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Thread: How does your office handle incoming patients?

  1. #1
    Bad address email on file OptiChick21's Avatar
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    How does your office handle incoming patients?

    Our office has always sort of had each employee specialized in a different area and we are trying to get away from this and get more employees cross trained so we can all help out as needed.
    I am curious as to how other offices handle their patient flow?
    Currently when someone walks in or the doctor brings someone out for glasses (pick up, frame selection, repairs) they go to either me or the other ABO Optician.
    If someone walks in or the doctor brings someone out for Contacts (orders, trainings, polishing) they take them to our contact lens technician or if she's out, one of us.
    So now we need a better method for letting us all handle every different type of patient situation.
    Do the docs in your office set the chart somewhere and let you guys decide who gets it? Do the docs come up to you and ask you to help them? Are all the opticians in your office cross trained to be able to do any type of orders or repairs?
    When someone walks in, they stop at the frontdesk first. Who does the frontdesk call?
    I just want to know how other offices around the country do this.... :hammer:

    Any feedback is helpful!

    Thank you!!!!

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder
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    When you have a cross trained staff that works as a team the flow is natural. Who steps to the front desk? Whomever happens to be closest or not busy. Same with repairs, dispenses, and sales. The doctor brings the patient out of the exam room and one of us will meet him/her and will be handed the file. The trick for it all going smoothly is that we are all watching what is happening so we know when to step in and do what needs to be done or when to ask if any help is needed anywhere else. It just works. Never did like the offices where each person has their own little kingdom set up.

  3. #3
    Bad address email on file OptiChick21's Avatar
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    ok

    So how does your office then handle the follow up for after the patient leaves...

    Like for example, who places all the orders??

    I know some offices are part of a chain or group and have one large computer program everyone can access and place the orders immediately with.

    We are a small independant private practice and we each have to specifically place the orders to the vendors daily (whether it be by phone or online).

    So if everyone is pitching in helping the patients, who then actually places all the orders for the day?

  4. #4
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    I personally prefer having two opticians that can both sell / dispense/ order. But I like the thought of having one that places all the orders and is responsible for lab selection of the jobs, while this optician is placing orders they are not to be disturbed. this allows for more accurate ordering and we catch a ton of mistakes before they are ordered!!! it has really reduced our reject rate.

  5. #5
    Rising Star
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    I work in a small office with just one receptionist, one tech, an office manager, biller, myself and another part-time optician. It is vital for the flow when everybody can fill in for everybody else. I jump up to the front desk if she's busy, answering phones of course, and do my own glasses billing. I also put in my orders as I can, generally after the sale is complete but sometimes it has to wait til the end of the day. The tech is the same way. She fills in when she can but she puts in all the contact orders herself. We find that it's better that way cuz it eliminates any chance of duplicate orders or similar issues.

  6. #6
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Jubilee's Avatar
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    I also work in a small office. On some days it is just myself, others a bit more. Usually on a doctor day I have at least 2 usually 3 staff besides the doctor. When a patient comes in, the person who is closest, or free will usually greet the patient and ask how we can assist them. Usually we try to stick with whoever starts, finishes with a patient. Responsible for recall, placing order, insurance, etc. However, the trick is being aware of the flow.. and prioritize. For us, the doctor's time is the most valuable. So we have to make sure that we keep the doctor busy. So I might have to excuse myself from a patient to make sure the next patient gets taken back. If I am checking out a patient and I have one sitting at the dispensing table, then when one of the other opticians becomes available either they will volunteer or I will ask them to take care of the dispense. Whoever is free or is the one most able to get the phone, grabs it. Of course, when it gets crazy, we all have our fall back roles.

    At first you might want to have an appointed person to be keeping an eye on the who/what/when/where/why of things.. as you get used to the feel of the "teamwork" feel.. it will be a lot more natural.
    "Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by OptiChick21 View Post
    So how does your office then handle the follow up for after the patient leaves...

    Like for example, who places all the orders??

    I know some offices are part of a chain or group and have one large computer program everyone can access and place the orders immediately with.

    We are a small independant private practice and we each have to specifically place the orders to the vendors daily (whether it be by phone or online).

    So if everyone is pitching in helping the patients, who then actually places all the orders for the day?
    We are also a small independent practice. We all handle the ordering depending on who gets to work first because it is done in the am before we open, usually it's the lab guy but often it's one of us. We do lab orders online and the contact lense orders are all day put on a fax page to be ordered at once in the morning.

  8. #8
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Jubilee's Avatar
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    We put the order into our computer system then print off a lab ticket to send to the lab for those orders that don't get routed through an online clearing house (Davis/VSP) With us starting to do in house edging, we will then have a layer of sorting which can be done in house, and to start, I will be the one running those. Contacts we place in labeled folder to be ordered at the end of the day via the web as well.
    "Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland

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