer classes for everything from using the Internet to improving the efficiency of electronic medical records.

A fee of $20 is required for the lab. Participants who pre-register will have a computer to use for the length of the class. Those who haven’t pre-registered will be able to audit the class.

Some of the lab classes include:

• Computer Basics 1 p.m. April 10
• PowerPoint Basics 7:30 a.m. April 11
• Y2K 3:30 p.m. April 12
• Web Page Construction 1p.m. April 13

By attending these courses, you’ll not only better understand how your practice operates, you’ll be able to make informed decisions that can help you boost your bottom line.