New This Week
Compute the Benefits of an In-Office Finishing Lab
Brian Chou, OD, FAAO, of EyeLux Optometry in San Diego, describes how an in-office finishing lab provides a faster turnaround time, lower cost, fewer redoes and better control over quality. Keys to success: Maintain a lens inventory large enough to service 80 percent of single-vision jobs within an hour, and employ a full-time lab technician. An in-house finishing lab is not for every practice, Dr. Chou cautions. Follow links to online worksheets to calculate if your volume justifies the investment in equipment, inventory and personnel. >>READ MORE >>
Office Environment
Pre-Testing Revamp: Break Up Bottlenecks
By Yoongie Min, OD
Bottlenecks in the pre-testing area reduce time that patients spend in the optical dispensary following an exam. Time lost on shopping for eyewear is costly, as the dispensary typically generates two-thirds of revenues. An effective renovation of the pre-testing area can eliminate bottlenecks–and pay off in eyewear sales. >>READ MORE>>
Practice Management
Theft Prevention 101: Set Up Safety Protocols and Security Enhancements
By Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD
Protecting your office from theft and burglary has two action fronts: Equip your office with security enhancements, and institute office procedures so that staff knows what to do if a theft or burglary occurs. Here’s the how-to. >>READ MORE>>
Contact Lenses
Ortho-K: Build Your Practice with Premium Service
By April L. Jasper, OD, FAAO
Offering Ortho-K provides your patients with a premium service that can build your practice. When presented well, the Ortho-K option is of great interest to families where kids may be experiencing myopic creep.
ADVERTORIAL
IDOC: Your Competitive Advantage
In an age when independent optometrists must compete with corporate-owned eyecare providers and online retailers, in addition to other independents, a competitive advantage is needed. IDOC can be the tool that gives you the edge you need to profitably succeed. IDOC offers a combination of benefits that many other alliances only claim to offer.
>>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
How Many Patients Are Asked By Their Eye Doctor About Possible Allergies?
It seems that most of you are doing a good job at asking patients about possible ocular allergies, but more work in this area may need to be done. Some 64.3 percent of respondents to Jobson Optical Research’s 2012 Adult Consumer Eye Exam Experience say they were asked by the doctor about possible allergies during their last exam while 27.4 percent say they were not. Some 8.3 percent say they can’t remember whether or not they were asked.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on the importance of asking all patients about eye comfort including allergy symptoms.
In Brief
How To Thrive in Today’s Market: Special Event at VEW
Join Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, professional editor, Review of Optometric Business, as he discusses three proven strategies to improve patient engagement and boost optical sales, and how to utilize technology to improve patient education, recall and retention. The event, sponsored by CareCredit and Solutionreach, will give you the tools you need to better serve patients, increase patient loyalty and grow your practice.
>>READ MORE and REGISTER>>
Complimentary E-Book: Selecting a Practice Management & EHR Solution
VisionWeb, producers of cloud-based practice management and EHR solution Uprise, is offering a new complimentary e-book on finding the ideal practice management and EHR solution for your practice.
>>READ MORE and DOWNLOAD E-BOOK>>
Challenge –> Solution
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Practice Challenge…
How Can Patients Easily Find Me Online?It’s a jungle out there (on the internet). Your competition—and a blizzard of doctor listing sites—will bury you. The answer is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Here are three simple SEO strategies from ROB contributors to make sure your listing comes out on top, where new and existing patients can find you.
…Practice Solution
- Dominate the Listings When Patients Google You
- Choosing an SEO Vendor: How to Make a Smart Choice
- Make Your Web Site Easy for Patients to Find
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
