Scaling a practice is never easy, especially when new growth often brings growing pains.
But what if you could expand your practice, add associates, and increase profitability without losing momentum — or yourself — in the process?
In this episode of Power Hour, host Eugene Shatsman sits down with Dr. Nick Lillie, owner of Family Vision Optical and Founder of Rejuvenation Dry Eye Center, to shares his remarkable story of scaling smarter, expanding his space, adding providers, and nearly doubling revenue per patient, all while creating a culture of accountability and passion-driven care.
This isn’t just a conversation about numbers. It’s insight into building a high-performance practice that relies on patient outcomes, staff engagement, and innovative leadership.
In just 12 months, his practice has nearly doubled revenue per patient, cut exam-onlys from 59.7% to 33%, and increased dry eye treatment acceptance from 10% to 47% — all while expanding to a new facility, hiring associates, and seeing fewer patients himself.
Dr. Lillie shares the growth mindset that scaled his practice to the next level. By focusing on the three core drivers of success — more patients, higher revenue per patient, and increased visit frequency — he created a framework that his entire team could rally around.
Through a weekly scorecard system, every team member tracks metrics like exam-only rates, frame capture, dry eye evaluations, and pre-appointments. This radical transparency has fostered a culture of accountability where staff not only know their numbers but actively seek to improve them.
He also breaks down how shifting to tiered dry eye pricing models and reframing exam room conversations around outcomes instead of options turned treatment into a no-brainer for patients. The result? A dramatic rise in case acceptance and stronger long-term patient relationships.
Beyond clinical growth, Dr. Lillie reveals the leadership practices that make the biggest difference: roleplaying tough scenarios with associates, gamifying team accountability, and building culture through recognition and creative incentives. His story proves that when you align data, systems, and people, exponential growth follows.
If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond incremental growth and truly redefine your practice, this episode provides insights grounded in real-world results, and how consistent execution creates breakthrough outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- Cutting Exam-Onlys: Learn how Dr. Lillie slashed exam-only rates from 59.7% to 33% in one year.
- Dry Eye Acceptance Breakthrough: Discover the tiered pricing and reframed conversations that boosted dry eye acceptance from 10% to 47%.
- The Weekly Scorecard: See why a simple scorecard became the most powerful leadership tool in his practice.
- Outcomes Over Options: Understand how reframing patient conversations around outcomes dramatically improved conversions.
- Culture That Scales: Find out how accountability, recognition, and creative incentives built a high-performing team culture.
- The Three Growth Levers: Unpack the framework of more patients, higher revenue per patient, and increased visit frequency to drive sustainable practice expansion.
In This Episode
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 03:00 – Scaling challenges and why most practices slip during growth
- 07:00 – Tracking exam-onlys, frame capture, and pre-appoints
- 12:00 – Culture of accountability: meetings, one-on-ones, and staff motivation
- 18:00 – Creating a dedicated dry eye center (and why referrals skyrocketed)
- 22:00 – Marketing, SEO, and the role of consistent video content
- 28:00 – Increasing dry eye acceptance from 10% to 47% through new communication strategies
- 38:00 – Pricing, packaging, and “white glove” positioning of treatment plans
- 46:00 – Training and mentoring associates
- 53:00 – Lessons from mastermind groups and long-term strategic thinking
- 58:00 – Dr. Lillie’s core values
Contact Information
Connect with Dr. Nick Lillie
Dr. Nick Lillie is a highly skilled optometrist based in Allendale, Michigan, and the founder of Family Vision Optical and the Rejuvenation Dry Eye Center. A 2011 graduate — summa cum laude and valedictorian from the Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. Lillie brings deep expertise in ocular disease, specialty contact lens fitting, myopia management, and particularly dry eye care.
Under his leadership, Rejuvenation Dry Eye Center has become a regional hub for advanced, tailored dry eye treatments using the latest diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. His patient-first philosophy is built on empathy, high-quality care, and timely, expert-driven treatment — values that guide both his clinic and his education efforts.
With a decade-plus of experience serving the local community, Dr. Lillie is recognized for his clinical excellence, leadership in dry eye care innovation, and dedication to educating both patients and colleagues through video content and local outreach.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholaslillie/
Website: https://familyvisionoptical.com/
Connect with Eugene Shatsman (Managing Partner, NSG)
Website – https://www.eugeneshatsman.com/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeneshatsman