A typical morning in Dr. Gump's office

[Dr Gump]

For everyone's edification I made notes on my morning to illustrate how my practice functions. Hopefully you will find it enlightening.

7:30 AM Arrive at office after bicycle ride...shower, eat breakfast.

8:00 AM Review charts, photos, fields, charges, etc from prior day

9:00 AM Patients arrive

9:20 AM Pt #1 - Full eye exam 62 year old patient with glaucoma
Fields, IOP's, refraction, gonio, DFE, photos
Follow 3 months

Pt #2 - Dry eye follow up 80 year old
Pt doing well with treatment
Follow 3 months

Pt #3 - Full eye exam 34 year old patient with amblyopia
and allergic conjunctivitis
Spec RX and RX for allergies
Follow 6 months

Pt #4 - Contact lens fit - toric
Pt had keratitis which resolved after one month of TX
Follow one week

Pt #5 - Contact lens/full eye exam 27 year old with allergic
conjunctivitis
CL trial and RX for allerigies
Follow one week

Pt #6 - Dry eye follow up 77 year old
Mild non-compliance with treatment
Add new drop to mix
Follow one month

Pt #7 - Dry eye follow up 56 year old
Pt only wants homeopathic therapy, symptoms
resolved with current therapy
Educate patient about homeopathic drop options,
warm compressess/lid scrubs and fishoil.
Follow one year

Pt #8 - Red eye 18 year old
RX for conjunctivitis
Follow one week

11:30 Return missed phone calls, go through mail, etc.

12:00 Lunch

All full eye exams were dilated.

One patient purchased spectacles in my optical.

This is a rather skewed proportion of optical sales to professional fees, but this is typical in my practice.

I hope this has not bored you to tears, but this is a typical morning in my practice. I am nothing special, but I have worked hard to create my practice the way I like and I believe I have succeeded.

Thanks for your attention.

Dr Gump

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[DrRobs]

For everyone's edification I made notes on my morning to illustrate how my practice functions. Hopefully you will find it enlightening.

7:30 AM Arrive at office after bicycle ride...shower, eat breakfast.

8:00 AM Review charts, photos, fields, charges, etc from prior day

9:00 AM Patients arrive

9:20 AM Pt #1 - Full eye exam 62 year old patient with glaucoma
Fields, IOP's, refraction, gonio, DFE, photos
Follow 3 months

Pt #2 - Dry eye follow up 80 year old
Pt doing well with treatment
Follow 3 months

Pt #3 - Full eye exam 34 year old patient with amblyopia
and allergic conjunctivitis
Spec RX and RX for allergies
Follow 6 months

Pt #4 - Contact lens fit - toric
Pt had keratitis which resolved after one month of TX
Follow one week

Pt #5 - Contact lens/full eye exam 27 year old with allergic
conjunctivitis
CL trial and RX for allerigies
Follow one week

Pt #6 - Dry eye follow up 77 year old
Mild non-compliance with treatment
Add new drop to mix
Follow one month

Pt #7 - Dry eye follow up 56 year old
Pt only wants homeopathic therapy, symptoms
resolved with current therapy
Educate patient about homeopathic drop options,
warm compressess/lid scrubs and fishoil.
Follow one year

Pt #8 - Red eye 18 year old
RX for conjunctivitis
Follow one week

11:30 Return missed phone calls, go through mail, etc.

12:00 Lunch

All full eye exams were dilated.

One patient purchased spectacles in my optical.

This is a rather skewed proportion of optical sales to professional fees, but this is typical in my practice.

I hope this has not bored you to tears, but this is a typical morning in my practice. I am nothing special, but I have worked hard to create my practice the way I like and I believe I have succeeded.

Thanks for your attention.

