Learn To Juggle Management Roles at ESCRS Congress

By Howard Larkin

Whether running a private or public clinic, conducting medical research, or devel­oping new technologies, building a suc­cessful ophthalmology practice requires mastering skills beyond those taught in medical school. Juggling multiple management roles in a rapidly changing environment is the focus of this year’s Leadership and Business Innovation Programme Masterclass at the 41st Con­gress of the ESCRS in Vienna.

Designed for all ophthalmologists, the interactive event features clini­cians from across Europe sharing what they’ve learned building and managing successful practices, departments, and companies. “The panel members are in ophthalmology practice today, living this in the trenches, not just pontifi­cating from on high. It will be an open exchange of ideas, not just lectures,” said session co-organiser and ESCRS consultant Kristine Morrill.

Breakout sessions will include:

Finding your hidden CEO

Omid Kermani MD and Daniel Kook MD, PhD, who both launched successful clin­ics with partners in Germany, will share their insights into developing leadership skills needed to lead from opposite ends of the career journey. Nearing retirement, Dr Kermani is planning for what comes next after a long successful run, while Dr Kook shares his experience building a profitable private practice in the past three years. “It will be an interesting conversa­tion about how their paths have followed each other and what they’ve learned along the way,” Morrill said.

Money management—Balancing profitability with patient care

James Ball MA (Cantab), FRCOphth, discusses his process of balancing the costs with the added patient benefits of building a cataract surgery suite in his office in the UK. With better patient service and care as his guiding light, Dr Ball calculated the financial margin he needed to make the improvements and priced his private services to reflect their added value. “It’s refreshing to talk to someone who is not a finance manager about this part of the practice-building equation,” Morrill said.

Human resource mistakes and what we learned from them

Paul Rosen BSc, MB ChB, FRCS, FR­COphth, MBA, who ran a large public ophthalmology department in the UK, and Morrill, who manages an ophthal­mology business consulting firm from France, discuss their experiences with human resources. Even if based in a large clinic with an HR department, ophthalmologists still deal with em­ployee issues daily, Morrill pointed out. These include hiring, training, manag­ing, developing, and firing employees for optimal productivity and morale—all while complying with EU and local laws and regulations. The session will feature practical advice on managing HR issues without spending a fortune and avoiding what can be very expensive HR mistakes, such as making a bad hire.

Ophthalmologists as inventors— Moving from idea to reality

Whether a new device, service, or medication, most ophthalmologists have ideas about improving patient care and practice efficiency. This panel includes three who moved their inventions from idea to product. Florent Costantini MD of France discusses how he and his brother Mathieu, also an ophthalmologist, developed Glasspop, an automated subjective refractor; Nick de Pennington MA, BM Bch, MBA of the UK talks about Ufonia, an AI-based system for following up with patients by phone; and Robert McLaren FMedSci, FR­COphth, FRCS, FACS, VR covers his work with Night­star Therapeutics/Biogen developing gene therapies. “We will cover all the steps from idea to creating a proto­type, raising money, getting CE marking and addressing regulatory challenges, and pitching and partnering with financial backers and other firms to develop and market products,” Morrill explained.

Understanding the EU regulatory environment

Clinical studies are popular and essential for advancing ophthalmic practice, particularly given the requirements to maintain CE marks under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR). But a lot of doctors don’t realise they can’t just collect data and do anything with it, Morrill said. “We get documents with patient information, names, and addresses all the time. Doctors really need to know this information is protected by the EU General Data Protection Regulation,” or GDPR. Michael Mrochen MD, PhD of Switzerland will walk colleagues through current regulations for clinical studies, such as GDPR, MDR, and compliance with Good Clinical Practice and local ethics committee review. He will also discuss quality manage­ment, including ISO:9001 compliance and certification.

Embracing creativity

A hobby that makes the ophthalmologist happy and provides a different perspective on life is critical to be an effective surgeon, businessperson, and family member. Damien Gatinel MD, PhD of France presents his music and photography; Detlef Holland MD of Germany sailing; and Florian Auerbach MD, FEBO of Germany visual arts. “Hobbies give your life balance. Make sure to take the time,” Morrill advised.

The Masterclass will take place from 8:30 through 17:30 Saturday, 10 September 2023, at the Messe Wien venue in Vienna, Austria. Save the date!

Kristine Morrill is co-founder and president of Medevise Consulting, Stras­bourg, France, and a consultant to ESCRS. kris-escrs@medevise-consulting.com

Tags: leadership