New This Week
Protect Your Patient’s Private Information
Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD, of Highland, Calif., trains her staff to protect patients’ privacy by avoiding consultations or phone calls in the reception area that may reveal private information. Also, Dr. Miller asks elderly patients if it is OK for their caretaker to accompany them in the exam room, and she balances the privacy wishes of her teenage patients against their parents’ right to know.
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Doctor-Patient Relations
Make Your Office HIPAA-Compliant
By Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD
Here are eight critical checkpoints to make sure that your doctor-patient and staff-patient interactions are in full compliance with the patient privacy goals of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. >>READ MORE>>
Finances
Build Patient Purchases with Financing Options
By Peter Bae, OD, MS
Encourage patient purchases of eyewear with financing options that can increase average per-patient revenues. With patient financing, the practice is paid immediately and freed from the task of collections. >>READ MORE>>
Digital Strategies
QR Codes: Your Mobile Marketing Tool
By Steve Vargo, OD, MBA
QR codes are a great marketing tool to link your practice to the mobile communications generation. Consumers scan QR codes with their phones and tablets to link them to online content and savings. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
How Much More Do Male Optometric Office Managers Make than Female Counterparts?
The average male optometric office manager earns an annual salary of $68,563 while his female counterpart earns $49,779–an $18,784 differential, according to Local Eye Site’s and Jobson Optical Research’s 2011 ECP Compensation Study. Optometric office managers at independent practices earned annual salaries of $50,359, while those working in corporate optometric chains earned $63,675 annually. Optometric office managers in the Northeast reported the highest salary at $61,263, while those in the South earned the least, at $47,042.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on setting fair pay grades for your staff.
In Brief
Alcon Launches Contact Lens Update Web Site
Alcon has launched Contact Lens Update (www.contactlensupdate.com), a new web site to keep eyecare practitioners up-to-date on current research findings on best practices for clinical care.
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PRWeek Honors Transitions Optical’s Multicultural Initiative
PRWeek recognized Transitions Optical, Inc., and its trade public relations agency, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, with the 2012 Multicultural Marketing Campaign of the Year award. The national award was presented during the 2012 PRWeek Awards event. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Poll Results
The Most Effective Way to Recruit New Staff? Craig’s List and Word-of-Mouth
Asked about the most effective way to recruit new staff, 54 percent said they find Craig’s List most helpful, while 38 percent said word-of-mouth is still the most effective way to find new staff members. Eight percent said ECP-specific recruitment sites like Localeyesite.com are most helpful.