Page 26 - Best of the Best 2020

26N • BEST OF THE BEST
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020 • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
SARAH DECLERK/ARKANAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE SUBMITTED PHOTO Left: McFarland Eye Care was voted Best Vision-Care Clinic and a finalist for Best Company to Work For <250 in the 2020 Best of the Best contest. Right: Dr. Byron Wilkes of McFarland Eye Care
was named Best Plastic Surgeon in the readers’ poll.
BEST VISION-CARE CLINIC
FINALIST:BESTCOMPANYTOWORKFOR<250 McFarlandEyeCare
BESTPLASTICSURGEON ByronWilkes,M.D.>>
Courteous team catches attention of contest voters
For 39 years, McFarland Eye Care has built a reputation for providing excellent cataract- surgery results, and the company expanded to include plastic-surgery services when Dr.
Byron Wilkes joined the team seven years ago. Readers of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette showed their appreciation for Dr. Wilkes and the McFarland Eye Care team during the 2020 Best of the Best con- test, in which McFarland Eye Care was named Best Vision-Care Clinic and a finalist for Best Company to Work For <250, and Wilkes was named Best Plastic
Surgeon.
“We’re honored that our patients would think of
us for Best Vision-Care Clinic, and we’re excited for Dr. Wilkes’ recognition as Best Plastic Surgeon,” said Jonathon Lindsey, CEO. “We’re also pumped about placing for Best Company to Work For <250. McFarland Eye Care is nothing without our team.”
In 1981, Dr. Mike McFarland opened the company’s Pine Bluff location, where he performed an innovative no-stitch cataract surgery in 1990, Lindsey added.
The company has now grown to include locations in Little Rock, Hot Springs and Bryant.
The company’s mission is to provide a “dazzling” experience for each patient, Lindsey said, adding that staff members play a crucial role in helping the clinic continually improve, with the goal of providing all pa- tients with the top-quality care they deserve.
“We try very hard to listen to our team,” he said. “They have good ideas, and we love getting them involved in the continual process of building a better practice.”
Lindsey added that the company encourages staff members to pursue outside training and industry certifications to help them grow professionally. In addition to meeting the vision-care needs of patients, he said, the staff goes above and beyond for patients by singing “Happy Birthday” to them, providing rides when needed and offering other acts of service.
“Our team continually impresses me with their commitment to exceed our patients’ expectations of what care looks like,” he said. “We believe everyone
is deserving of exceptional patient care and that the way we care for patients is deserving of our continual improvement.”
He added that he is grateful anytime a patient provides feedback about the clinics.
“We take it very seriously, and I promise, we read it all,” Lindsey said. “We know we’ve really wowed a patient when they visit after their experience with us, having baked cookies or crocheted something for our team. For patients to take that kind of time out of their lives to show their gratitude, we’re humbled by that and energized to continue pursuing our mission.”
Earlier this month, the Little Rock and Pine Bluff clinics hosted a free eye-care day, and Lindsey said he hopes to make the event a recurring part of the practice. He added that the company also plans to continue expanding its cosmetic services.
“We’re so grateful to have patients who have thought of us for a number of awards over the years,” he said. “Any time a patient would take time out of their day to acknowledge our practice is humbling.”