New This Week
Your Practice Must Be a Special Place
Barry Farkas, OD, FAAO, of Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick, ODs, in New York City, says that a successful practice communicates a quality of specialness. A patient must sense that something exceptional is present in the care and service they receive, and that there is uniqueness in the premium materials that their doctor works with. In addition, a staff of exceptional quality must be an extension of the doctor in helping to deliver the highest quality of care and service. >>READ MORE >>
Digital Strategy
Five Great Apps to Help You Talk to Patients About Eye Health
By Steve Vargo, OD, MBA
Mobile apps for health care information are popping up everywhere—and an OD can use them to get into the information exchange process. Here is your guide to the best apps to facilitate doctor-patient discussions on eye health. >>READ MORE>>
Contact Lens Solutions
Educate Patients: Different CL Solutions Have Different Ingredients
By Crystal Brimer, OD
Explain to patients that preservatives found in certain contact lens solutions can negatively affect their eyes and decrease wearing comfort. Be the recommender and steer patients to specific, high-quality contact lens solutions that make long-term contact lens wear more likely.
>>READ MORE>>
Staff Management
Personality Assessments: Essential Tools to Help in Hiring Decisions
By Ken Krivacic, OD, MBA
Great staff is key to profitability. Personality assessments are a great tool to help you identify job candidates who will best serve your patients and work well with other staff members.
>>READ MORE>>
Optometric Business Innovators: Business Management
Whether it’s improving the eyecare experience through new technology or adapting to electronic health records, from the exam room to the back-office, here are forward-thinking ODs who embrace new ideas that set their practices apart. They are the focus of our third annual Optometric Business Innovators report, a special collaborative project between Vision Monday and Review of Optometric Business. This month, we share lessons from ODs who are innovative in business management. >>READ MORE>>
SPONSORED BY ESSILOR and VISIONWEB
The State of the Optometric Profession: Optometry Has Excess Capacity
AOA Excel recently commissioned Jobson Medical Information to create a comprehensive report on the status of the optometric profession and the future impact of major trends in business, regulatory and technology environments on the profession. This article, the second in a series of ROB articles based on this report, describes optometry’s excess capacity in the marketplace.
>>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
Do Most of Your Patients Seek a One-Stop Eyewear Shopping Experience?
Your patients may be looking for more of a one-stop-shopping experience than you think, according to findings from Jobson Optical Research’s 2013 Eyewear and Eyecare Consumer Patterns Insight Survey. For most consumers, buying eyeglasses is a one-stop deal. Two-thirds of consumers said they purchased eyeglasses at the same location or retailer where they first had their eyes examined.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on creating a seamless eyewear shopping experience for patients.
In Brief
Silhouette Optical Introduces iMirror Try-On App
Sihouette Optical has simplified the process of eyewear styling with its new iMirror app. The Silhouette iMirror app lets eyeglass wearers use an iPhone or iPad to try on Silhouette’s rimless eyeglasses and sunglasses in three dimensions. >>READ MORE>>
HumanWare Offers Digital Personal Vision Assistant for Low Vision Patients
HumanWare’s new Prodigi is an all-digital personal vision assistant for people with low vision conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and other eye diseases. HumanWare has designed Prodigi to be a more affordable and intuitive visual aid than the traditional CCTV-based electronic magnifier.
>>READ MORE>>
Challenge –> Solution
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Practice Challenge…
How Can I Profit with Co-Management?In this fast-evolving healthcare field, ODs have major opportunities to provide services in conjunction with MDs–and to be efficient and cost-effective in doing so. Here are three strategies from ROB contributors who are making co-management a profitable endeavor.
…Practice Solution
- Retain Boomers by Providing Pre- and Post-Op Cataract Care
- Work with MDs to Treat Ocular Conditions with Specialty CLs
- Post-LASIK Education: Let Patients Know They Still Need You
Recent Articles of Note
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By Robert Schultz
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In-House Lens Fabrication: Compete Successfully with Large Optical Retailers
By Gordon G. Wong, OD -
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
