Practice Management

Have you ever sat in the exam room with a patient and felt like the exam had gotten away from you?

To gauge what the new year will bring, we asked experts to weigh in on what challenges they expect optometrists to face in 2017

To protect you and your practice, it is important to have a plan and process in place in the case of an audit

As we welcome a new year, now is a great time to look back at what we could have done better in 2016 and set goals for 2017. We asked eyecare professionals from around the country what their New Year’s resolutions are, both inside and outside of the practice.

Make a more deliberate effort to be present with your patients

No-shows and cancellations are an annoying part of any optometry practice. They are disruptive and costly, but mostly they are rude.

Before the new year gets too far along, let’s take a brief look at the happenings in the pages of Optometry Times during 2016.

The holiday season can be a stressful time for anyone, but for optometrists, there are a laundry list of situations that happen in and outside of your practice that make this time of year extra hectic. We asked our Editorial Advisory Board to share one thing that drives them crazy during the holiday season.

Opening a practice of your own can be quite overwhelming and can leave you wondering where to start.

I am sure we are all familiar with stress because I do not think you can become an OD without dealing with a large amount of it. In case you are not aware, stress is good in short doses. But large daily doses over years is bad.

Ever feel like you were on a sinking ship? Sometimes you want to be the one to jump off!

You’ve probably heard the term “hive mentality” before. Many times its meaning does not carry a positive connotation.

In honor of Halloween, you’re getting an updated batch of staff horror stories.

Here are a couple of tips our practice uses to celebrate the Halloween fun safely and successfully.

Dress for success. We’ve heard this tired old cliché for years. Most offices have a written dress code for staff, but does that dress code also apply to the doctors?

One of the hallmarks of a good college football team is to finish strong. That means that as the team heads into the fourth quarter, it needs to close out the game and play all the way to the end.

What do you think it would be like to practice in an environment free of competition? How about having a complete lock on a market?

We’re no exception to the online perfect perception. You only need to check out our practice Instagram page, @seeeyecareandeyewear, to see all the photos that I have painstakingly staged.

True success comes from consistently giving attention to every part of the practice, not focusing all of your attention on one area at a time.

As summer winds down and the holidays begin to come into focus, it’s beneficial to take time to reevaluate the goals we set forth months prior. It’s time to take a look at how we’ve progressed in accomplishing them.

The Practice Success Series, brought to you by Wells Fargo Practice Finance, prepares you for the most significant transition you'll make in your career. This eBook is designed for anyone contemplating making a switch.

Check out our favorite optometry memes!

Millennials, also known as Generation Y, can drive Generation Xers and baby boomers crazy. Many Gen Xers and Boomers don’t embrace those young, fresh faces because their approach to life is so foreign.

Summer offers a unique set of challenges for optometry offices.

Where you live can play a big role in how much cash you’re bringing home. Not only does your state affect your scope of practice, it affects your bottom line.

It's raining “eyecare” apps. Just for a second, I’m going to embrace the hate because we can use it to help lead us to a better understanding of the situation and ultimately to a solution. In our technologically enhanced world there seems to be an app for everything-including for eye care.

It is not uncommon to hear a doctor or office manager lament that they are so busy, they can’t get anything done. It is all the daily tasks that keep them from planning, looking ahead, or improving. “It just seems like I am always putting out fires,” is a common way to express this frustration.

At a recent meeting I attended one of the discussions included a quick and brief outline of what is termed SWOT. SWOT stands for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The idea here is that a scan of the internal and external environment is an important part of a strategic planning process for any business.