Dr Gump

Not that the doctor I work for is bad, actually shes great and it kind of adds to the fact that she skews off schedule and gets herself behind quite frequently...but I just have to say props to you for sticking to such a nice schedule and reviewing charts and getting to the office well before patients come in instead of coming in anywhere from 15-45 late and making your technician extreemly frustrated and the patients having to wait way too long and complaining...haha sorry just a little venting because I'd really like it if she stuck to her schedule so well like that, mostly cause I'm leaving soon for optometry school and we still can't get her system down good and she relys on me to back up her lateness (which I also hate) and I don't want her to have a rough transition when I'm not there...

ok I'm done haha

 

[eyestrain]

Not that the doctor I work for is bad, actually shes great and it kind of adds to the fact that she skews off schedule and gets herself behind quite frequently...but I just have to say props to you for sticking to such a nice schedule and reviewing charts and getting to the office well before patients come in instead of coming in anywhere from 15-45 late and making your technician extreemly frustrated and the patients having to wait way too long and complaining..

That's funny. My last rotation was with this great OD whose practice was exclusively pathology. I'd basically do the work up, refract, SLE, formulate an A & P if one was needed at that point, and go get him. But he was the same way, always wandering in 15-30 minutes late in the morning and after lunch with a couple patients already worked up and waiting for him. Then he'd proceed to take his sweet time with everyone and by the end of the morning/afternoon, we'd sometimes have 4 people waiting in rooms for half an hour to an hour waiting for him. Then he'd yell at me for "not keeping him on schedule". It drove me nuts. I'd be efficient as hell getting patients ready while he'd lolly-gag around. What the hell was I supposed to do? Keep a stopwatch and airhorn handy? I can see it now, i walk into the room blast the airhorn and scream "NEXT!"

 

[Dr Gump]

That's funny. My last rotation was with this great OD whose practice was exclusively pathology. I'd basically do the work up, refract, SLE, formulate an A & P if one was needed at that point, and go get him. But he was the same way, always wandering in 15-30 minutes late in the morning and after lunch with a couple patients already worked up and waiting for him. Then he'd proceed to take his sweet time with everyone and by the end of the morning/afternoon, we'd sometimes have 4 people waiting in rooms for half an hour to an hour waiting for him. Then he'd yell at me for "not keeping him on schedule". It drove me nuts. I'd be efficient as hell getting patients ready while he'd lolly-gag around. What the hell was I supposed to do? Keep a stopwatch and airhorn handy? I can see it now, i walk into the room blast the airhorn and scream "NEXT!"

What can I say. I am an obsessive/compulsive personality. I hate to make people wait. I like to crack the whip on my employees. Keeps my patients happy. Keep the bar high and life will be good.

Dr. Gump

 

[eyestrain]

What can I say. I am an obsessive/compulsive personality. I hate to make people wait. I like to crack the whip on my employees. Keeps my patients happy. Keep the bar high and life will be good.

Dr. Gump

That's a good thing. I hated always getting blamed for HIM running behind. What's that chemistry term? Rate limiting step? Yeah, that was HIM not ME.

 

[JMU07]

That's funny. My last rotation was with this great OD whose practice was exclusively pathology. I'd basically do the work up, refract, SLE, formulate an A & P if one was needed at that point, and go get him. But he was the same way, always wandering in 15-30 minutes late in the morning and after lunch with a couple patients already worked up and waiting for him. Then he'd proceed to take his sweet time with everyone and by the end of the morning/afternoon, we'd sometimes have 4 people waiting in rooms for half an hour to an hour waiting for him. Then he'd yell at me for "not keeping him on schedule". It drove me nuts. I'd be efficient as hell getting patients ready while he'd lolly-gag around. What the hell was I supposed to do? Keep a stopwatch and airhorn handy? I can see it now, i walk into the room blast the airhorn and scream "NEXT!"

I can definitely sympathize.. I love the doc I used to work for, known him since I was little but goodness. It is NOT fun being on the front desk when he's two hours behind and the waiting room is full!! He never blamed anyone but himself, though, because he knew it was his own fault. He talks too much.

 

[DrRobs]

That's a good thing. I hated always getting blamed for HIM running behind. What's that chemistry term? Rate limiting step? Yeah, that was HIM not ME.

Ahh thanks for the reassuring words that its not just her! It is probably the MOST frustrating thing ever, but at the same time Yea thats not going to be me cause I know how frustrating it was! I mean patients love her cuz she is so personal but those smiles dont come quickly when they have to wait forever! I feel part of it is she spends more time and talks more because she wants to make up for the lateness but it frustrates all of us out front who have to hear it all! its good when shes late and we have a visual field as our first patient of the day cuz then they don't notice the lateness!

