New This Week
Building the Co-Management Relationship
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Marketing
Patient Referrals: Track Them and Grow Your Practice
By Charles Turner, OD
Patient referrals of friends and family drive practice growth. Actively encourage valuable word-of-mouth recommendations—and track the positive results.
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Software Solutions/EHR
Upgrade from Windows XP to Remain HIPAA Compliant
Manufacturer support is ending for the commonly used Windows XP operating system. This means that security updates required by HIPAA are no longer available. Upgrade your systems now to remain compliant and avoid potential penalties.
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Ophthalmic Lenses
OD’s Device Advice: Help Patients Optimize Use of Electronic Devices
By Teresa Narayan, OD
Help your patients to optimize their visual use of electronic devices. Expert advice—and sales of specialized optical goods—can make a huge quality of life difference.
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ROB Fast Fact
How Many Children Had Comprehensive Eye Exams in the Last 12 Months?
More work is needed to educate parents of the importance of annual comprehensive eye exams for children, according to The Vision Council 2014 Parent Child Vision Care Report. Slightly more than 35.3 percent of parents with children living at home reported that their children received an eye exam within the past 12 months, with 15.0 percent reporting that one of their children had an exam in the past six months alone.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on encouraging parents to schedule eye exams for their children.
In Brief
Phoenix Area Vision Members Join AZ Care Network Accountable Care Organization
Vision Source members in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area have joined the Arizona Care Network, a clinically integrated accountable care organization led by physicians and supported by Abrazo Health and Dignity Health Arizona. The nearly 30 clinicians in the 14 participating Vision Source optometric practices will provide access to eye health and vision services to the more than 100,000 patients served by the Arizona Care Network, a group of health care providers working together to share responsibility in providing patient-centered care to Medicare fee-for-service patients.
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ABB OPTICAL GROUP CL Price Monitor: Adjust CL Pricing
ABB OPTICAL GROUP’s Q1 2014 Soft Contact Lens Retail Price Monitor reflects new ECP manufacturer price and rebate changes for the New Year. Adjustments were made to the suggested retail pricing to reflect those changes, while maintaining profitable margins. Eyecare practitioners should adjust retail pricing immediately to maintain margins.
Challenge –> Solution
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Practice Challenge…
How Can I Increase Sunwear Sales?Sunwear that offers protection against ultra-violet radiation is important for patient eye health–and can also increase optical dispensary revenues. Here are strategies for encouraging more patients to purchase sunwear.
…Practice Solution
- Take Rx Sunwear Sales to the Next Level
- Shine a Light on Educating Parents on Sunwear for Children
- Develop a Specialty: Tinted Sportswear Lenses for Individual Sports
Recent Articles of Note
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Getting There: Planning a Successful Optometric Career
By Robert Schultz -
Be Positive, and Always Thank Your Patient
An Optometric Minute video with Eric M. White, OD -
Capture Rate Booster: Train Staff to Fill Patient Prescriptions
By Stuart J. Thomas, OD, and Ellen Byrum-Goad, LDO