When Kim Cooper, OD, launched Life Vision Eyecare in late 2020, she brought years of patient care experience from working in the VA and group optometry and ophthalmology practices. Having been Valedictorian of her Michigan College of Optometry class and residency-trained, she had confidence in her clinical skills. However, navigating the business side of owning her own practice was a whole new challenge.
“I had patient care down,” says Dr. Cooper. “I had to learn the business aspect.”
Like many new practice owners, Dr. Cooper wondered whether she had to learn and manage everything herself. After consulting with colleagues, however, she realized outsourcing certain administrative tasks could be key to success. One of the top recommendations was implementing what is now HELIX’s Revenue Cycle Management (RCM).
“I started working with RCM right from the start,” Cooper explains. “I had heard horror stories about starting a practice without a strong billing process in place.”
FOCUS ON OTHER ASPECTS
By trusting experts to manage her billing, Dr. Cooper could focus on growing her business and delivering high-quality care. “In optometry school, they don’t teach you the details of running a business. You have to learn from others and your colleagues. But outsourcing to RCM allowed me to focus on training staff, watching metrics and ensuring we weren’t losing ground in any areas.”
It also meant she could be assured of getting paid properly and quickly. Dr. Cooper’s liaison through the RCM service became invaluable, especially when claims were denied. “She helps me understand why something wasn’t paid, and we work together to resubmit and resolve it,” she says. “Instead of hiring my own staff person dedicated to billing five days a week, I have someone who spends about 1.5 days a week checking on the billing tasks, and the rest of the time, she’s working with patients or supporting the practice in other ways.”
Her approach has paid off. Life Vision Eyecare has seen consistent growth, with a 30% increase annually. Dr. Cooper credits much of this success to her ability to devote more time to staff training and patient care, thanks to streamlined administrative support.” Any time you can spend more time with the patient, the experience improves. And that’s reflected in our Google reviews.”
She also notes the importance of avoiding billing errors, which can shake patient confidence. “Even small mistakes make patients anxious. They start to wonder, ‘If there’s an issue with the bill, what else could be wrong?’ We strive to avoid those situations 100%.”
Now four years in, Dr. Cooper reflects on how outsourcing claims management has allowed her practice to flourish. “It’s about giving yourself the time to focus on what matters—patient care and growing the business—while trusting the right tools and people to handle the rest.”
Read other stories from WO on how ODs are using HELIX Revenue Cycle Management services.
Want to learn more about HELIX’s RCM service? Schedule some time to talk with the team.
