Leadership

Michael Pote has been a change agent within healthcare for over 25 years. Having held senior positions with the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), HealthStream (HSTM), Initia, APOS Therapy, USAI and EyeCarePro, he thrives on accomplishing those ‘more difficult’ challenges. In 2013, he founded the Energeyes Association for Corporate Affiliated Optometrists. He is a special education teacher by training and spends his free time in his hillside garden, with his beautiful wife, or at the skatepark with his eight-year-old son. He is the proud father of three men.

Now with over 100 practice sales and consolidations, The Growth Cooperative is one of the leaders in assisting doctors make the most of their practice assets.

Shelia Chappell is one of the top behavior-change trainers in the country and is masterful in her ability to move doctors and staff through very challenging and needed process changes in the office. Don’t be fooled by that sugary southern drawl, Shelia means business and will bring success to your group… or else. Shelia has been in the healthcare industry (living in Nashville which is the healthcare mecca of USA) for 25 years.  Education and training is her passion and she has found her passion in working behind the scenes with doctors and their staff to set, measure and achieve goals.  Her nieces and nephew keep her busy. She enjoys cooking, reading and SEC football (her blood runs orange) and of course, the Tennessee Titans.

The Growth Cooperative, now in our 5th year of providing a new way of doing business for eye care providers. Our services and programs get to the heart of the issues holding back progress within our practices. We are focused on the success of our doctors. Our programs include:

• Support for New Graduates. The future of the eye care industry resides with those optometrists coming into the market right now.  Our industry has changed and continues to evolve. This is not place to go it alone. We are here to help and have a no cost, unlimited benefits program to help new practitioners succeed early. Also, talk to us about placement.  Our services are free and we will negotiate the best compensation and benefits package specific to your needs.
• Selling Your Practice. On the opposite end of the spectrum from our newly minted doctors are those who have built and created quality eye care delivery systems in their communities.  What’s your next opportunity? If you are at that point in your career where travel, opening up a restaurant, spending more time with grand kids starts to look a lot more appealing that full-time practice, we can help. The Growth Cooperative assists practices in evaluating their practice worth and selling the practice for the best price possible. We do all of the heavy lifting including identifying the right buyer, negotiating your offer and guiding your through the sales process for a  successful outcome.  Still want to work? Ninety-five percent of our practice sales end in the doctor continuing to work on a schedule of their choice. You receive the proceeds of your sale, plus you continue to see patients. The opportunities for selling your practice are at an all time high. Billions of dollars are pouring into the eye care industry for what will be a major contraction and consolidation (already at 15% of the optometric market). Take advantage. Call us to discuss your opportunity.

• Consolidation. The day of the solo practitioner has come to an end, except that 55% of practices remain solo practitioners and 85% of practices are still single location. Let’s stop working by ourselves and start playing team ball. Our consolidation program unites optometrists within a given market saving money, gaining market sharing, improving outreach and providing a greater offering of services. We merge individual practices in a region into a wholly-owned, doctor-owned regional eye care provider. The opportunity is almost overwhelming.  Let’s discuss this for your market.  Independence is seriously overrated.
• Practice Acquisition. Perhaps you seek to be a consolidator but am not sure where to start.  You have plenty of career ahead of you and your vision is to be the CEO of a major eye care network in your community. We’ll get you there by filling in that gap in your skill set – opportunity identification and acquisition, planning for that eventual sale, and consolidation techniques that make you one of the most successful CEO in eye care.
• Out-of-Network. We are not afraid to say aloud that the vision plans have done little except decrease the payments to practices and restrict your ability to practice full scope. They are dictating the frames allowed, the lenses used and the lab that provides the product. You are left holding a relatively empty bag. We are helping practices to become successful out-of-network providers. Many already have. Let us share with you our methodology.  It is safe.  It is deliberate.  We move you out of one plan at a time. Little to no loss of your patient base. An increase in new patients and up to a 40% increase in revenue per patient. Work smarter.

Join us as we put eye care on a new path to success. Our focus is solely on helping our practices provide the best patient care available and in doing so, you will win your market.  Our industry is changing rapidly and times of change are also times of great opportunity.