New This Week
Finding a Balance: Traditional Marketing vs. Social Media
Mike Rothschild, OD, and Amir Khoshnevis, OD, discuss traditional marketing vs. social media. Some communities and patient bases are more attuned to traditional means of communication, says Dr. Rothschild, while Dr. Khoshnevis favors the increased use of social media in reaching patients frequently to keep eyecare and his practice top of mind. This is part of an ROB video series, “Mike and Amir Agree to Agree…and Disagree.”
>>READ MORE >>
Diagnostic Instrumentation
Intelligent Investing: Crunch the Numbers–and Analyze Your Patient Base
By Scott A. Jens, OD, FAAO
Before purchasing new instrumentation, always crunch the numbers to calculate ROI. Equally important: Analyze your patient base to see how new instrumentation will enhance the level of care you provide and allow you to grow in new directions. >>READ MORE>>
Software Solutions/EHR
Personalize Patient Care with Help from Your EHR
By Ryan C. Wineinger, OD
Electronic health records allow you to personalize an eye health exam by collecting and easily accessing information unique to each patient—provided that you and your staff follow an input/output system. Here’s a plan to do that. >>READ MORE>>
Contact Lenses
Optimize Use of Trial Lenses to Maximize CL Profitability
By D. Penn Moody, OD
By fully utilizing trial contact lenses, you can easily resolve patient hesitancy and readily evaluate their success with your lens recommendation. Further, by simplifying your inventory of trial lenses and offering direct delivery for purchased lenses, you can lower your often overlooked staff costs of maintaining inventory and transacting lens sales and delivery.
ADVERTORIAL
OD Excellence Practice of the Year Announced at National Convention
OD Excellence (ODX) ended its national meeting at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego earlier this month with its own awards ceremony. If
compared to the Olympics, they can proudly say that Dr. Stephen Hedges Family Eyecare in Danville, Ind., recipient of the Practice of the Year award, won the “gold.” This honor, sponsored by OD Excellence and VSP Global, was created to distinguish the practice that most utilized the ODX tools available to increase their practice top line while decreasing their cost of goods. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
What Does It Take to Leave Patients with a Good Impression of their OD?
Patients say they want to be heard when they visit an eye doctor. According to a new study, Key Drivers of the Patient Experience, participants cited the following terms when asked to define a good experience with doctor-patient communications: “explaining results,” “questions answered,” “listens,” “unhurried” and “professionalism.” Participants also noted the importance of factors such as “doctor knows me,” “understandable” and “knowledgeable” as essential to having a good doctor-patient experience. The study was conducted by focalCenter and Jobson Research.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, who offer an action plan for creating a positive doctor-patient experience.
In Brief
Hoya Launches New App to Help ECPs Market Personalized Lenses
The technological advantages of Hoya’s personalized progressive lens, HoyaLux ID MyStyle, can now be realized in independent practices thanks to the development of Hoya’s new app, Spectangle. The app addresses many of the challenges related to prescribing personalized progressives including time necessary to take frame and fitting measurements, equipment investment and ease of operating measuring devices. Every dispensing table can now be equipped with electronic tablets loaded with Spectangle so no patient is left waiting while the measurement device becomes available. >>READ MORE>>
Signet Armorlite Introduces KODAK Unique DS Progressive Lenses
Signet Armorlite has introduced KODAK Unique DS Progressive Lenses. Available for order immediately, KODAK Unique DS Progressive Lenses incorporate the features and benefits of the original KODAK Unique Progressive Lens into a dual-side lens design. >>READ MORE>>
ROB Poll Results
Readers Cite Day-to-Day Interaction with Patients as Greatest Skill-Builder
Asked where they learn their most valuable skills as an OD, 68 percent of ROB readers cited on-the-job learning via daily interaction with patients. Sixteen percent said they learn the most by attending optometric alliance seminars or optometry conferences and 11 percent said they learn the most from formal continuing education courses. Five percent say they learn the most from optometric professional publications.
