If you’re an individual, general practice ophthalmologist, competing with large corporate providers to offer LASIK may seem like a daunting – if not impossible – task. How can a small practice hope to compete when larger providers are offering heavily discounted LASIK?
The following is part of a series written by our friend Kirk McFarland, CPT, NASM, NSCA. Kirk is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach with Life Time Fitness in Eden Prairie, MN. This article was created to help Sightpath surgeons alleviate health and wellness issues often faced by those in the ophthalmology industry.
People aren’t only watching videos of adorable animals – they’re also using videos to investigate products, services, and companies. If you’re an ophthalmologist, you may even be able to use this form of marketing to bring in more patients.
Despite its impressive success rate, LASIK isn’t always easy to sell. Prospective patients worry about complications, the cost, and the surgery itself. Because many of these patients are hesitant to pursue the procedure unprompted, if you offer LASIK, you must dedicate resources to marketing it.
Laser-assisted cataract surgery (LACS) has been steadily growing in popularity. As of 2016, LACS now accounts for 8.8 percent of all cataract procedures in the United States, up from 6.6 percent the previous year.
You’re busy. We know. When you have limited time and resources, marketing your practice and your elective offerings can be tricky. No matter how tempting it may be, however, don’t let your marketing fall by the wayside. Consistently marketing your practice will make sure that your patients are still there in six months, a year, and beyond!
If you’re a cataract surgeon, chances are you’re very good at what you do. Given the surgery’s impressive success rate, some surgeons might scoff at the notion of bringing femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (also known as LACS, FLACS, or femto) to their practice.
The following is part of a series written by our friend Kirk McFarland, CPT, NASM, NSCA. Kirk is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach with Life Time Fitness in Eden Prairie, MN. This article was created to help Sightpath surgeons alleviate health and wellness issues often faced by those in the ophthalmology industry.
Word of mouth is by far the most powerful form of marketing for your practice. Referrals are the reason behind more than 50 percent of all booked appointments. This number has been increasing each year, suggesting that referral-based marketing will continue to grow in the years to come.
LASIK equipment takes up a lot of space. What’s a surgeon with a small practice to do? Is it possible to keep the lasers in the OR when they’re not in use, or do they need to empty out another room? Can they store the lasers off-site? How much additional money would it cost to the store the equipment after buying the lasers in the first place?