New This Week
Implement Smart Marketing to Your Patient Base
Laura George, director of marketing at Draisin Vision Group, in Charleston, SC, provides creative marketing ideas for optometric practices. She advises using various forms of social media and traditional communication formats to reach all sectors of your patient base. The practice makes VIP patients feel special by sending advanced notices of trunk shows and new fashion lines of eyewear. >>READ MORE >>
Coding & Billing
Treating Ocular Trauma: Do You Know How to Code for It?
By Eric Botts, OD
Knowing how to treat patients with ocular trauma—and how to code and bill for it–expands your optometric services and increases revenue potential. >>READ MORE>>
Marketing
Analyze Patient Demographics and Lifestyles–then Tailor Your Services
By Gregory D. Foley, OD
Communities change—and you need to change with yours or perish. Assess the demographics and lifestyles of your patient segments, then cater to their preferences. >>READ MORE>>
Software Solutions/EHR
Key to EHR Staff Training: Train “Super-Users” Who Then Train Others
By Dale Buettner, OD
Training doctors and optometric employees to use electronic health records begins by training a few “super users.” They, in turn, train peers until the whole staff is up to speed.
>>READ MORE>>
ADVERTORIAL
Essilor Independent ECP 10/16 Forum to Address Future of Optometry
The issues and concerns of independent ECPs take center stage as Essilor of America begins a series of independent eyecare forums. A national simulcast will take place on Oct. 16, at 6 pm PST. To participate in the simulcast, please RSVP.
The Optometry 2020 simulcast will be hosted by Howard Purcell of Essilor of America, with special guest Tim Jankowski from VSP Global. Dr. Jankowski will present highlights and answer questions about the industry study from Bain & Company that concluded the independent optometry profession faces major challenges, including competition from large national retail chains, increased consumer adoption of online purchases and desire for greater price transparency; and a shift from the personalized shopping experience toward a more efficient retail environment. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
How Many of Your Patients Have Tried Eyewear for Digital Media?
Computer eyewear is still an untapped resource for the majority of respondents to The Vision Council’s VisionWatch Digital Eye Fatigue report. Special eyewear for use with digital media has been tried by just 8 percent of respondents. Most respondents to the report who experienced digital eye strain issues have changed their sitting position (58 percent) and/or looked away from the screen (51 percent) to reduce discomfort. Less than a third have gone further by changing their lighting (32 percent) or modifying their work station (31 percent).
Respondents using digital media primarily for work or for over six hours a day, who likely experience issues more frequently, report trying the listed solutions more commonly. Work users especially are more likely than others to have changed their workstation to alleviate discomfort, with 42 percent reporting
having done so.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on providing digital eye fatigue relief to patients.
In Brief
ABB CONCISE Announces New Contact Lens Annual Supply Training
ABB CONCISE has developed an Annual Supply Tutorial, available on abbconcise.com exclusively for ABB CONCISE accounts and their office staff. This 13-minute tutorial provides doctors and their staff with strategies for presenting and closing the sale on annual supplies of soft contact lenses. >>READ MORE>>
New Report Available: Consumers Rate Priorities of the Patient Experience
A new report, “Key Drivers of the Patient Experience — Focus Group Perspectives,” illustrates what consumers value in their eyecare, eyewear and vision plan experiences. Developed as a result of surveys and focus groups with consumers conducted by Focal Center Insights, the reports, which can be purchased either individually for one of those three areas, or as a package for all three, is available via Jobson Optical Research, starting this month.
>>READ MORE>>
ROB Poll Results
Readers Equally Divided on Use of Social Media to Promote their Practice
Asked how heavily they use social media to promote their practice, 32 percent of ROB readers say the doctor or a staff member posts every day to one or more social media sites. However, another 32 percent say their practice has no involvement whatsoever in social media. Sixteen percent say their practice visits social media sites about once a week to post new material or respond to reviews, while another 21 percent say the practice may visit a social media site once a month to post new material and respond to reviews.
