Delegating Patient Care; How Much Is Too Much?

I've noticed an interesting paradox among private practice OD's regarding delegating patient care to assistants and technicians.

The median (half above, half below) annual production for an individual OD in a traditional dispensing practice is a little over $500,000 per year.

Doctors with annual production of $400,000-$600,000 tend to place a high value on personally performing much of the examination process and eyewear fitting.

These OD’s often tell me they don’t delegate as much as they could because

they feel their patients like personal attention from the doctor. 

In other words, these doctors consider the time they spend personally examining patients and fitting eyewear to be a good will gesture and practice builder. 

But, here is the paradox.

Doctors with high annual personal production, ($800,000 -- $1,200,000) tell me they delegate as much patient care as they can, including the examination process.

In other words, one of the tools used by those who have actually built ‘$ Million Plus’ practices is…. extensive delegation.

Here are my takeaways  

Patients do, in fact, love personal attention from their doctor.

However, that attention can be in the form of a sincere conversation or, simply listening to their concerns in a caring manner.  

I am convinced that the doctor does not have to personally deliver all, or even most, of that care to create a highly positive experience for his or her patients.

And, to build a large, personally fulfilling practice in the process.

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Disclaimer: The information and opinions contained on this site are for discussion purposes only and are NOT intended to serve as legal, accounting or investment advice. © 2010 Jerry Hayes, OD. Not to be reproduced without written permission of the author.