Does your practice need a refractive coordinator?

This is one of the key topics that will be discussed at the EuroTimes Practice Management Resource Centre Workshop which takes place at the 13th ESCRS Winter Meeting in Rome on Saturday 7 February, 2009.

Dr Eckhard Weingaertner, MD, EuroEyes, Stuttgart, Germany will discuss the reasons why ophthalmologists should have refractive coordinators in their practices.

Dr Weingaertner will also address the need for adding new staff or training old and experienced staff and he will examine how doctors should involve refractive coordinators in the running of their practices.

"The primary task of every ophthalmological practice is to analyse your current practice situation," said Dr Weingaertner. "Where are you standing? Are you happy with the current situation or do you feel the need to make a change? Especially in the evolving economic practice it might seem difficult to move forward into the refractive market area, but maybe it's just about deciding whether it is right to move on now," he said.

Dr Weingaertner said when considering the recruitment of a refractive coordinator, doctors should consider how many cases they are doing, including the number of LASIK and cataract procedures.

Communications consultant Kris Morrill will also look at effective presentations through the use of PowerPoint and presentation skills and simple steps to marketing a refractive practice on a budget.

Mr Paul McGinn, BL, will also discuss the importance of using the consent process to satisfy your lawyer and refractive patients.

Further information on the EuroTimes Practice Management Resource Centre is also available on the EuroTimes website at www.eurotimes.org.

Accidents Can Happen - But not at the EuroTimes Practice Management Workshops

As the poet Robert Burns wrote, "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." That applies to surgery as much as any other pursuit. It’s also the subject of the inaugural London Business School Master Class at the EuroTimes Practice Management Workshop, writes EuroTimes reporter Howard Larkin.

“Why Should Accidents Happen – Overcoming Rational Failure” will be presented by Jean-Pierre Benoit, professor of economics and joint chair of the Economics Faculty, London Business School, Sunday, Sept. 14, at 9.00 in Room 42 at the International Conference Centre.

“Some surgical errors are a result of mistakes, poorly designed systems and practice management,” Prof Benoit says. “However, a seemingly rational, structured approach has its own weaknesses. Safety features can be self-limiting in unintended, yet rational ways. In this session, we will explore ‘rational failure’ and look at ways to overcome it.”

The Master Class will examine concepts including adequate care, rational reasoning, strategic behaviour and project management, and how practice safety can be enhanced by better understanding their nature. The course will be one of the highlights of the XXVI ESCRS Congress in Berlin. Admission is on a first-come first-served basis, so delegates are advised to arrive at least 15 minutes early to ensure admission.

Get ready for refractive cataract surgery

Also on the EuroTimes Practice Management Workshop agenda is a class on building a successful refractive practice within a cataract surgery practice, scheduled for 11.15 in Room 42 at the ICC. Presented by Eckhard Weingäertner, MD, medical director of the EuroEyes Clinic, Stuttgart, Germany, the session will focus on practical questions that more and more cataract surgeons find themselves facing as patients become more informed and sophisticated about cataract surgery outcomes.

“The difference between cataract and refractive surgery is disappearing. Almost everyone knows about multifocal lenses and they expect excellent refractive outcomes,” Dr Weingäertner says. To meet those rising outcome expectations, surgeons will have to both master the technical skills of refractive surgery and invest in equipment such as advanced biometry devices and excimer lasers needed to produce them.

Also rising are service expectations, Dr Weingäertner notes. When patients are paying hundreds or even thousands of Euro extra for multifocal lenses and other advanced refractive technologies, they won’t tolerate long waits for appointments or indifferent attitudes from practice employees. Issues such as patient scheduling and employee selection and training will be examined. Also featured will be tips on training staff to present refractive technologies in a positive and consistent way to reinforce that they are worth what the patient will pay out-of-pocket.

Enhancing the patient experience

With economic conditions tightening almost everywhere, keeping a cataract and refractive practice healthy increasingly means focusing on making the experience of learning about and undergoing procedures more pleasant and meaningful for patients. At 16.30, practice management experts including Karl Brasse, MD, of Eyeland Design Network, The Netherlands, Walter Pfeifer of Colana Consulting, Berlin, and Mike Malley of the Centre for Refractive Marketing, Houston, US, will present a range of strategies for enhancing the patient experience.

These will include internal steps practices can take to involve patients earlier in decisions about multifocal lenses and other refractive options. Strategies such as using animations and other advanced patient education technologies to explain the benefits of refractive surgery as well as developing staff skills to consistently identify and meet unique patient needs will be presented. The course will include 25 pearls for enhancing the patient experience.

Managing risk

On Monday the Practice Management Workshop will conclude with a presentation on risk management by Emanuel Rosen, MD, London, and attorneys and risk management specialists Wolfgang Radner, Vienna, and Paul McGinn, Dublin. Topics covered include the importance of informed consent, keeping adequate records, health and safety in the practice, and working with hospitals and state agencies. The session takes place at 14.00 on Monday, Sept. 15, also in Room 42 at the ICC.

EuroTimes Practice Management Workshop Is Launched at XXV1 ESCRS Congress in Berlin

One of the highlights of this year's congress will be the EuroTimes workshops on Practice Management where business and management experts will advise doctors on how they can run their practices successfully

The first workshops will be held at the XXVI ESCRS Congress in Berlin from Saturday 13 September to Monday 15 September and the full programme is now available on our website at www.escrs.org


This weblog will give you the latest news from the workshops and will also allow us to preview some of the exciting content from the workshops.

For further information you can also e-mail Colin Kerr, Executive Editor, EuroTimes at colin.kerr@escrs.org

EuroTimes Practice Management Master Class With Prof Jean-Pierre Benoit, London Business School.

On Sunday September 14 at 9am, Jean-Pierre Benoit, Professor of Economics and Joint Chair of the Economics Faculty, London Business School, will deliver the inaugural London Business School Master Class at the EuroTimes Practice Management Workshop in Room 42 at the International Conference Centre.

The topic of Prof Benoit’s speech is: “Why Should Accidents Happen – Overcoming Rational Failure”

“Some surgical errors are a result of mistakes, poorly designed systems and practice management. However, a seemingly rational, structured approach has its own weaknesses. Safety features can be self-limiting in unintended, yet rational ways. In this session, we will explore “rational failure” and look at ways to overcome it,” says Prof Benoit.

This will be one of the highlights of the ESCRS Congress in Berlin and as admission is on a first come first served basis, delegates are advised to arrive at least fifteen minutes early to ensure that they gain admission.

The Practice Management Workshops will be held on Saturday September 13th, Sunday September 14th and Monday September 15th.

For the full programme, visit our website at www.escrs.org and also our weblog at http://eurotimespracticemanagement.blogspot.com.

Developing A Vision For Your Practice

Great ophthalmologists do not necessarily make great business experts.

That is why EuroTimes has decided to host a series of workshops on Practice Management where business and management experts will advise doctors on how they can run their practices successfully

The first workshops will be held at the XXVI ESCRS Congress in Berlin from Saturday 13 September to Monday 15 September and the full programme is now available on our website at www.escrs.org

This weblog will give you the latest news from the workshops and will also allow us to preview some of the exciting content from the workshops.

For further information you can also e-mail Colin Kerr, Executive Editor, EuroTimes at colin.kerr@escrs.org