New This Week
Finding New Partners Via OD School Externship Programs
Donald S. Teig, OD, finds partners through optometric school externships. He observes externs at work and looks for new skills and specialty niches that they can bring to the practice. >>READ MORE>>
Frames
Encourage Patients to Choose New Frames with Lens Updates
By Mark Hinton
Cost-conscious consumers try to save money by putting new lenses in old frames. For a host of reasons–that you easily can explain–new frames serve them better. >>READ MORE>>
Contact Lenses
Ride the Demographic Wave: Fit Baby Boomers with Multifocal Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
By Jason Miller, OD, MBA
Baby Boomers are the enormous generation–with enormous vision needs. Move your Boomer patients into multifocal contact lenses in silicone hydrogel materials by educating them on health aspects, visual performance and lifestyle freedom. >>READ MORE>>
Finance
Purchase a Second Practice to Finance a Primary Practice
By Yoongie Min, OD
Buying a second location that is established and flourishing can help to finance a primary office that is getting up to speed. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
At Least Half of Consumers Covered by Managed Vision Care or Vision Insurance Plan
Eighty-four percent of consumers say a vision plan is very or somewhat important to them, according to Jobson Research’s 2010 Consumer Perceptions of Managed Vision Care. Sixty-five percent said they feel highly or somewhat knowledgeable about vision plans. Fifty percent of respondents said they are covered by some type of managed vision care or vision insurance plan and 10 percent of respondents said they participate in a flexible spending account.
Seventy percent of the dollars through the front door in the typical eyecare practice come from third parties. Because that is such a high percentage, it is important to manage these third party patients positively. Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on helping patients optimize their vision insurance.
Optometric Alliance Prima Eye Group Launches
Three veterans of practice management education have launched a new optometric alliance, Prima Eye Group. The group is headed by Jerry Hayes, OD, who serves as chairman and CEO; Neil Gailmard, OD, president and COO; and Billy Cochran, OD, VP of education and member acquisition. “The premise of Prima is to help practice owners to get to the next level, said Dr. Hayes. “We show them that it can be done, and we show them how to do it.” Prima, which is based in Atlanta, operates on a monthly fee basis, and emphasis is placed on education, implementation and peer group sharing. Prima plans on a slow rollout, with a goal of enlisting a thousand ODs within three to four years. For more information: nhayes@primaryeyegroup.com.
Facebook Creates Program to Help Small Businesses
Facebook has announced the creation of a new program designed to help small, local businesses—like eyecare practices—to connect with their customers via social media. Details of the program still are pending, but it is expected to consist of $10 million in advertising credits and a special marketing program to help businesses to target their audience to hyper-local audiences. It is estimated that 9.2 million businesses have Facebook pages on the leading social network hub that claims 750 million registered users. This year, Facebook will earn $2.0 billion from display ads in the US, up 67 percent from 2010, according to eMarketer Inc.
ROB Poll: Readers Cite “Expanding Medical Eyecare Opportunities” as Most Exciting Practice Aspect
Some 57 percent of Review of Optometric Business readers say increasing opportunities to offer medical eyecare most excites them about the future of optometry. Forty-three percent are most excited about new examination technology.
