I began my ophthalmology career in 1986 with Dr. Richard Fichman in Manchester, CT. When I began, it was me, him and a high school kid who did filing. Needless to say, I learned all facets of running an ophthalmology practice for an ambitious cataract/refractive surgeon. The practice grew quickly, and I soon found myself managing front office staff, technicians, optometrists, and an optical shop. In 1988, Dr. Fichman suggested I join ASOA. I utilized many of the early resources provided by ASOA. In 1994, he registered me for the first ASOA Executive Management Program at the Wharton School of Business. That week changed my life forever. The people I met and the invaluable education I received in this one week defined the rest of my career. Many of the administrators I met that week became my mentors and friends. I am still in contact with many of them today. The education opened the door to positive changes for my practice and encouraged me to become more involved with ASOA. I gave my first presentation as a co-speaker at the next ASOA meeting with the encouragement and support of my Wharton friends.
In 1998, I made the decision to join Corcoran Consulting Group as a reimbursement consultant. I challenged myself to become a certified coder (CCS-P) and auditor (CPMA). I also became involved with ASOA’s initiative to develop the Certified Ophthalmic Executive (COE) designation. I served on the NBCOE board from 1998 – 2009. My consulting career was extremely rewarding. I met so many people across the US, helped practices large and small, continued to learn, published many articles in various publications, and lectured at numerous ophthalmic meetings.
After nineteen years as a consultant, I planned to retire, play golf, travel for fun, and enjoy time with my husband and family. However, I was offered an opportunity to become the Executive Director for The Society for Excellence in Eyecare. I accepted the position in 2017 and continue to work with them overseeing operations of the society to accomplish their mission.
I still enjoy attending the annual ASOA conference where I can see old friends, keep current on what is happening in the ophthalmology space, and appreciate the ever changing and difficult role of the ophthalmic administrator.
As I look back on my career, the advice I would give to myself would be to never be afraid to admit you don’t know the answer and to seek help from someone who does. I know that I did that very often in my career and many times ASOA was where the answer could be found.
