New This Week
Meaningful Use: Implement Stages 1-3
Scott A. Jens, OD, FAAO, CEO of Revolution EHR, encourages ODs to embrace implementation of Meaningful Use Stages 1-3, as a means to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Jens notes that Stage 1 focuses on data collection, while Stage 2 centers on advancing clinical processes, and Stage 3 concentrates on improving patient engagement. Dr. Jens says his practice already is implementing many components of Stage 2, including making a secure online patient portal available, and having his staff educate patients on accessing and optimizing it.
>>READ MORE >>
Medical Eyecare
Dry Eye Patients: Serve a Growing Population
By Craig Tisch, OD,
and Dori Wolf, OD
Comprehensive dry eye services are a must with our aging population. Ready your practice to serve the increasing numbers of dry eye patients, and take advantage of a practice-building opportunity. >>READ MORE>>
Practice Management
5 Major Practice Liability Areas–and What to Do About Them
By Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD, DPNAP
There are areas of liability to your practice that you may be overlooking. Here’s how to protect yourself and your practice from legal liability in five major areas.
>>READ MORE>>
Contact Lens Profitability
The Future of Contact Lens Profitability
By Thomas F. Steiner
Many ODs perceive contact lenses as a low-priced, low-margin commodity, but they overlook the real valued asset: the contact lens patient over the long-term.
ROB Fast Fact
What Eyewear Will Consumers Buy with Online Help?
Recent eyewear buyers with ready access to the internet are most apt to purchase plano sunglasses directly online at some point in the future. In fact, up to an additional 5 to 6.5 million pairs of plano sunglasses could be sold online annually in the near future, according to The Vision Council VisionWatch 2013 Internet Influence Report. A slightly smaller number of recent eyewear consumers with ready access to the internet seem likely to purchase Rx eyeglasses or Rx contact lenses online at some point in the future.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on making it easy for your patients to browse your optical dispensary online.
In Brief
IDOC Launches New Online Education for ODs
IDOC announced a new comprehensive online education program for optometrists and their staff, available at special pricing exclusively for IDOC members. This collection of online optometric education materials, which includes a thorough resource library, as well as podcast lessons, was developed by Scot Morris, OD, FAAO, operating partner of Morris Education and Consulting Associates. Dr. Morris is an international speaker and author known for his expertise in the areas of practice management, technology and ocular surface disease.
>>READ MORE>>
ZEISS Introduces PureCoat PLUS AR
ZEISS unveiled its new PureCoat PLUS anti-reflective treatment at Vision Expo East. PureCoat PLUS builds on the company’s original PureCoat AR with improved hydrophobic performance and durability. ZEISS says its PureCoat PLUS is one of the clearest AR treatments available, with residual reflectance below 1 percent. It is also up to 50 percent more scratch-resistant than many available AR treatments, helping the lenses retain their clarity and their like-new appearance.
Challenge –> Solution
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Practice Challenge…
What new instrumentation should I invest in?Adding new instrumentation to your practice is a big decision. You must consider your patients’ needs, but also your ability to break even, and then profit, from the investment. Here is how some of our contributors have handled this challenge.
…Practice Solution
- Corneal Topographer: Elevate Care and Profits
- Updated Refraction Instrumentation: Take Exam Experience to Next Level
- Instrumentation: A Major Expense–But a Practice Builder
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
