Follow these tips to build your brand and name in your community.

Picture this scenario: You’re well-trained, having completed medical school at Columbia University, your residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, another year of subspecialty training at Emory University under a future president of ASCRS, Dr. Doyle Stulting, and in refractive surgery under the “Father of American refractive surgery,” Dr. George O. Waring III. Afterward, you start your own practice.

The phone should be ringing off the hook, right? In my case, this turned out to be wrong. My schedule when starting out was so under-booked that I had to go to many different venues and sources of referral just to make sure that I had a full patient load.

In this article, I’ll share some tips on how I marketed my business to the community to create the successful practice it is today.

NETWORKING IS KEY

The first thing you should do when you open your practice is network with local optometrists. Even though they’re not surgical eye doctors, they see the bulk of eye patients and are, therefore, one of the most important sources of referrals you can have as a new ophthalmologist. You should respect the “gatekeeper” role of optometrists and become friends with them because these relationships will only benefit and help build your practice.

Start by attending local optometry conferences, dinners, talks and lectures. Don’t be afraid to discuss the financial benefit of partnering with them.

It’s also important to network with the older ophthalmologists in your community by attending conferences, dinners, talks and lectures. Many of them are starting to taper down their practice and are ready to refer their surgical patients to another doctor, so there is a need for you to offer them co-management, which is where you can legally and ethically give them 20% of the global fee without violating Stark law to federal anti-kickback legislation. When ready to retire, they might even be willing to sell their practice or consider a merger.

SPEAK TO THE ELDERLY

The bread and butter of the average general ophthalmology practice is cataracts. To reach these patients, I recommend speaking at local organizations, businesses or groups elderly people attend. Some of these venues could include Kiwanis clubs, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AARP, nursing homes, libraries, adult education centers, community centers, etc.

When it comes to delivering the content, just keep it light and general. Don’t get too technical. Bring pictures of the eye, diagrams and models to show them. This is especially helpful when discussing cataracts and showing what the lens looks like when it gets cloudy.

CONSIDER ADVERTISING

Advertising is the most expensive way to gain new patients, but it might be beneficial. When I first started out, I created direct mail bundles via Valpak (more cost effective than standard direct mail). I supplied the ad copy, and they printed a flyer that was distributed to the community. You can also place ads for free in other local publications, such as a newsletter for a university student center or at a venue where you spoke.

Whenever you’re speaking to a group, always try to mention, “After my talk, which I’m doing for free (you should emphasize that you’re doing this voluntarily), can you add a little blurb in your next newsletter or email blast highlighting my practice?”

INTERNAL MARKETING

Last but not least, the most effective way to promote your business is by marketing within your practice. For example, you should always have on hand high-quality brochures and handouts that outline the various eye diseases and the services you offer. I recommend using Patient Education Concepts for this, as the company also allows you to personalize the content on the brochure.

CONCLUSION

Sometimes my fellows say that they don’t enjoy the marketing meetings that we hold weekly at Park Avenue LASEK, but I always try to tell them that life is marketing — whether you are trying to find a spouse, a new job, open up your practice, etc. So as long as you can think of life as marketing, then hopefully it won’t be considered a burden — and as you get better at doing it, you may enjoy it like I do. OM

EMIL WILLIAM CHYNN, MD, FACS, MBA, is the owner and surgical director of Park Avenue LASEK in NYC. He received his MBA in management with a certificate in entrepreneurship from NYU. He is always looking for new doctors for his SF Match Fellowship who, in addition to refractive surgery, are taught marketing and sales techniques. Contact him at 212-691-4221, dr@ParkAvenueLASEK.com, Twitter @EmilChynn and Instagram/Facebook @ParkAvenueLASEK.