Practice Management

Online sales aren’t going away. ODs and their staffs are able to match price and convenience, but they excel at outstanding customer service. One OD outlines how she adopted an innovative service process in her practices to improve relationships with patients.

There are certain habits that separate successful practices from unsuccessful practices. One OD explains why setting goals, writing them down, and sticking to them can make your practice more successful.

An optometric practice is worth what someone is willing to pay. ODs must plan an exit strategy well before it’s time to move on. A practice management expert offers advice.

No one else is going to explain what ODs do or how we are important to our communities. It’s our job, and no one else will do it for us.

Study groups can help their members via group discussion and sharing. If you’re looking to form or join a study group, find out what leads to success.

A new study shows that smart glasses reduce symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Two ODs weigh in on the study and why it shows promise for future treatment options.

The general public as well as some ODs have forgotten the extend of our core training. We have to educate our patients more thoroughly about why we do what we do and why it matters that they have an annual eye exam.

Marketing your practice can seem overwhelming, but with a plan in place you will find that it is much more effective and may even save you money in the long run. Learn how to put a marketing plan together and the benefits of having a marketing plan in place at your practice.

Many ODs recommend the 20-20-20 Rule to patients to help alleviate eye strain from digital device usage. But few know its origins. Brian Chou, OD, FAAO, FSLS, digs deep to discover who coined the tagline and why.

Preparing a patient for ocular surgery can pose challenges with cosmetics being widely used. Marc Bloomenstein, OD, with the advice of Optometry Times Editorial Advisory Board member Whitney Hauser, OD, discusses the importance of properly preparing cosmetic users for eye surgery.

The key to optical success lies with the OD's involvement, according to Nazanin Galehdari, OD. She offers 5 steps to improve optical profitability.

Bryan Wolynski, OD, FAAO, and owner of Glasses on First in New York City, talks about falling into low vision, working with family, and driving blind in the latest Optometry Times Q&A.

The significant healthcare dilemmas of substance use pose challenges to our society. Michael W. Ohlson, OD, FAAO, discusses an optometrist's role in substance abuse treatment.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving around us. Thomas A. Wong, OD, looks at how AI has impacted our world and how it is set to impact patient treatment in optometry.

Patients can enter your practice with a variety of fears regarding their vision problems. Benjamin P. Casella, OD, FAAO, and chief optometric editor of Optometry Times, explains the importance of quelling patients' fears and making them comfortable during their exam.

Running a practice day-to-day can pose challenges for ODs. Carl Spear, OD, MBA, FAAO, outlines the three basic business strategies to maximize success and why it is important to choose one that fits your practice.

In Part 5 of his five-part blog series on vision care plan gripes, Carl Spear, OD, MBA, FAAO, discusses how misleading and wrong information can affect patients’ perceptions of your clinical care and practice.

Find out what drives your fellow ODs crazy during the holidays.

Tracy Schroeder Swartz, OD, FAAO describes how her life as an OD during the holidays changed over time. From after graduation to having her own family, Dr. Swartz finds that the balance has changed.

Like weather forecasting, forecasting in our optometric practices has also come a long way. Today’s software programs have every imaginable piece of data about our practices. But unfortunately, most of us don’t know how to use the data. The problem is there is so much data and information, it is hard to know what to pay attention to.

I thought I would create office policies to control my office life because the patients will follow my long list of rules just like my children listen to rules at home. Feel free to use it at your office.

Almost every eyecare practice has a person, team of people, or outside service whose sole job is to manage problems related to facilitating the relationship between patients and their insurance companies.

Professional courtesy, waiving all or part of professional fees, now has become a field day for lawyers and third-party carriers-and an unwary trap for the well-intentioned doctor.

So, in optometry, with online refractions, online sales of eyeglasses and contact lenses, and in the face of reduced insurance reimbursements, is true practice autonomy attainable?

It is not uncommon to hear people talk about the health of their practices by confidently stating how far they are “booked out.” How long it takes for a patient to get an appointment is often a statement of practice wellness.