Chasing perfection - Editorial from Dr Paul Rosen

I am very pleased to be invited to write the editorial for April 2020 EuroTimes. Our Cover Story focuses on adding value to your practice, and explores how ophthalmologists can make the best use of their resources for the benefit of their patients. This is a subject that we will discuss further at the ESCRS Practice Management and Development Workshops during the 38th Congress of the ESCRS in Amsterdam in October. Everything we do has a cost and while it mustn’t be the prime determinant of how we deliver healthcare, it clearly has a major impact. Doctors generally don’t make natural business people but they need to know about the business of ophthalmology 
in its broadest sense and this applies to both the public and private systems. The business of ophthalmology is not just about money, but includes all the components of running a small business including marketing, finance, human resources; however, it is ultimately about highly effective leadership. This is particularly important for ophthalmologists who decide to go into private practice and set up their own clinics. This involves careful and meticulous planning and working with and supporting their multidisciplinary team It is important to manage the team’s expectations: there have been a number of projects that have failed because ophthalmologists are unrealistically ambitious. For example, if you’re building a clinic, you may have two or three consulting rooms, but the potential to expand to six; one operating theatre and the potential to expand to two or three. The key is great customer service from the moment the patient makes contact with the clinic to the day they are discharged from your care. I encourage ophthalmologists not only to read our cover story but also to attend the practice management sessions in Amsterdam. As the great American football coach Vince Lombardi said: “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” With that thought in mind, I look forward to seeing you in Amsterdam and urge you to take part in the ESCRS Practice Management and Development Programme.

• Paul Rosen FRCS FRCOphth is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Oxford Eye Hospital, Chairman of the Trustees of ESCRS, former President of ESCRS and Chairman of the ESCRS Practice Management And Development Committee.

Tags: ESCRS Practice Management and Development Programme