The Best of Both Worlds

I always knew I wanted to be in the sciences and that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Private practice optometry offered me the best of both worlds. Today, I co-own a large practice in Chicago with 13 locations, many of them cold starts, and I am very excited about the future of our profession.

The Full Scope
What I love most about private practice is that it allows me to practice full scope how I want to. I can take care of patients’ chief complaints from beginning to end. And, all the technological advancements in optometry extend our ability even further—technologies like retinal imaging and OCT readings are at our fingertips, allowing us to practice to the full extent of our license. The result is comprehensive care and satisfied, healthy patients.

Partners
As a business owner, you inevitably face unforeseen challenges, and it’s helpful to have experts to turn to provide recommendations and tools to address the situation. Partnering with VSP and the VSP Global Premier Program gives me access to experts and resources to help me through some of the challenges, so I don’t feel completely alone. The support we get from VSP and the Premier Program is significant, whether it be representatives from the lab training my staff on the lens technology, assistance with frame board management, resources for handling patients coming in for diabetic evaluations, or billing help. And, last but not least, being part of the Premier Program brings significantly more patients into our practice. As an entrepreneur, I love starting cold starts, and that flow of patients has made it possible for us to grow to 13 locations.

A Renaissance
As I see it, the field of optometry is entering a renaissance—new resources and technologies available to us make it easier for us to focus on doing what we do best, taking care of patients, so we can continue to thrive.