Dispensing Frontiers
Getting Patients Into the Optical
Want more patients to purchase their glasses from you? Try these strategies.
By Leona Meditz

If you're like the average ophthalmologist, you write about 15 optical prescriptions a day -- but only one third of them end up being filled in your dispensary. Now consider this: Increasing your optical capture rate by 30% could mean an increase of $100,000 in your dispensary's yearly net profits. (Yes, we're talking about net profits.)

How can you increase your optical capture rate? Try using the strategies described below.

Step One: Count

First, determine your current optical capture rate. Number your optical prescription forms so you can tell how many prescriptions you've written during a given period. (However, keep unnumbered pads on hand for patients you're referring back to an optometrist or optician, or patients whose insurance plans require them to purchase glasses elsewhere. These patients can't be "captured," so leave them out of the equation.) Divide the number of optical sales by the number of prescriptions written. This baseline capture rate will help you to see whether your efforts to increase optical sales are successful.

Step Two: Capture

To capture more optical sales:

• Schedule optical appointments. Scheduling fitting appointments, either before or after the exam, is far more effective than serving patients on a "first come, first served" basis:
  • An appointment keeps your patients from simply leaving with their prescriptions.
  • The two top reasons patients don't use an in-house dispensary are 1) having to wait to be served, and 2) blurry vision after the exam. With appointments, patients won't have to wait to be served. And if the optical appointment is scheduled before the exam, it also eliminates the problem of blurry vision.
  • If the appointment is before the exam, during the exam the doctor can ask whether the patient is purchasing a second pair (i.e., sunglasses or computer glasses) and write the extra prescription.
  • Whenever a patient makes an appointment for an exam, ask him if he'd like to schedule an optical appointment. (Encourage patients who haven't made an optical appointment to browse in the optical before the exam.)
• As much as possible, have your coordinator schedule glasses pickups on a day when you're not refracting. On heavy refraction days, your optician needs to concentrate all of his efforts on filling prescriptions.
• Don't make the optician take phone calls. Transfer calls to the front desk and schedule a time for the optician to call back. (The optician can prearrange blocks of time for this purpose.)
• If necessary, train your optician. If your optician takes more than 20 minutes to sell a single pair or 30 minutes to sell multiple pairs, he may need training in how to sell in an M.D. environment.
• Balance your inventory. Your inventory should turn four times each year. If it doesn't, it's a sign that your inventory doesn't match your patients' needs, and your optician's system for deciding what to buy isn't working.
• Hand off patients to the optician. This extra step will transfer the trust you're generated with the patient to the optician and save the optician the time it takes to build a relationship with the patient from scratch.

Step Three: Compare

Once you revise your optical protocol, put it in place for one quarter. Then, compare your new capture rate to your baseline. With a correct protocol, balanced inventory and trained opticians, more than 90% of your optical patients will purchase eyewear from you. And why not? Do you know of anyone more qualified to fill your prescription?

Leona Meditz has 25 years of experience helping M.D.s maximize their optical productivity. If you have questions or comments about this article, please email leona@neta.com.