New This Week
Design Spotlight: Sophisticated Office Design in the Heartland
Barbara Wright of Barbara Wright Design illustrates the elements of a well-planned and distinctive office and dispensary. In three videos on the Drake Eye Center of Hartselle, Ala., Wright describes how design, lighting and flexibility in merchandising communicate a cohesive brand message and effectively differentiate eyewear lines and price points.
>>READ MORE >>
Medical Eyecare
Drug Trials: Do a Legal Double-Check Before Signing Up
By Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD
Participating in drug trials offers patients access to treatments that can transform their lives. This also offers doctors a chance to enhance their professional profile. Before signing your practice and patients up, check the legal fine print. >>READ MORE>>
Finances
Practice Transition: A Sale Must Work for Seller and Buyer
By Donald R. Smith, OD
A well-planned approach to selling your practice increases the chances that both the seller and the buyer will walk away from the deal satisfied. Think strategically and do your due diligence for a successful sale. >>READ MORE>>
Staff Management
Put Me In, Coach: How Professional Coaching Can Make You a Winning Team
By Kristen Bentley, OD, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
Professional coaching can motivate both you and your staff. How coaching services can pay off big time.>>READ MORE>>
ADVERTORIAL
Contact Lens Care: Recommend Specific Solutions
By Mile Brujic, OD
and David Kading, OD
Advances in contact lens materials such as silicone hydrogels have improved the contact lens-wearing experience–if the lenses are cared for properly. The ability of advanced contact lenses to provide comfortable long-term wear is only as good as the patient’s lens care routine, including the kind of solution the patient uses. For that reason, we not only prescribe specific contact lenses for our patients, but we also pair them with the solution we would like them to use. Here are our top tips for ensuring your patient uses a solution that will complement the advanced technology of the lenses you have prescribed. >>READ MORE>>
SPONSORED BY VISION SOURCE
Independent ODs’ Position
in the Primary Eyecare Market
Vision Source is the leading alliance of independent ODs, with 2,700+ member
practices and 5,500+ member doctors in the US and Canada. The organization is actively engaged in advancing the competitive position of independent ODs. Earlier this year, Vision Source commissioned the editors of Review of Optometric Business to develop an objective analysis of the current state of independent optometry and to identify strategic priorities for bolstering competitiveness. This article distils one section of the full report, identifying how independents are currently positioned among the range of eyecare providers. >>READ MORE and COMPLIMENTARY DOWNLOAD of FULL REPORT>>
ROB Fast Fact
How Many Consumers Buy Frames from Independent Optical Shops?
Independent ECPs, including independent ODs, get a sizable chunk of consumer frame purchases, but there is room for improvement. Some 43.5 percent of consumers purchased frames from an independent optical shop, according to the 2012 U.S. Optical Retailer Report & Directory from Jobson Optical Research and The Vision Council VisionWatch. Some 27.5 percent of consumers purchased frames from a chain such as LensCrafters or Pearle Vision while 17 percent purchased from a mass merchandiser like Wal*Mart or Target. Some 6.8 percent purchased from “other” unidentified sources and 5.2 percent purchased their frames from a department store like JC Penney or Sears.
Click HEREto read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on capturing a greater share of frame sales.
In Brief
Upcoming Management & Business Academy Symposium at SUNY College of Optometry
The Management & Business Academy, sponsored by Essilor, is coming to SUNY College of Optometry in June. Friday, June 14, 8 am to 4 pm, the program will feature a presentation by Review of Optometric Business professional editor, Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on “Essentials of Financial Management,” and Gary Gerber, OD, owner of The Power Practice consultancy, will present “Essentials of Patient Experience Engineering.” >>READ MORE and REGISTER>>
OD Excellence Adds Director of Health Policy Integration
OD Excellence (ODX) announced that Jim Grue, OD, has joined the ODX leadership team in the role of director of health policy integration. Dr. Grue is regarded as a thought leader in the eyecare profession, and is renowned for his expertise pertaining to health care reform in the optometric community.
>>READ MORE>>
