New This Week
Patient Success = Practice Success
Tommy Lim, OD, of Berryessa Optometry in San Jose, Calif., believes that practice success can be measured by patient success. His staff is trained to probe for patient needs in the pre-test. Then, in the exam, he explores further to find needs that patients are aware of and, in some cases, unaware of. He often prescribes premium lenses to solve problems, and he carefully describes his recommendations in the handoff. The optician then restates the benefits of the premium lenses and describes how they will provide the patient with a successful visual solution.
>>READ MORE >>
Finances
End-of-Year: Assess Finances and Plan for a Profitable New Year
By Rajeev K. Raghu, OD, FAAO
It’s holiday shopping time—but more important to your practice, it’s time to tally your finances for the past year and plan a growth strategy for the next year. >>READ MORE>>
Staff Management
Executive Review: Assess and Improve Practice Performance
By Rachael Click, OD
Collaborate with staff to assess practice achievements and shortcomings, and plan staff and doctor performance improvements for the next year. >>READ MORE>>
Software Solutions/EHR
Marketing Synergies: Combine EHR with Communications Technology
By Ryan C. Wineinger, OD
Double your marketing impact by combining information from your electronic health record and practice management systems to create effective e-mail marketing systems, social media communications and online sales tools.
>>READ MORE>>
ADVERTORIAL
Seeing is Believing 2013: A High Quality Staff Education and Teambuilding Experience
Seeing is Believing 2013 (www.sib2013.com) is optometry’s first virtual conference
designed to bring high quality, dynamic content to practices across the US and Canada. The two-day conference, Jan 30-31, 2013, will bring optometry the value of virtual conferencing experienced by many other industries that have used the technology for many years now.
While ongoing staff education and training is often touted as the secret to a smooth-running, successful practice, optometrists struggle to provide their staff with high quality education that fits with the needs and time constraints of the practice. Staff education has many, many values including heightened retention, increased staff satisfaction and a smoother running, more productive office. But many optometrists are also perplexed by the few options available and the high cost of training, food, lodging and transportation for their staff associated with training. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
Who Does Better Financially? Solo ODs or ODs in Partnerships?
Optometrists who practice alone are up against greater financial odds than those in partnerships, according to the Review of Optometry’s latest Income Survey. Annual income for solo doctors averaged $144,125 last year. But ODs in partnerships or group practices averaged $191,195—a difference of nearly 33 percent. Like other doctors, the report surmises, optometrists are under an ever-growing pressure to invest more in technological and practice costs; group practices can share these expenses and take advantage of efficiencies of scale. That can translate to more profit.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on thinking strategically about whether a solo or partnership practice is right for you.
In Brief
Optometrist Ranked 12th Best Job in America
The job of optometrist was ranked 12 out of 100 on CNNMoney’s Best Jobs in America list. Among the advantages of optometry, CNNMoney makes note of the fulfilling nature of the profession, the ability to earn a high salary while making your own hours and the flexibility to work in everything from a corporate setting to an associate arrangement to owner of your own practice. >>READ MORE>>
New Study: Daily Replacement Contact Lenses Improve Comfort
Daily replacement contact lenses could alleviate symptoms experienced by wearers of reusable contact lenses, research shows. The study also found that lens performance is further affected by lens material. The findings were presented at this year’s American Academy of Optometry meeting. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Poll Results
Readers Say They Most Need to Improve Business Skills
Asked which part of their role as optometrist most needed improvement, 60 percent say they most need improvement as a business person and practice CEO. Thirty percent say they most need to get better at prescribing eyewear from the exam room based on patient lifestyle needs and 10 percent say they would most like to better their doctor-patient interpersonal skills.
