What percentage of your days patients order glasses or new lenses on the day of the exam vs. leave with Rx in hand? This field consists only of VA's. Not CL's or pathologies.
Do you think tracking this number would be helpful?
Thanks
What percentage of your days patients order glasses or new lenses on the day of the exam vs. leave with Rx in hand? This field consists only of VA's. Not CL's or pathologies.
Do you think tracking this number would be helpful?
Thanks
Yes- Capture rate is what I'm looking for. At 95% I'm impressed!
Capture rate. Sounds like something I should be trying to evade and escape :)
Me? About 30%.
Low? Well, I give everyone their spec Rx immediately after the exam (printed out by EMR). They are welcome to go wherever they want to buy and I'm happy to see them back next time. I see alot of eye disease.
Sometimes OTC readers are fine.
Cataracts are taken out as soon as they are bad enough and my go-to surgeon is good enough to get them close to plano most every time.
And I don't think people need new glasses every year. Probably ever 2-4 (varies of course). Patients like to hear that. No one likes the tough sell.
Do I lose some money? Sure do. But I live by the Golden Rule and still do very well. :)
Alert: temporary hi-jack!Wanna move?Do I lose some money? Sure do. But I live by the Golden Rule and still do well. :)
NC-OD We don't have winter down here (maybe a week or two a year) but next to none.
Chip
About 90% of my Rx's stay in house.
Maybe because I do a lot of VSP. Also because most of my exams are managed care and get a 20% "courtesy" discount, which they like.
Above 90% just includes only those who get Rxs, I often tell the +1.00 presbyope to just to get a magnifier and don't count them as the 10% I lose.
Harry
We have very few Rx's walk, and the few that do we usually aren't sad to see leave. I would guess that about 75% of our gls rx get eyewear from us that day (capture rate is much higher if we don't include no rx or no change pts). Our doc is not afraid to say "You rx didn't change, you don't need new glasses." I think the lack of pressure to buy makes it easier for pts to shop for back-ups or sunwear.
Offering a value package and having a finishing lab on-site (with stock lenses) allows us to frequently sell glasses to pts who come in for medical visits and need to be out of their contacts for a while. I know you can't believe CL wearers might not own backup glasses!!:D
If they wear glasses as their primary vision correction, they need 4 pair.
one dress (black or gun to use a shoe analagy)
one casual (brown, if you will)
one backup pair (could be an older Rx), and
one pair of suns.
It's not a sales pitch, its just what spec wearers need. Does everyone get what they need? Of course not. Kids don't get immunized, oil doesn't get changed every 5000 miles. But it still should be that way.
Remember, many of your spec wearers come in for an exam because they WANT new glasses.
I really don't mean this to sound critical because you should run your practice however suits you best. But if you only "capture" 30% of the Rxs and you don't think patients need specs every year, why do you have a dispensary? Why not use the space for extra exam rooms, use the optical staff for additional patient load, and the inventory for extra equipment.
You could go non-dispensing and have less headaches. I bet you would make more profit. I'm pretty sure our optical couldn't turn a profit on 30%. Maybe yours isn't either?
You could go non-dispensing and have less headaches. I bet you would make more profit. I'm pretty sure our optical couldn't turn a profit on 30%. Maybe yours isn't either?
Good point.
Regards,
Golfnorth
Its about 90-95% for us too.
I've been the new owner for about 1 year now, and honestly, I can remember only 2 patients walking out with their RX to buy somewhere else... :angry:
Kudos for talking about this topic...70-80% of the practices that I ask what their capture rate is give me a blank stare like I am asking them what the meaning of life is.
We provide glasses for about 90 percent of our rx's. It helps that we surface in house. We also get several outs from local OD's and even walmart.
over 95%....Im like johns if someone left we better find out why, but we make up for the occasional that takes RX by all the outside RX's that we see...
Most of my walkers are Tricare/military. Military just love Walmart. Tricare pays pretty good for the exam, and military are great patients. Occaisonally one will buy something when told they have a 20% discount, but I've learned to minimize staff time on them in the dispensary.
Again, Tricare pays pretty well. I take no plans that pay so poorly that I NEED the glasses sale to keep from losing money.
Harry
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