My Associate OD isn’t Doing Anything to Grow the Practice! Here’s Why

You’ve grown your practice to the point that you need to hire an associate doctor. Sorry Ms. Smith, the doctors next available appointment isn’t for three weeks. Congrats! Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably done a lot of great things to earn this loyalty from the patients you serve.

The downside

You’ve got a problem! Being booked out beyond a week or two is a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. Some studies have found that if patients cannot get in to see you within about two weeks (probably sooner), you run the risk of losing patients. Some people can’t wait that long. Some people don’t want to wait that long. And worse yet, some people will lock in that appointment for next month and then promptly call another nearby practice to see if they have an earlier appointment. Don’t hold your breath for the courtesy call to inform your staff they won’t be keeping their appointment with you. Two words that cause premature greying in practice owners: No show!

Enter an Associate OD

It took some time, but you figured out a way to accommodate this excess patient demand – an associate OD! You scoured through resumes, interviewed a few candidates and then made an offer which was accepted. After one year working at your practice, your excitement about all the wonderful things this OD was going to do to grow your patient base has been replaced with the complaints below:

My new doctor just sees patients and goes home!

People just want a job these days.

My associate isn’t doing anything to grow the practice!

Here’s why your associate won’t grow your practice

The reason your associate won’t grow your practice, is because it’s YOUR practice. Your associate OD is an employee of the practice, not an owner. Your practice is your livelihood, for the associate it’s a job. I understand and am sympathetic to the desire for an associate OD to proactively network, market, get involved in the community, join the Chamber of Commerce and pass out business cards at their kids soccer games, but with the exception of an associate who is buying into a practice, I can tell you from hundreds of conversations with practice owners that it’s extremely rare for an associate to take this level of initiative about someone else’s business. I’m not arguing right vs. wrong here, I’m just setting realistic expectations for those looking to add an associate.

Does this mean my associate can’t be expected to grow my practice?

No, not at all. Especially when an associate’s patient schedule is not booked, I’m very much in favor of exploring alternative ways the OD could add value to the practice. However; if you want your associate to play an active role in growing the practice beyond providing a wonderful experience for the patient that garners word-of-mouth referrals, then clarify these expectations on the front end. Consider the following steps:

1. Upon hire, clarify expectations and come to a mutual agreement on these additional responsibilities. Some examples would be launching a marketing campaign, building a dry eye specialty, speaking at schools, starting a patient referral program or writing articles for your monthly newsletter. Preferably this will be something the OD is interested in and excited about. You need his or her “buy-in.”
2. Carve out specific times to focus on these projects. Target times of low patient demand. From 1:00 to 3:00 on Tuesday we will block out your schedule to focus on these other responsibilities. This is no longer a suggestion, it is now a job responsibility.
3. Meet frequently to review progress and outcomes. Accountability is established when people know in advance they will have to regularly answer for their performance.

Bonus tip for associate ODs

If you are an optometrist looking for a job in private practice, know that many practice owners want their associate to play a bigger role in marketing and attracting new patients to the practice. Beyond patient care, what additional ways could you help grow the practice? Don’t be shy about mentioning this during an interview. This will definitely help you stand out from other interviewees. If you are seeking higher that average compensation, then presenting a plan to grow revenues helps justify your salary request. Perhaps this even opens the door to future partnership discussions?

Be the exception!

Steve Vargo, OD, MBA is a 1998 graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry. A published author and speaker with 15 years of clinical experience, Dr. Vargo now serves as IDOC’s Optometric Practice Management Consultant. Since transitioning to a full-time practice management consultant, Dr. Vargo has performed over 3,000 consultations and coaching sessions with hundreds of optometry practices across the country. He speaks regularly at industry conferences, has been published in numerous industry publications, has a regular column in Optometric Management titled “The CEO Challenge”, and is a contributing author to the widely read “Optometric Management Tip of the Week” article. Dr. Vargo has also authored 3 books on the subjects of staff management, leadership and selling.