ProVision is enabling optometrists to make evidence-based business decisions by leveraging valuable data about the demographics and purchasing behaviours of patients visiting their practices.

ProIntel, an innovative practice performance and benchmarking system utilising Microsoft PowerBI, is currently being piloted by 35 ProVision practices – some single practices and some multi-practice groups. It will be rolled out to the broader ProVision membership base at O-SHOW in Sydney later this month.

Andrew Dunham, the Operations Manager for Total Eyecare, which operates eight practices in Tasmania, said that in the seven years he has been in his role, ProIntel “is one of the most important things we’ve introduced”.

“For businesses and people that like to see data to make more accurate decisions, this is priceless,” he told mivision.

Andrew Bowden, the owner of Envision Optical in Burleigh Waters and Tweed Heads South, described ProIntel as “an exceptional initiative” and one that he had been wanting for the past 10 years.

MULTI-TIERED DATA ANALYSIS

The ProIntel platform organically captures data entered into the Optomate Touch practice management system, which can be supplemented with details such as the patient’s suburb, gender, birth date, etc. The information is anonymised and “rolled up” for analysis at an individual practice level, at a group level for multi-practice businesses, and then at a broader ProVision level for a macro view.

Using data analytics, it provides performance reporting and historic benchmarking across sales, appointments, and inventory of frames, lenses, and contact lenses. Additionally, a benchmarking module, to be rolled out in late 2024, will enable practice managers to measure their performance against other ProVision practices and predict the business growth that would occur if they were to make proactive adjustments to their strategy.

Impressively, ProIntel captures data from previous years, enabling groups like Total Eyecare to get an accurate picture on practice growth through history.

“So, we can look back through 20 years of data to observe trends, conversion rates, lens usage, the average value of purchases, and the impact of health fund promotions on sales,” Mr Dunham said.

“We can identify high performers and low performers over time and then we can drill down on all of this information to work out why and how to lift performance in specific locations or areas of the business.”

As someone who has always been “data focussed”, Mr Bowden said the opportunity to easily access data in real time is phenomenal. “In the past we’ve had to spend hours every month pulling information from Optomate, entering it into excel spreadsheets, then doing our analysis. Now it’s a piece of cake. We can bring up reports, dive into drop downs, and access valuable information about sales, appointments, practitioner and dispenser performance etc in highly visible box charts. I’m excited to play with what’s available now and even more excited about the add-ons being rolled out.”

BIG DATA STRATEGY

ProVision Business Systems Manager Andrew Parker said the launch of ProIntel was part of the group’s “big data strategy”, determined by ProVision board members and feedback from the wider membership.

He said by leveraging data more effectively, the aim was to enable practice owners and leaders to make fact-based decisions at a practice level rather than working on “gut instinct”. This should ultimately lead to more profitable and sustainable businesses.

“Much like optometrists work with the evidence base to guide clinical decisions for patients, now they can use evidence to make business building decisions,” he observed.

“It provides new visibility and new knowledge, which can be used to develop actionable strategies, and more targeted, measurable marketing campaigns,” Mr Parker said.

“Using ProIntel, for instance, you can get immediate insights 24/7 on your customers based on age, gender or postcode; you can see which frame brands, styles, and lenses are selling to particular demographic groups (and which aren’t) and you can spot regular gaps in your appointment books that could be focussed on.”

He said this information can be used when making decisions about inventory, promotions, staffing, and more.

“This type of large-scale business intelligence is typically reserved for the big end of town due to the investment and expertise required, so it’s exciting to offer this level of sophistication at an independent practice level.”

Mr Dunham said that already his practice group had observed discrepancies between assumptions and reality. “A practice manager may believe their biggest customers are a particular age group and a particular frame brand is their biggest seller. In real time we can work out whether that’s the case and often it’s not, which presents an opportunity to change strategies.”

SECURE, ACCESSIBLE AND POWERFUL

Data is power, but only if you understand it. ProVision business coaches are now working closely with the practices participating in the pilot project to analyse the information acquired from ProIntel via Optomate Touch and then help identify specific initiatives to drive aspects of their practice and measure the impact as they go.

“This is an evolution in business coaching… utilising a tool like this enables our business coaches to dive deeper into what is happening and provide strategies that are based on real facts. We’re looking at the data; looking at the opportunity and then saying, ‘okay, let’s drive the strategy based on what the data’s telling us’,” Mr Parker said.

With growing concern about data privacy, Mr Parker assured mivision that data for a particular practice is only available to that practice or to their ProVision business coach with the practice owner’s signed permission.

“We’ve worked with Optomate to ensure everything has been set up correctly and securely. We load ProVision’s ProIntel software on the server at the practice that extracts all the information it needs through the secure Optomate Touch application programming interface and stores it on our ProVision AWS server in Sydney. The practice has the ability to turn ProIntel on and off whenever they would like to, or if they need to. So, they ’re in full control.”

He said Optomate does not own or store any practice data.

“I think it’s really important for practices to understand that all the data is collected, deidentified, managed, and secured by ProVision.”

Mr Parker said member response to ProIntel and their willingness to share their data is testament to the journey they ’ve been on with ProVision.

“Trust is a major part of all of this, and it’s taken many years to get to the point where we can be ready to offer a service like this that delivers insights our members have never been able to access before.

“They trust us, they know we take their data security extremely seriously and they are confident that they will remain in control of their own information when it is used to drive ProIntel’s analytics," Mr Parker said.