Patient satisfaction surveys.

In these difficult economic times, many practices are looking for ways to improve profitability. It is strange, however, that when economic conditions improve, improving profitability seems to become less a priority. Why not strive for better profitability all the time? If a practice is well run in good times, it will be better positioned to weather difficult times. Patient satisfaction can be considered a basic element of the successful practice. Without patient satisfaction, a practice can flounder. With it, the practice at least has an opportunity to flourish. Previously, the Optometric Economics page in "Practice Strategies" has outlined methodologies practitioners can use to chart the performance of their practices (see ‘Practice Management by the Numbers,’ "Practice Strategies," May 2003) includ-