The heart of your practice: The importance of a refractive coordinator

Issue: May/June 2010

ByPaul M. Stubenbordt

What’s the difference between a LASIK practice that does 20 eyes a month and one that does 100+? Or a practice that converts 5% of cataract patients to premium IOLs vs. a practice that converts 50%? Your first thoughts are probably the surgeon, the technology or the advertising. The truth is that none of those things matter without a great refractive coordinator.

Think of the human body. The surgeon is the like the brain, the technicians are the nerves that send information to the brain, but the refractive coordinator is the heart. Without a good, healthy heart to keep pumping that blood to the brain, you’re not going to make it.

A refractive coordinator has a lot of responsibilities, including answering inbound phone calls, educating LASIK and cataract patients on surgery and surgical options, addressing fears, addressing financial concerns, scheduling patients for surgery, following up with non-converts/leads, and maybe even acting as a co-management liaison. With all of the responsibilities they shoulder, the difference between a good and a great refractive coordinator can be huge, even in a small practice. I’ve literally seen LASIK volumes jump from 10 eyes a month to more than 100 eyes a month, just by having the right person in that position.

Hiring a refractive coordinator

One of my favorite quotes is:

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”
– Red Adair

Believe me, it’s true. It may seem like a lot to consider hiring another employee at a cost of $30K to $40K, but consider the cost of not having a great coordinator. It takes hundreds of dollars just to make your phone ring once. If you don’t have a competent coordinator there who can take that call and convert it to a consultation (and then to a surgery), you have just lost hundreds of marketing dollars and thousands in potential revenue. Great refractive coordinators pay for themselves many times over.

Choosing the right person

When hiring a refractive coordinator. Here are some things you may want to look for:

2 to 5 years of sales experience
Strong communication skills
Strong computer skills
Organized
Quick learner
Self-starter
Confident and makes good eye contact
Ability to think quickly and control a conversation
Ability to emotionally connect to patients
College degree is preferable, but not required

This is an important position in your practice, and you want to avoid using a tech or an office team member to fill this role. Once you find the right person for this position, you’ll wonder how you ever did anything without them.

Keeping a healthy heart: Tips for a successful refractive coordinator

Once you have a refractive coordinator, they will need to be trained. Just as you exercise to keep your heart healthy, your refractive coordinator will need to work at being great. Here are some tips that I have found helpful in my experiences:

Know your product, and share your excitement about it with the patients. Stay up-to-date on all the procedures available, whether they are offered at your practice or not. The last thing you want is for a patient to ask about a procedure that you aren’t familiar with. By being knowledgeable and answering questions fully, you build trust with patients and give them confidence in the abilities of the staff and surgeon.
Use a tracking program, such as ACT. It is customizable and allows you to track leads, set reminders, follow up with non-converts, etc.
First impressions are crucial. You always want to be clean, well dressed and confident. Don’t make patients wait, and offer refreshments. Make good eye contact, and build a rapport by finding a connection, such as hobbies, work or family. Put rapport notes in ACT so you will remember them when following up with the patient. “Hi Mr. Smith, how did your fishing trip go?”
Always be in control of the conversation. Don’t ask open-ended questions like, “Do you think you would like to schedule surgery?” Instead use close-ended or either/or questions to maintain control of the conversation. “We have openings on the 5th and the 12th, which works better for you?” Patients respond better to this type of questioning and are more likely to convert.
Be honest. Discuss the patient’s candidacy and the percentage of patients in their range who achieve 20/20 or better results, or how often they’ll have to wear glasses after premium IOL cataract surgery. Discuss the possibility of reading glasses and enhancements. You want your patients to have realistic expectations. If the patient has unrealistic expectations, they will be unhappy with their results no matter how good they are. If, however, you tell them what they can expect and that they might need an enhancement to reach their goals, they are much more likely to be happy with their procedure and tell others about their experience.
Discuss pricing before the patient brings it up. Let the patient know everything that is included in your fees and offer them financing. Have them fill out an application for financing before they leave the office, whether they have agreed to surgery or not. It can take away some of a patient’s reservations if he or she sees that it can be affordable and knows they are already approved.
Role play. Dedicate a few hours a month to role-playing with a fellow employee using various patient objection situations.

Finally, it is important to remember that for a refractive coordinator to be really great, they have to be happy with their job. It takes an incredible amount of talent and dedication to convince people on a daily basis to part with a large amount of their hard-earned money on an elective procedure. The high demand and repetitive environment can quickly wear an employee down.

A great way to motivate and reward your refractive coordinator is with an incentive program. This provides a vested interest in their work and keeps them from becoming complacent about their job. Set a monthly minimum that must be met before receiving bonuses and then award bonuses on a system that best suits your practice. Bonuses can be a percentage of total collected fees, a certain amount per eye, or in increments where a bonus is given for every 5 or 10 eyes over the minimum quota.

Once you have a competent person in this position, your possibilities skyrocket. You take care of your heart, and it takes care of you. If you take good care of your refractive coordinator, they will take care of you right back.