Lowering Cost of Goods Fuels Practice Growth

Jennifer Keller, OD

A few years ago, I faced a dilemma that a lot of independent practice owners have been through. I knew we could grow – if only we had the room. We needed a new facility, but we knew it would be a huge investment. Since I didn’t win the lottery, we needed a way to lower our costs significantly.

And we found one: by making GSRx® our eyeglass lens and lab service supplier, we reduced our cost of goods by 40%.

Before GSRx, we worked with brand-name suppliers. We didn’t know there was any other way. But we felt that some of those big suppliers were making moves that were horrible for small independent practices. We were frustrated to see them sell directly to consumers online, at prices lower than we had to pay. We also felt that they didn’t offer us a real opportunity to lower our costs. Discounts came with stipulations; it wasn’t about us, and it didn’t really help us.

Changing a supplier you depend on is difficult. Trust is always an issue, especially with a new lab. But we decided to take the leap and switched almost all of our work to GSRx. As it turned out, the transition was seamless, and there was never a time when our patients weren’t completely satisfied.

GSRx showed us we could get great lens designs without a big brand name, and the quality of lab service has been outstanding from the start. My staff knows they’ll be working with the same people at the lab consistently. Their calls go directly to a known person at GSRx. They are very kind and respectful, and are quick to address any concerns we have. The bottom line is that we’ve drastically reduced our lab bill with lenses that meet our high standards and better lab service than we had before.

About two years after the switch, we bought the property to build a bigger office.

Our beautiful new facility in Park Rapids, Minnesota, was completed in the summer of 2018. We’ve grown from four exam rooms to eight, with six currently in use. Our patient volume has increased by 40%, and we still have room to grow. People in our little town saw our new office as an investment in the community, and I think that brought in a lot of new patients.

Before the new office, we were doing well. But as business author Jim Collins says, “Good is the enemy of great.” To make our practice great, we had to be creative and make some big changes and it certainly paid off. We’re very glad to have GSRx as a partner in our growth.

Jennifer Keller, OD is the owner of Park Rapids and Walker Eye Clinics in Park Rapids and Walker, Minnesota.