New This Week
Never a Better Time to Practice Than Right Now
Barry Farkas, OD, FAAO, of Drs. Farkas, Kassalow and Resnick in New York City, believes in recognizing groundbreaking innovations and quickly integrating them into an optometric practice. He reflects on the remarkable advances he has seen in his years of practice, including the paradigm-shifting introduction of disposable contact lenses, for which he was an initial investigator in 1987. Today, Dr. Farkas recommends that ODs who embrace the accelerating pace of innovations in both CLs and ophthalmic lenses will find this an exciting and fulfilling time to practice. Part 2 in a series. >>READ MORE >>
Software Solutions/EHR
The ROB Electronic Health Records Resource
By Scott Jens, OD, FAAO
Transitioning to electronic health records improves office efficiency and elevates patient care, but the transition can be tedious and the terms can be confusing. The following online resources can help. >>READ MORE>>
Contact Lenses
Eyewear Update for Contact Lens Patients: Good for Eye Health, Good for Profits
By Maria Sampalis, OD
Contact lens patients tend to love their contacts and hate their eyeglasses. Chances are, they’re in need of an eyewear update–and that’s good for their eye health and for your bottom line.
>>READ MORE>>
Doctor-Patient Relations
Get to Know Your Patients to Better Serve them with Products and Services
By Mary Boname, OD, MS, FAAO
Getting to know your patients, first with lifestyle questions on the registration form, and then by engaging patients in conversation in the exam room, allows you to better provide targeted products and services.
SPONSORED BY ESSILOR and VISIONWEB
The State of the Optometric Profession: Optometry’s Largest Opportunity is to Increase Demand Among Existing Patients 
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 third in a series of ROB articles based on this report, describes optometry’s opportunity to increase demand among existing patients. >>READ MORE>>
ADVERTORIAL
A Compromised Contact Lens Surface Can Compromise Patient Comfort
Patients don’t want to think about their contact lenses. But with some silicone hydrogel materials, dehydration and deposit buildup can interrupt comfortable lens wear. A compromised lens surface can be at the root of the problem.
>>READ MORE>>
ROB Fast Fact
How Will the Recent Payroll Tax Increase Affect Consumer Optical Spending?
It seems like the recent payroll tax increases that occurred in January 2013 are slowing optical sales, along with the sales of other consumer goods, and weighing on consumers’ minds when making an optical purchase, according to The Vision Council VisionWatch Economic Situation Study: April 2013. One quarter of all the consumers surveyed said they cut spending on all general retail products and services across the board in response to the payroll tax increases. A smaller, but still significant, number of consumers (about 6.5 percent) said they slowed spending on optical products and services in response to the payroll tax increases.
Click HERE to read more from Review of Optometric Business professional editors Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, and Mark Wright, OD, FCOVD, on prescribing from the exam room and effectively handing off all patients to your optical team.
In Brief
Essilor Instruments USA Unveils New Web Store and Redesigned Web Site
Essilor Instruments USA is expanding its online presence with a newly designed company web site and new web store. The redesigned company web site features product pages for learning about new and current items, including edgers, tracers, blockers, services and optometric and centration equipment. >>READ MORE>>
Medflow and VisionWeb Integrate Spectacle Lens Ordering Process
VisionWeb and Medflow are launching an integration that will enable users of Medflow Optical to order spectacle lenses from laboratories on the VisionWeb supplier network from within the Medflow Optical system. Ordering through the integration streamlines the ordering process by eliminating the need for duplicate data entry.
>>READ MORE>>
Challenge –> Solution
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Practice Challenge…
Where Can I Get Good Advice on Coding and Billing?The ins and outs of coding and billing are constantly changing. To help you keep up, Review of Optometric Business contributors regularly post new updates and tips to help you negotiate a complex area that has great bearing on practice profitability.
…Practice Solution
- Are You Running a Modern Billing Department? If Not, Here’s How
- Cataract Co-Management: Do You Know How to Code for It?
- Coding Changes in 2013: Changes and Resources
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
