ROB Archives

Dec. 19, 2012

New This Week

Make Purchase More Likely By Simplifying Lens Selection

Evan Kestenbaum of Optix Family Eyecare in Plainview, NY, and CIO of GPN, producer of The EDGE benchmark and tracking system, recommends putting patients at ease with bundled lens packages. All-inclusive lens packages enable you to show patients comparative value without adding up each individual lens treatment. Use a calculator to demonstrate (by subtraction) how much the patient is saving in choosing a bundled package. >>READ MORE>>


Marketing

Market Effectively–and Legally–to Your Patients

By Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD

There are exciting marketing opportunities with social media, e-mail and texting. But before you “send,” protect your patients’ HIPAA privacy rights–and your practice, in the process.  >>READ MORE>>


 

Frames

Educate Your Opticians, Generate Referrals

By Stuart J. Thomas, OD, and Ellen Byrum-Goad, LDO

Investing in the education of your opticians pays off for your patients and for your practice’s growth. When you deliver excellent care and stellar service, patients return and refer.
>>READ MORE>>

 


 

Software Solutions/EHR

Get Stage 2 Meaningful Use-Ready: Incorporate Medical Imagery in EHR

By Joe Ellis, OD

Many ODs still are wading through Stage 1 of the federal government’s electronic records incentive program. Now it’s time to address Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements by incorporating medical imagery into your EHR. >>READ MORE>>


Optometric Business Innovators

2012 Optometric Business Innovators:

Contact Lens Dispensing
Review of Optometric Business and Vision Monday present the 2012 Optometric Business Innovators. For the last six months, ROB has profiled honorees in various categories–business management, optical dispensing, digital media, marketing, the patient experience, influencers and contact lenses. This month: doctors recognized for achievement in contact lens dispensing.
>>READ MORE>>

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ROB Fast Fact

    

How Much Are You Willing to Pay for Technology that Reduces Remakes?

As much as many of you would like to reduce remakes, many fewer are willing to make a substantial investment in technology that might help the effort. The most common amount respondents to The Vision Council’s 2012 Eye Care Professional Report were willing to pay for a patient measuring device was less than $1,000, the price chosen by 43 percent of practice respondents. Another 10 percent of respondents said they would be willing to pay $5,000 or more for a patient measuring device that guaranteed to easily reduce remakes and bad fittings. Opticians (13 percent) and practices that dispense 10 or more jobs per day were especially likely to say they were willing to pay $5,000 or more. On the other hand, practices that dispensed one to five jobs per day were more likely to say they would not spend more than $1,000 on a patient measuring device.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on how best to reduce remakes.

In Brief

  

New HOYA App Lets Patients Experience Lenses Prior to Purchase

HOYA Vision Care Europe has developed and made available in the US market an augmented reality app for the iPad, known as the HOYA Vision Consultant Viewer, or HVC Viewer for short. The HVC Viewer allows patients to experience the benefits of their HOYA lenses before they buy them. Here’s how it works: The optician picks the appropriate lens type for the patient from the available modules–for example progressive lenses–then the patient holds up the iPad and through the camera can look around the room to see the benefits HOYA progressive lenses will provide as they would experience them. >>READ MORE>>


Industry Forum Challenges Independent ODs to Be More Competitive 

The second in an Essilor-sponsored series of “Optometry 2020” forums on the challenges to independent optometry was held on Dec. 11. The hour-long webinar, which included Q&A from participants, can be replayed on the Optometry2020 web site where it resides: http://optometry2020.com/. Those who listen to the recorded webinar may post comments in the Seen and Heard section of the web site. >>READ MORE>>


ROB Poll Results

Readers Welcome Expanded Opportunities in Medical Eyecare

Asked what they are most looking forward to in optometry’s future, 50 percent say they are most excited about expanded OD abilities to provide greater medical eyecare. Twenty-five percent say they are looking forward to evolving lens technology that makes custom prescriptions better and more accessible, while another 25 percent say they are most excited about ever-improving instrumentation that makes diagnoses more accurate.


            

The Best of ROB Featured Bloggers

ROB editors share their picks of the best blogs from ROB bloggers Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD, Amir Khoshnevis, OD, Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, Ally Stoeger, OD,  Cheryl G. Murphy, OD, Sherin George, OD, Brian Chou, OD, FAAO, Arthur B. Epstein, OD, FAAO, and Mary E. Boname, OD, MS, FAAO. >>READ MORE>>


ROB Editor Recommended Reading

Our picks for the year’s not-to-be-missed Review of Optometric Business articles. Consider this your practice improvement toolkit to unlock profitability. >>READ MORE>>


Five Fast Facts to Act On

Professional Editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, offer analysis and action points to put this year’s most compelling ROB Fast Facts into context. >>READ MORE>>


Top ROB Reader Poll Results

We share the poll results that intrigued us most. Learn what readers say they most need to improve in, what they consider the most challenging aspect of EHR implementation and what they consider their “stickiest housekeeping situation”—and more!  >>READ MORE>>


ROB Star Contributors

Our thoughts on the top ROB featured contributors who caught our eye last year. Click HERE to see if you agree with us. >>READ MORE>>


Amir Khoshnevis, OD, and Mike Rothschild, OD, discuss the effect of language on the patient experience.

Most Viewed ROB Videos 2012

Analytics don’t lie. ROB readers showed us, over the past year, that they are avid viewers of ROB videos, especially ones that show “how things are done.” Here is a sampler of the most-viewed ROB videos (and the most-viewed webinar) of the past year. It’s worth your while to give them another look—or share with a colleague or staff member. These videos also make excellent discussion starters at staff meetings.  >>READ MORE>>

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