ESCRS Launching Business Accelerator Programme

Business processes and practices increasingly are being integrated into healthcare to heighten cost efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and ensure regulatory compliance. Knowledge of business processes and practices, unfortunately, is generally lacking among healthcare practitioners, and ophthalmologists are no exception.

“Many ophthalmologists are not literate in economics, accountancy, and marketing,” says Christina Grupcheva MD, PhD. “Most of them think, ‘I have the patients, I have the skills, I can purchase the equipment. The rest will take care of itself.’”

To some extent, the European ophthalmology landscape is to blame—while clinicians receive extensive medical training, there is limited access to practical, structured education on the business, operational, and leadership aspects of running a clinical practice. Existing programmes in this area are largely US-based or tailored to a narrow audience and do not sufficiently reflect the regulatory, financial, and operational realities of European healthcare systems.

Beginning this year, ESCRS is bridging this gap by launching a structured business education programme for ophthalmologists. Titled Vision to Venture (V2V), the programme is designed to serve as a business accelerator for ophthalmologists and practice managers, supporting individuals at different stages of their professional journey.

“Vision to Venture will equip clinicians to operate effective, sustainable, and well-managed practices within the European healthcare environment,” says Paul Rosen MBA, MD, who chairs the ESCRS Leadership, Business, & Innovation Committee (LBI), which is developing the programme. “By partnering with top-tier business leaders, professional service firms, verified leaders of successful European clinics, and professionals from outside the industry, we will offer a programme with unparalleled substance.”

Programme format

The programme will feature an introductory online component followed by a series of five in-person weekend courses. Each weekend course will focus on a specific area of business and practice management:

·                Business planning: Developing a viable clinical and commercial strategy, including funding, market analysis, and financial modelling

·                Legal, regulatory, and financial essentials: Understanding compliance requirements, contracts, company structures, and financial controls

·                Leadership and human resources: Building and managing teams, leadership development, and organisational culture

·                Operations and practice management: Establishing efficient clinical workflows, managing resources, and scaling operations

·                Marketing and positioning: Developing a clear brand, communicating value, and managing patient acquisition within regulatory frameworks

Weekend courses will be presented at accessible European locations and will include a combination of expert-led sessions and practical, small-group work. Group sizes will be limited to encourage interactive learning. Assorted digital content (e.g., webinars and ongoing learning materials) will be delivered throughout the year to support the courses. Attendance at individual weekends is not mandatory, although the curriculum is designed to be progressive and encourage continued participation.

The initial launch, including introductory content and the first in-person course, is scheduled to occur this year. The programme will expand next year to deliver content across all five weekend modules. Further development will be based on participant feedback and programme evaluations.

Natural fit within ESCRS

In addition to serving as a business accelerator for European ophthalmologists, Vision to Venture will support ESCRS’s broader strategic direction of expanding its educational offerings beyond clinical training.

“V2V is not separate from education—it is a natural extension of it,” says Başak Bostanci, a member of the LBI Committee. “It fits naturally within ESCRS because it expands the definition of education from not only how we operate, but also how we build and sustain what we operate in.”

“Vision to Venture perfectly fits within the existing ESCRS educational offer,” agrees Vincent Qin, MD, MBA. “The existing offer is mostly technical: toric IOLs, premium lens patient selections, and complications management. V2V offers the non-technical, business and management side of ophthalmology—the soft skills needed to run a department or a practice.”

“If ESCRS is committed to helping ophthalmologists deliver the highest standards of care, then supporting them in building strong, well-run practices is part of that mission as well,” says Artemis Matsou MD, another LBI Committee member. “The difficult decisions about business planning, finance, hiring, leadership, operations, and marketing are very real, but they are often made without much structure. Vision to Venture takes those areas seriously and turns them into something teachable, practical, and relevant.”