Bio: Sondra has over thirty-five years’ leadership experience in the healthcare field, with a focus in ophthalmology. She is a past CEO of the largest physician owned ophthalmology and optometry integrated practice and ASC in Florida; Past President of both ASOA and the National Board of Certified Ophthalmic Executives, and board member of the American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives (AAO), and a published author. She has also held positions in smaller multispecialty practices both within the private equity and MSO arena. An expert in delivering innovative, high quality, cost effective business initiative’s that improve processes and clinical procedures with a focus on patient safety and experience. Organized and collaborative with a proven track record reflecting strong leadership and experience that builds and leads motivated teams to achieve key performance metrics. Sondra is a Certified Ophthalmic Executive, Certified Professional Coder, Healthcare Risk Manager, Certified Medical Practice Executive through MGMA and a Fellow, American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators. Sondra appreciates the opportunity to mentor others through leadership coaching and development. With a keen focus on patient experience optimization, P&L management and revenue cycle excellence, risk management and compliance, benchmarking and strategic planning, she brings a wealth of experience to the practices she serves.
Advice I would have given myself when I started my career: Align yourself with exceptional mentors. Listen to understand, not to respond. Ask more questions. Be coachable and be a good coach. Accept criticism. Leave your ego at the door. Avail yourself to as many educational opportunities as possible. Never stop learning. Lean into colleagues, build a network of peers. Attend conferences. Get involved with ASOA. Obtain the certifications. Build relationships with Industry. Use all the tools available for not only your practice(s) , but for YOU. Get in the trenches of the day to day with staff. Be a part of the team. Walk around the office daily, talk to the staff. Visit all satellites. Have 1:1 meetings with all providers regularly. Make sure you are aligned with the practice culture. If not, can you change it? Remember people need to hear something seven times to “get it”. Compliance is key. Follow the rules. There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going. Lead with patience and kindness. Take the vacation. Take care of yourself. Take time to pause and breathe.
