Two Takes on Concierge Care
Most eyecare professionals don’t start out in business planning to offer concierge care. It’s a big commitment in both time and talent. It’s also a concept that means different things to different people. For some, it translates to extra patient time. For others, it refers to exclusive offerings.
To learn more, EB spoke with two optometrists who have taken different paths to arrive at what’s commonly called “concierge optometry.” The antithesis of focusing on price or insurance, concierge eyecare is about building long-term relationships and providing services that go well beyond the norm.
Two Paths
EB has previously interviewed Adam Ramsey, O.D., about the concierge services he offers. This time, we asked him to address how hiring and training make his annual concierge fee a good investment for patients at Socialite Vision in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Taking an entirely different approach is Glenda Aleman-Moheeputh, O.D., whose Pembroke Pines, FL, practice, OK Love Myopia Control, is expanding beyond myopia control to offer evening concierge care for nearby businesses.
It’s all about staffing and training. For
example, the last employee I hired had
been the concierge at a high-end hotel.”
—Adam Ramsey, O.D.
Hiring + Training
On his practice’s website, Dr. Ramsey calls himself an optometric socialite and doctorpreneur. How does he hire/train staff to deliver the care he describes online as providing “more one-on-one time with your eye doctor…, access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, enhancing communication, and improving your overall quality of health care…” for an annual concierge fee of $799? “The patient receives personalized, attentive medical care through one appointed, dedicated eye doctor who is familiar with their medical history and unique health goals,” he adds.
“Just not taking insurance isn’t concierge,” he says. “It’s all about staffing and training. For example, the last employee I hired had been the concierge at a high-end hotel.”
What does he look for in employees? “I hire for personality and teach for skill,” he explains.
“Some offices say they want to do business the Ritz-Carlton way or offer the Disney experience. That sounds great,” he adds, “but you can’t do it if the staff has never experienced these things.
“That,” Dr. Ramsey says, “is why I take my staff to high-end resorts, fly them to conferences, and do things like send them to a wellness resort for a day. All this is so they can experience the pampering they’re asked to provide for themselves.”
level of care. It did, in fact, lead me to myopia
management.”
—Glenda Aleman-Moheeputh, O.D.
Putting Care Into Practice
Dr. Aleman-Moheeputh began her career at a high-end office in New York. “The fact that everyone was treated there at such a high level of personalized care really shaped my direction.”
Today, she has two locations in Miami. “Even in my first office, at a Walmart here,” she says, “there is no reason you cannot offer a high level of care. It did, in fact, lead me to myopia management.
“I got a lot of referrals,” she explains, “so I opened a second location, OK Love Myopia Control Experts.” Concierge care wasn’t in the plans until an endodontist from the large complex where her office is located asked if she could give him an eye exam. “I did it after hours, and that’s where the idea of concierge services came about.
“I now offer it to all the professionals in the plaza two evenings a week if I’m in town. It doesn’t take away from my normal schedule, and I get to charge a higher premium. It’s all about working smart,” says Dr. Aleman-Moheeputh, “as opposed to just working harder.”
That’s a philosophy that describes both doctors. The results of their efforts speak for themselves.
