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IF YOUR OFFICE APPEARS MESSY AND OUTDATED, PATIENTS WILL THINK YOU ARE TOO

“IT IS BETTER to look good than to feel good,” said comedian/actor Billy Crystal, as Fernando, on 1980s “Saturday Night Live.” Can this famous quote apply to your office? Of course you want your patients to feel good, but it is also imperative that they think your office looks good. The reason: Your office’s appearance can be a reflection on you and your staff.

For example, what would you think of a doctor’s office that had dirty Kleenex on the floor, among other signs of carelessness? You would want to leave as quickly as you came in. Along these same lines, how do you view doctors’ offices that contain yellowing periodicals? As “outdated?” Guess what? So do other patients. There is no reason your office should look messy and out of touch.

LOOKING AT IT FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE

When you’re at your home expecting company, are papers all over the place? Are books strewn about the floor? Are dirty dishes in the sink? The answer is likely “no,” and this should be the same answer for your office because your patients are your guests, in this case. And just like guests who encounter a filthy house and don’t want to return, the same can be said of patients who enter a doctor’s office in disarray.

TIME FOR A MAGNIFYING GLASS

How can you tell how your office really looks? Why not pretend you’re a patient, and, therefore, see your practice through a patient’s eyes? Specifically, look with scrutiny at every corner to make sure that it is up to par.

This can also be a worthwhile activity for staff. Take time when the office is not busy with patients, and have staff members walk around and take notes on parts of the office that need “help.” In fact, go a step further and include areas not visible to patients, as these areas set a tone with employees. Then, look at the lists as a group, and make the necessary changes to ensure the office looks clean and up-to-date.

For example, set up a system in your office break room to make sure dishes are washed and tables are cleaned. Respecting the physical office needs to be a priority for all. This even extends to doctors. We need to make sure that if we have a private office, it is treated with respect as well.

THE BENEFIT

When patients notice an office that appears put together, they may tell others about it. Word-of-mouth referrals are not just made based on care, but on perception of office quality, which may be based on appearance. What we want patients to say when they leave our office, in the words of Billy Crystal as Fernando, is, “You look marvelous.” OM

JEFFRY D. GERSON, O.D., F.A.A.O., practices at Grin Eyecare in Olathe, Kan., a full-scope combined O.D./M.D. practice. Email him at jgerson@hotmail.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment on this article.