However monday was probably the first time she came to the office on time at 9, but our first patient happened to be a visual field so she didn't need to start right away and got tied up micromanaging things with the office manager and the optician the patient still had to wait in the exam room with her! I went in there once I had finished working up the next patient to help "move her along" and i sat there at the computer with the window open ready to enter pressures while she sat for 15 mins talking about some random nonsense movie her kids watched at a sleepover before I was even able to enter the values...so its like what do you do! lol

When she is not there I am bored doing stuff like cleaning since I'm leaving she hasn't given me any "real work" but when shes there its like non stop running around no lunch breaks cuz she "catches up" somewhat during that time. lol

If I am ever like that I am definately going to treat my staff to lunch out once in a while or u know something nice!

 

[lovelydisaster]

Amen to last statement! I've heard of docs that even treat their staff to a mini vacation where they all go hiking, skiing, or wherever! And they all go together and just.. bond .. only in a perfect world. sigh.

 

[gochi]

For everyone's edification I made notes on my morning to illustrate how my practice functions. Hopefully you will find it enlightening.

7:30 AM Arrive at office after bicycle ride...shower, eat breakfast.

8:00 AM Review charts, photos, fields, charges, etc from prior day

9:00 AM Patients arrive

9:20 AM Pt #1 - Full eye exam 62 year old patient with glaucoma
Fields, IOP's, refraction, gonio, DFE, photos
Follow 3 months

Pt #2 - Dry eye follow up 80 year old
Pt doing well with treatment
Follow 3 months

Pt #3 - Full eye exam 34 year old patient with amblyopia
and allergic conjunctivitis
Spec RX and RX for allergies
Follow 6 months

Pt #4 - Contact lens fit - toric
Pt had keratitis which resolved after one month of TX
Follow one week

Pt #5 - Contact lens/full eye exam 27 year old with allergic
conjunctivitis
CL trial and RX for allerigies
Follow one week

Pt #6 - Dry eye follow up 77 year old
Mild non-compliance with treatment
Add new drop to mix
Follow one month

Pt #7 - Dry eye follow up 56 year old
Pt only wants homeopathic therapy, symptoms
resolved with current therapy
Educate patient about homeopathic drop options,
warm compressess/lid scrubs and fishoil.
Follow one year

Pt #8 - Red eye 18 year old
RX for conjunctivitis
Follow one week

11:30 Return missed phone calls, go through mail, etc.

12:00 Lunch

All full eye exams were dilated.

One patient purchased spectacles in my optical.

This is a rather skewed proportion of optical sales to professional fees, but this is typical in my practice.

I hope this has not bored you to tears, but this is a typical morning in my practice. I am nothing special, but I have worked hard to create my practice the way I like and I believe I have succeeded.

Thanks for your attention.

Dr Gump

I have not read all response so maybe my question has already been answered. Anyhow, Dr.Gump, what do you do after lunch ?

 

[Dr Gump]

I have not read all response so maybe my question has already been answered. Anyhow, Dr.Gump, what do you do after lunch ?

More of the same. I usually leave the office at 6 or 6:30 PM. I really didn't want to display my whole day...it would not be entertaining reading.

Thanks for the question.

 

[gochi]

More of the same. I usually leave the office at 6 or 6:30 PM. I really didn't want to display my whole day...it would not be entertaining reading.

Thanks for the question.

Your making it seem boring, doc.

 

[eyepoker]

where did you graduate, Dr. Gump? is your office mid-size with 2-3 ODs? or just you and the staff?

 

[JeffChou]

I have not read all response so maybe my question has already been answered. Anyhow, Dr.Gump, what do you do after lunch ?

Even more heinous a crime than not using the beloved SDN search before posting is not reading the thread before posting.

 

[gochi]

Even more heinous a crime than not using the beloved SDN search before posting is not reading the thread before posting.

Sue me.

 

[Dr Gump]

where did you graduate, Dr. Gump? is your office mid-size with 2-3 ODs? or just you and the staff?

I graduated from UHCO.

I am flying solo in my practice....wouldn't mind an associate, however.

Good Luck,

Dr. Gump