1. TODAY’S PRACTICE
Refractive Surgeons
and the X-Factor
How confidence plays a role in attracting patients to your practice.
BY SHAREEF MAHDAVI
This editorial is the last in a three-part series adapted from
the recent lecture, “Ways to Stop Undervaluing Your Services,” “A surgeon’s attitude sets
that the author presented at the 2004 ASCRS meeting. the tone for all of the activity the
practice conducts in attracting and
In the process of observing refractive sur-
geons and their practices, I am constantly treating patients.”
searching for factors that distinguish more
successful practitioners from their less suc- Mr. Walsh hosted at his laser center US surgeons who want-
cessful counterparts. Historically, the No. 1 ed to witness the procedure and meet the patients first-
factor that correlates with success is atti- hand. He developed the acronym WAC, which stands for
tude. A surgeon’s attitude, much like that willing, able, and committed, as his litmus test to determine
of a corporate CEO, sets the tone for all of the activity the which surgeons were serious enough about the procedure
practice conducts in attracting and treating patients. Most to invite. Mr. Walsh told these physicians that, in order to be
of the marketing topics discussed in this column eventually successful refractive surgeons, they would have to have the
focus on the attitude of the primary willingness, ability, and commitment
surgeon, because it lies at the core of to invest the necessary time, money,
the style and substance of a refractive and energy. Beyond the investment
practice. Like a mirror, the practice is of capital required to purchase and
almost always a direct reflection of its maintain a laser, Mr. Walsh stressed
leader. the importance of communicating
Beyond attitude, however, is a per- with and marketing to patients,
sonality characteristic that also seems because the LASIK procedure dif-
to have a direct impact on the value fered greatly from traditional disease-
of a refractive surgery practice. This based surgeries.
trait is difficult to describe in a few Today, WAC still influences the
words; it has a certain Je ne sais quoi. I liken this characteris- success of a refractive practice. Dig deeply into the problems
tic to an X-factor, which is a term used by talent scouts to of a refractive surgery center, and often you will find that
describe the quality they seek in new pop stars. The closest one of those three elements—willingness, ability, or com-
single word I can use to name this trait is confidence. Like the mitment—is missing from the equation. All three help gen-
definitions of quality and value, confidence is something erate in surgeons the intestinal fortitude called confidence.
that many of us find difficult to define but certainly recog-
nize when we see it. PATIENT CONFIDENCE
Not surprisingly, patients recognize a confident surgeon
SURGEON CONFIDENCE when they see one. Surveys asking patients why they chose
What exactly is confidence, and why is it so important? a particular practice or surgeon show “confidence in the sur-
Mark Walsh, an early refractive marketer (and son-in-law of geon” as the second most important factor in patients’ deci-
the late refractive surgery pioneer Don Johnson, MD) in sion-making process, ahead of “referral from another doc-
Vancouver, British Columbia, understood the concept well. tor” and other factors, including price.
In the early 1990s, before LASIK was approved in the US, The moment of truth often arrives when patients meet
84 I CATARACT & REFRACTIVE SURGERY TODAY I AUGUST 2004

2. you, the physician, for the first time. What kind of impres-
sion do you make on them? They are looking to you for val-
idation that (1) they have made the right decision by con-
sidering refractive surgery, (2) they have nothing to fear, and
(3) they can trust you with their only pair of eyes. Do you
give them that needed reassurance in a sincere and caring
manner? Are you able to sit with them and explain —with
confidence—what they may expect from the procedure?
These are the questions you must ask yourself. Someone on
your staff should be able to observe you and provide feed-
back about how well you perform in this area.
The message here is strong and simple: although confi-
dence may be hard to quantify, it definitely impacts how
and why patients choose a particular surgeon to perform
their procedure.
INNATE OR LEARNED?
Perhaps the real question is whether confidence is a trait
present at birth or something that can be learned. I’ll defer
to the geneticists and behavioral scientists on that one, but
my hunch is that it can be learned. As a surgeon, you’ve al-
ready developed surgical confidence, but you must extend
that confidence into the realm of patient care and handling.
As I discussed how to evaluate your perceived value in part
II of this series, a similar process can be applied to gauging
the confidence that you exude to patients. Ask yourself,
“Do my staff and I convey confidence in everything we do?”
This question applies to all areas of your practice, from how
your staff answers the phone to how you handle an intra-
operative complication. Both of these situations place per-
formance pressure on the person involved, and the manner
in which they are handled will influence the patient’s judg-
ment of your practice.
CONFIDENCE BOOSTING
Although confidence can be learned, it cannot be
feigned. Exuding false confidence is like trying to hold your
balance while standing on one foot: you get tired pretty
quickly, and as the old saying goes, the other shoe always
drops. Prospective patients will detect false confidence
pretty quickly, and your procedural volume will suffer
because of it.
Just like playing golf, a musical instrument, or any other
hobby, you can improve your presentation over time. Con-
fidence is the byproduct of focus and dedication. Clearly,
your patients aren’t ignoring it … and neither should you. s
Shareef Mahdavi draws on 20 years of medical device mar-
keting experience to help companies and providers become
more effective and creative in their marketing and sales efforts.
Mr. Mahdavi welcomes comments at (925) 425-9963 or
shareef@sm2consulting.com.