Overview Following her 2005 graduation from Southern College of Optometry, Eva Lamendola worked for several years in a large commercial practice in Baton Rouge, LA, subsequently opening a satellite office for a local MD as an associate and sole owner of its optical business. In 2017, Dr. Lamendola purchased the practice outright, relying on the collective expertise of the IDOC consulting team to negotiate terms and establish a three-year strategic business plan. Dr. Lamendola renamed the practice, now known as Accent Vision Care, and with the guidance of Nathan Hayes and Maddie Langston has actively pursued new financial and marketing strategies. As a result, Dr. Lamendola has expanded the business significantly, doubling office square footage, increasing her staff to 19 employees—and adding one full-time and two part-time associates. Practice revenue has increased by over 40% since she took control over both clinic and optical sides of the business. Why IDOC Dr. Lamendola gives IDOC consultants high marks for their comprehensive approach to financial goal setting, staff optimization and practice management advice. During her first 12 months of owning her practice, she had 20 consultations with IDOC Optometric Practice Management Consultant, Dr. Steve Vargo, who helped with issues as varied as transferring billing between offices to selecting a healthcare plan for her employees. The IDOC marketing team, headed by Maddie Langston, was also instrumental in the rebranding of the practice, updating her website and creating new external signage. Now, Dr. Lamendola meets on a semi-annual basis with the IDOC Practice Finance Consultant, Nathan Hayes, to evaluate the three-year growth plan they established in 2017. “We review all of the financials, dig into any numbers that may be off, and discuss how to streamline any concerns,” says Dr. Lamendola. Using IDOC strategies, Dr. Lamendola now sees fewer patients, has increased her income and uses her extra time to focus on practice growth and to spend time with her family—all goals that IDOC helped her to establish and achieve. Dr. Lamendola also appreciates that through ongoing consultations with IDOC experts, her staff has become more autonomous, taking on greater decision-making responsibilities and enhancing their professional skills. "I love the benefit of having the managers in my office schedule their own meetings with the IDOC consultants,” she said. “It is extremely helpful when my Office Manager can have a quick HR consult, or my Optical Director can do a quarterly inventory review. My Marketing Coordinator meets with Maddie often, and then she is able to come back to me with a well-designed marketing plan that we can implement right away. My team really likes that they are able to come up with solutions and new ideas. This helps our office to run more efficiently.” “My IDOC membership paid for itself in short order. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their guidance.”