Practice Playbook · Getting Started
Where to Begin: Your First 50 Patients
You do not build a dry eye practice with a big launch. You build it with the next 50 patients already sitting in your chairs. This is the lean way to start: screen them, treat them, and prove the model before you spend on shelf or equipment.
Key Takeaways
- Start with patients you already see. Your first 50 are sitting in your schedule, not in a marketing campaign.
- Add one screening question to intake. That single change surfaces the patients you have been missing.
- Keep the starter shelf tiny. Stock a handful of fast movers and route everything else through RescueLink.
- Hand over a written plan and put refills on auto-ship from patient one. Compliance starts at the first visit.
- Measure capture and reorder on the first 50, then expand on evidence rather than hope.
Quick Answer
Pick your first 50 from patients already presenting with symptoms or risk factors, add a single screening question to intake, and run a simple test-and-treat workflow on each one. Stock only a small starter shelf of fast movers, route the rest through RescueLink, and hand every patient a written plan with refills on auto-ship. Track how many convert and reorder. Once the first 50 prove out, expand the shelf and add procedures deliberately.
The First-50 Sequence
- Choose the cohort. Flag patients already reporting irritation, screen-heavy work, contact lens dropout, or relevant medications. You are not recruiting; you are noticing.
- Add one intake question. A single symptom question on the intake form catches the patients who would never have mentioned it unprompted.
- Run a simple workflow. Quick questionnaire, point-of-care testing, a treatment decision in the chair. Keep it fast and identical every time.
- Stock a tiny starter shelf. A few fast movers patients can walk out with. Everything less common goes through RescueLink, so you hold almost no inventory.
- Hand over a written plan. Send the regimen through RescueLink with refills on auto-ship. The plan and the reorder both leave the room intact.
- Measure, then expand. Track how many of the 50 accepted a plan and reordered. Those two numbers tell you what to stock next and when to add procedures.
What the Lean Starter Shelf Covers
Keep it to the categories most patients need on day one. Stock the fast movers, route the rest.
| Category | Why it earns a shelf spot |
|---|---|
| A preservative-free lubricant | The most common first recommendation across nearly every patient |
| A lid hygiene option | Covers the large share of patients with a lid component |
| A heat mask | The daily home therapy for the many patients with MGD |
| An omega | The recurring nutritional adjunct that puts patients on auto-ship |
Dry eye is highly prevalent and frequently goes undiagnosed in routine eye exams, so a deliberate screening step surfaces patients already in the practice (TFOS DEWS III). Browse the full wholesale catalog to choose your starter movers.
Route Everything You Do Not Stock
RescueLink is what lets you start lean. Anything not on your small starter shelf goes to the patient by text or email with one-tap ordering, same-day shipping, and auto-ship, so your first 50 get a complete plan while you carry almost no inventory.
DER Clinical Pearl
The first 50 are a test, not a launch. Resist the urge to buy a wall of product before you know your capture rate. Prove that patients accept the plan and reorder, then let those numbers, not enthusiasm, decide what you stock next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why 50 and not a full launch?
Because 50 is enough to prove your capture and reorder rates without risking inventory or workflow disruption. It is a controlled test you can run inside your normal schedule.
Where do the first 50 come from?
From patients you already see. Add a screening question and flag symptomatic or at-risk patients as they come through.
How small can the starter shelf be?
A handful of fast movers across drops, lid care, heat, and nutrition. Everything else routes through RescueLink until volume justifies stocking it.
What should I measure?
Two numbers: how many of the 50 accepted a plan, and how many reordered. Those drive every expansion decision that follows.
Do I need new equipment to start?
No. You can begin with screening and a basic workflow. Add point-of-care testing and procedures as the model proves out.
How long does the first 50 take?
However long your normal patient flow takes to see 50 candidates. The point is steady, not fast.
How do I keep it from adding chair time?
Standardize the workflow and let RescueLink handle the handoff. A consistent sequence and a one-tap send keep the added time small. Help is at providers@dryeyerescue.com or (561) 468-8747.
What comes after the first 50?
Expand in stages: widen the shelf to your proven movers, add procedures, and formalize who owns the program. The hub below maps the next steps.
Start With the Next 50
Browse the catalog to pick a lean starter shelf, or activate RescueLink so you can route everything else from day one.
Continue through the Dry Eye Practice Playbook
Part of the Dry Eye Practice Playbook. Operational guidance only; results depend on your patient base, workflow, and execution. Dry Eye Rescue is a distributor of medical supplies and over-the-counter products.