In Episode 35 of the Ophthalmology Business Podcast, industry expert Jane Shuman, President and Founder of Eyetechs, Inc., joins host Naren Arulrajah to unveil one of her unique strategies. This episode packs a detailed guide to Jane’s innovative and groundbreaking 4S strategy, a toolkit designed to increase the efficiency and success of your practice.
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Timestamps
- 00:01:09 – Jane shares her background and how she got started in ophthalmology
- 00:05:51 – Why reducing wait times is important?
- Wait times are the number one reason for discontent and patient dissatisfaction
- Patient wait times and dissatisfaction often stem from lengthy office processes, not just the time spent waiting to see the doctor
- Duplicated or excessive check-in forms contribute to prolonged wait times
- Jane shares some strategies to eliminate redundancies, save time, and improve overall efficiency
- 00:10:46 – What are the four S’s, and how does it impact patient flow?
- It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. If you have a piece of the puzzle missing, it won’t be complete
- 00:12:57 – Examples for each one of the S’s
- Importance of cross-training
- Workup protocols to reduce wait times
- 00:16:37 – What’s the best way to evaluate the space that is working efficiently?
- 00:17:30 – Is there a perfect scheduling template?
- Pro tip: The number of patients scheduled should not exceed what the doctor can comfortably see within 60 minutes
- 00:19:54 – How to determine the necessary efficiency in an ophthalmology practice?
- Focus on addressing the low-hanging fruit first when implementing changes to improve efficiency.
- Prioritize optimizing the check-in process, as it can lead to quick improvements
- Encourage staff to contribute their ideas for improvements within the clinic actively
About
Jane Shuman
President and Founder of Eyetechs, Inc.
Jane T. Shuman, MSM, COT, COE, OCS, CMSS, President and Founder of Eyetechs, Inc., is a nationally recognized authority on clinical flow, scheduling and technician education. She worked in a high volume ophthalmology practice for over fifteen years and founded Eyetechs Inc. in 1999.
During her work as an Ophthalmic Technician and Clinical Manager, Jane has seen firsthand the many important issues confronting today’s busy ophthalmology practices. Based on her past experiences, she has learned how the proper schedule and competent technicians positively impact patient flow by decreasing wait times and increasing volume and practice revenue.
Jane has taught countless seminars on the integral aspects of today’s busy ophthalmic practice, including the annual conferences of both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators. Jane is the current Director of the Nursing and Allied Health Program of the Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting and was recently named Co-Editor in Chief of Ophthalmic Professional. Previously, she served as the Director of the Massachusetts Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons Ophthalmic Technician Training Program, helping to earn the 2002 and 2008 AAO State Affairs Star Award for Programs for Ophthalmic Administrators and Technicians. She was also a Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators.
Jane has published numerous articles that can be found in many publications such as Review of Ophthalmology, Administrative Eyecare, Ophthalmology Management and Eyeworld. JCAHPO approved online courses can be found on the BSM Connection for Ophthalmology website.
Connect with Jane
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jane-shuman-eyetechs
Website: www.eyetechs.com/
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