Blog · Eye Care Practices
How many patient calls is your Eye Care Practice missing? A 15-minute self-check
Most practice owners can tell you their collections to the dollar. Very few can tell you how many calls went unanswered last Tuesday. That number is usually bigger than anyone expects, and every one of those calls was someone who already wanted to book.
In the MGMA 2026 Phone and Fax Solutions Survey, 36% of medical practices said more than one in ten calls goes unanswered or to voicemail at peak times.
Step 1: Pull one week of call data (5 minutes)
Your phone system almost certainly keeps a call log. Export one normal week and count three things: total inbound calls, calls that went to voicemail or were abandoned, and calls that came in outside office hours.
If you can't export it, have the front desk keep a tally for two days: every time the phone rings while they're on another call or with a patient, make a mark.
Step 2: Check what happened to the voicemails (5 minutes)
Pick ten voicemails from that week and ask: was each one returned, how long did it take, and did the caller book? New patients who reach voicemail often just call the next practice on the list. A same-day callback helps; a next-day callback usually doesn't.
Step 3: Put a number on it (5 minutes)
Multiply missed calls per week by the share that were new patients or consult requests, then by your average first-year value of a new patient. Use your own numbers and be conservative. Even a cautious estimate tends to make the case on its own.
Our free Revenue Audit does this math from your answers in about three minutes, along with your #1 gap and a 30-day plan.
The three fixes that close most of the gap
- Answer every call, including lunch and after hours. Peak-time overflow and after-hours calls are where most of the loss sits.
- Follow up with everyone who asked and didn't book. LASIK and premium lens inquiries are high value and often need two or three touches.
- Recall patients who are overdue. An overdue annual exam is the cheapest appointment you'll ever fill.
None of these require more staff. They require a system that doesn't get busy. That's what we install, and you can call the demo receptionist to hear how it sounds.