This month, we’ve talked about exploring your growth potential, noticing the signs that your practice is ready to grow this way, and the benefits of being proactive rather than reactive with your approach. Let’s tie it all together this week.

Adding a doctor doesn’t have to be a leap of faith. With the right structure, it is a calculated investment with predictable upside. Here’s how to reduce risk and ramp up efficiently:

• Start part-time or shared: Bring in a new doctor 1 to 2 days a week or share them across locations to test demand and cultural fit.
• Extend hours: Early mornings, evenings, or Saturdays can open completely new patient segments. Working professionals, students, and families who cannot make daytime appointments will now have a way in. Even if your team keeps the same number of total office hours, you should be able to cover extended times without hiring additional staff or incurring overtime.
• Reactivate your recall base: Dig into patients who are overdue for their next exam by 18+ months. A well-timed recall campaign can fill schedules fast.
• Increase pay per click (PPC): SEO is a smart long-term play, but when you have a doctor with availability today, paid search gets you noticed fast. PPC marketing is a reliable way to drive short-term appointments and fill those early-week gaps while you build momentum.

And then there is what I call the “growth window” in those first few months before your new doctor is fully booked. That is your best opportunity to improve your systems, tighten your recall process, and get smarter with your marketing. The foundation you lay during this time will determine how efficiently you scale.

At some point, every growing practice faces the same decision: Do you keep trying to squeeze more out of what you have, or do you expand your capacity to grow? The practices that grow consistently aren’t the ones waiting for perfect timing. They’re the ones that build capacity early, stay focused on execution, and use that growth window to get stronger. Adding a doctor isn’t just about filling a schedule. It’s about removing the ceiling on what your practice, and your team, can achieve.

Evan Kestenbaum is a lifelong entrepreneur and data geek who has cofounded and led several successful businesses within eye care. His latest project provides resources and advocacy for people who stutter. Evan enjoys spending time with his wife, Paula, in their most fulfilling role: parents to three adventurous daughters. For questions or comments about this article, please contact ekconsulting@gmail.com.

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