“DATA IS THE NEW oil.” We’ve all heard it. But what does that actually mean for our practices, and more importantly, our patients?
As ODs, we’re sitting on barrels of data. The problem? Most of that oil is buried in spreadsheets, trapped in EMRs, or only glanced at once a quarter. But when data is refined, directed, and used with intention, everything changes.
Right now, most practices are drowning in KPIs. Revenue per patient, capture rates, optical conversions, medical vs. vision plans, walkout rates, chair cost. I’ve heard them all, even Scot Morris’s “DDD” (Door-to-Doctor-to-Done time). Here’s the issue: most aren’t actionable in real time. They don’t help you on a Tuesday afternoon when your schedule is full, your team is stretched, and decisions need to be made NOW. If your data isn’t helping you make decisions daily, it’s just noise.
So let me ask you the one question that changed everything for me: If you could track one metric every day and have it delivered automatically to you that shows where your practice has been, where it is now, and where it’s going … what would it be?
This is the game. It’s not about more data; it’s about better data used consistently to run your business effectively and take better care of your community. If you’re not proactively tracking your metrics, you’re doing a disservice to your business, your team, and your patients.
In my own practice, I asked: “What numbers would give us real insight into the day … even if I wasn’t there?” After testing and eliminating a lot of metrics, we landed on three:
- Total collections for the day
- Comprehensive exams vs. total exams
- Complete pairs of glasses sold (and by whom)
These are texted to me every single day. Yes, every single day!
Not because other metrics don’t matter, but because these tell a story we can act on immediately.
Collections reflect production. Exam mix highlights clinical opportunity (and missed opportunity).
Optical performance shows team execution for the day.
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I don’t go looking for this data. It comes to me, every day. And if it doesn’t, I ask for it. This is about accountability, ownership and love. Love for your profession, love for your team, and love for your business. It’s about caring enough to measure what matters and doing something about it. If you don’t have a scoreboard, you don’t have a business; you have chaos.
Keeping score creates control and control builds confidence.
In our office, our team gathers daily to send the numbers to me and my manager, but it didn’t happen overnight. It took about 90 days to stick. And this is where most practices fail.
If you want this to work, keep it simple. Don’t add more metrics and don’t overcomplicate it. Track something consistently for 90 days. If you miss a day… start over.
Long-Term Metrics That Matter
There are three long-term metrics every practice should understand deeply:
- Recall compliance: Are patients coming back?
- Contact lens reorder rate: Are you retaining revenue, or losing it online and why?
- Lifetime patient value: Are you building relationships or just transactions?
Think of it this way: Daily data = steering the ship. Long-term data = knowing where you’re headed. As the owner, it’s your job to see 18 months ahead, not just next quarter. So start simple:
1. Assign one or two people to gather the numbers daily.
2. Decide what gets tracked.
3. Have it delivered to you Every. Single. Day.
4. Commit to 90 days.
No excuses, just execution.
When we started tracking, it was a wake-up call. I wasn’t impressed with our numbers. But once we got serious, once we aligned as a team, everything changed for the better. We got focused. We became intentional. And we started moving in the same direction.
Ultimately, data is the foundation of your business and its future valuation. The practices that understand this won’t just survive, they will scale.
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