Dr. Sorrenson's Associate Jumps from $515 to $900 Per Exam, Redefining Practice Growth with NeuroVisual Medicine
Faced with the challenge of integrating a new associate, Dr. Sorrenson embarked on a strategic journey to discover the next innovative way to fill a doctor’s schedule. Her search led to the potential of NeuroVisual Medicine at a Power Practice meeting. Compelled by NVMI’s model, Sorrenson sent her future associate for NVMI training, leading to a staggering increase in the associate’s revenue from $515 to over $900 per exam. NVMI's specialized training created a win-win situation, enhancing both practice profitability and fulfilling associate growth. Delve into the full narrative below:
Fast Facts
- 1 Location
- 8 Doctors
- 7 Years with NVM
$515 → $900
35%
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How Does a Thriving Practice Surpass Its Own Success?
Dr. Laurie Sorrenson, owner of the thriving optometry practice Lakeline Vision Source, faced a familiar challenge many practice owners encounter: adding a new associate for growth. Laurie had done this before, but despite her success, she still found the process tedious: “When you hire a new associate doctor, it's really hard to get them full from the very beginning.” As was her situation with Dr. Catalasan, then an intern whom she wanted to bring on full time.
Laurie thought Dr. Catalasan would be a great addition as an associate, but with the amount of primary care patients Laurie knew were available, she wouldn’t have enough to give to her new doctor, risking a cannibalization of her other doctors’ patient schedules in the practice. Without a profitable solution, Laurie started exploring other ways to make her future associate not only profitable but fulfilled as well.
A Pivotal Moment at the Power Practice Meeting Leads to a Breakthrough
For a few months, Laurie's search came up empty, until she attended a feature presentation at a Power Practice meeting about a new specialty-in-a-box for optometrists: "I listened to Dr. Debby [from NeuroVisual Medicine] present at the Power Practice, and it immediately piqued my interest," she shared.
Laurie remembered thinking that if Dr. Catalasan could quickly learn how to use microprism technology to transform patient lives, she could fill her schedule up with specialty patients, and, “when I listened to Debby talk, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, she would be the perfect fit for this type of work.’ She’s smart. She's organized. She's patient. She's loving. She would just be perfect.”
After some more research into NVMI, Laurie made an offer to Dr. Catalasan, telling her that she was hired as long as she trained at NVMI to see a mix of primary care and NVM specialty patients. Dr.Catalasan agreed immediately, excited at the opportunity. Laurie had made her next innovative move: “Before she ever worked a single day in our practice as a doctor, she went up and trained with Debby for a week.”
Did NeuroVisual Medicine Set Dr. Catalasan Up for Success?
Dr. Catalasan's foray into NeuroVisual Medicine began with that week of intensive training, a strategic investment that Laurie likened to purchasing new equipment: “As optometrists, we buy new equipment all the time, right? How much does it cost? How quick is that return of investment? How many people can you help? These are the questions we ask…that's how I look at this.”
When Laurie talked about her decision with some of her colleagues, they couldn’t see the bigger picture: “People would say, ‘she hasn’t even worked for you yet, and you're paying for her to be off for a week?’” Her colleagues didn’t realize that NVM costs less than that equipment, and Dr. Catalasan would soon help an entirely new group of people Lakeline Vision Source hadn’t helped before. And what about the return of investment?
Filled Schedule:
Soon after returning, Dr. Catalasan started getting referrals from both within Laurie’s practice and from other MD offices: “She gets them from everywhere,” Laurie said. “These are desperate people who were searching on the internet trying to get help…they're not happy with their lenses: they can't wear them, they feel unsteady with them, or they're dizzy and you can tell they're anxious.”
Financial Gains:
Laurie looks at her practice’s profitability often and tracks a number of metrics, and she had no intention of changing that when Dr. Catalasan came on: “One of the things I track is dollars per hour,” Laurie noted. “I have eight doctors now, so I can track her numbers with everybody else. She's consistently up there at the top section of our group.”
In the beginning of her employment, Dr. Catalasan was making $550 per clinical hour worked in revenue for the practice when seeing mostly primary care patients and some NVM specialty patients. Today, when seeing only NVM specialty patients, she makes over $930 per clinical hour.
Fulfilling Work:
The return on investment transcends mere statistics: "My goal is that my doctors are happy and not stressed out.” Laurie mentioned. “At the end of the day, Dr. Catalasan is happy with her work. It just fills my heart to hear all the stories that she tells me about her NeuroVisual patients.”
“After training at NVMI, Dr. Catalasan now makes over $900 per exam. It's amazing how she became one of our highest performing doctors while only seeing 7 patients a day!”
Laurie Sorrenson, OD
Optometrist, Educator & Owner
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