Patient in the reception area of Dr. Mai’s myopia-focused office. Dr. Mai says whimsical touches like these squishy chairs help children feel at ease and brand the office as the place to come for kid-friendly myopia management.
Branding to emphasize myopia management.
By Thanh Mai, OD
June 12, 2024
Our young patients in the process of developing myopia need help to head off more serious potential problems for their eyes in the future.
With that in mind, five years ago our practice decided to double-down on our myopia management services with a new partnership that enabled us to create a myopia-focused practice.
That practice has grown 150 percent since its founding.
Dr. Mai’s optical in his myopia-focused office. He says that the furnishing and decorative touches were created with his young patients in mind. The practice has grown 150 percent since its founding.
Why Rebrand & Expand Services
When we decided to become a Treehouse Eyes licensee practice, we wanted to capitalize on the opportunity to rebrand. We followed the recipe of their two locations in Washington, DC, that focused only on myopia management.
We didn’t know that having a million dollar myopia-only practice was possible until we saw the magic that was happening over in D.C.
Our goal was to be a distinct myopia practice focused on pediatric care and less reliant on managed care plans.
“Whimsical Sophistication”
Treehouse Eyes hired professional designers who know how to appeal to parents and children. They call it a “whimsically sophisticated” look!
The exam room is an entire suite of equipment where the doctor can measure axial length, topographies and retinal photos, all in the exam room. There is no need for parents and children to be moved throughout the office.
At our office, we created seating for parents, kid-friendly sinks and squishy chairs for them to lounge in. We also created “prizes” for our myopia management patients, which we are proud of. As you can imagine, we had to create space for all these toys!
Concierge Model to Go With Pediatrics-Focused Branding
Our concierge model allows for one-on-one time with the doctor and the patient. We don’t accept any patient insurance for myopia management services, so we do not have pressure to maintain a high patient volume to make up for low managed care reimbursements, and we are never limited by managed-care rules in what we can do for our patients.
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Our ability to spend so much time with our patients, and personalize treatment to their individual needs, is as much a part of our branding as the decor.
People Understand Who We Are Right Away
The best kind of branding makes it hard for people to NOT know what you do.
Patients know instantly what we stand for. We are laser-focused on pediatrics. Our office environment, and the experience we give patients when they are with us, sends a clear message about who we are and what we specialize in.
Thanh Mai, OD, is a partner with Insight Vision Center Optometry, a Vision Source practice in Costa Mesa, Calif, and Optometry Corner, a Vision Source practice in Irvine, Calif. To contact him: tmai@visionsource.com
