last word
Facing CHALLENGES
by Lindsey Aspinall

Following some interesting results from a recent EB survey about business challenges, we decided to ask several more ECPs what they found to be their practice's biggest challenge and why.

Here's what they had to say.

Our biggest challenge is vision care plans because people think of them as insurance. Patients assume it will pay a full fee for everything no matter what service they are there for. I've found that patients are tremendously disappointed when they find out it doesn't cover things in full. Vision plans are a false security to patients.

— Robert A. Copeland, OD, FCOVD,
Wyomissing Optometric Center, with locations in Wyomissing and Douglasville, Pa.

Hiring a good staff is a challenge we've encountered. You get a lot of applicants who don't have the skills necessary for the position. Their grasp of writing, for instance, is not always up to par. If we find somebody who is polite and has good communication skills, we love to keep them. But they're definitely hard to find!

— Anastasios Fokas, OD, College Point Optometric Associates, College Point, N.Y.

Our biggest retail challenge is keeping patients from "walking" with their spectacle prescriptions. Because of the competitive nature of the business, patients are tempted by two-for-one offers, and lowball pricing from the chains. We keep our patients from taking their prescriptions elsewhere by keeping up-to-date with the latest products, educating patients on different features, providing materials at reasonable prices, and providing excellent service by licensed opticians. We also do not carry any close-outs or discontinued products, and refuse to carry any product lines available from the local low-cost chains.

— Stuart Bark, OD, Family EyeCare Associates, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Finding a steady staff has been difficult for us. We've had a lot of turnover with people moving away and other things. That's been the biggest challenge, but it's also tough to find the right staff. Even when you interview and give tests, it's still difficult to find and hire the right people. In many ways it's a trial-and-error process.

— Eddy Naime, OD, Espinosa and Naime Vision Center, East Los Angeles, Calif.