I started my own practice on January 4 -finally-after six years in practice. This decision was hardly a hasty one because I dreamed of having my own practice since the first day of OD school. Like most ODs fresh out of school, however, I was saddled by debt and fear of the unknown.
I like to describe my practice as “concierge like.” We are all familiar with the concept of MD VIP practices. They require patients to pay a flat fee to be part of the practice’s patient base, and, in return, the patient has free access to his physician at any time.
Point-of-care (POC) diagnostic laboratory testing is not common in eye care. This is not due to any lack of clinical need-it is rather the result of a lack of specific tests known to demonstrate diagnostic and/or treatment relevance to the optometrist and a general resistance to adopting new diagnostic technologies.
How can your office avoid spending a lot of staff time on patient vision care plan questions and better ensure that you get paid? We asked optometrists on ODs on Facebook and ODwire how they handle this common problem.
An optometric practice is a business just like any other business where the same rules apply-revenues minus expenses equals profit. Too many times we borrow ideas from mediocre businesses, practices, and people.
A U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, founded Earth Day in 1970, and it has been celebrated annually since that time on April 22. In 1990, his efforts were revamped to include recycling efforts. This got me thinking-how am I addressing this in my office now, and what can I do better?
The burden of student loan debt is one of the hottest topics in the optometric community. Catherine Dimon, CFP, of Morgan Stanley shared her advice for debt management for young optometrists at Vision Expo East.
Executives from online refraction companies discussed their services during Vision Expo East. Opternative CEO Aaron Dallek; EyeNetra CTO Vitor Pamplona, PhD; and myVisionPOD Founder Hal Wilson shared information about their companies and answered questions from the audience about the future of online refraction.
The medical model can help make your practice more profitable and serve your patients better-a few changes to the way you practice can make a big difference, says Scot Morris, OD, FAAO, during a session at Vision Expo East.
As owners and/or managers of small business, optometrists usually think of firing in terms of how and when to fire an employee or associate. However, there are times when it is necessary and prudent to fire a patient. This is one of the most difficult tasks we encounter, and it is actually very hard to do.
I hear a lot of talk about having a culture of service in the office. I know of some offices that are truly remarkable in their service culture. These offices have patterned themselves after Nordstrom, Ritz-Carlton, or other noted service culture mainstays.
When I got out of school, I looked 15 years old. I had elderly patients leaving the practice so often, my employer actually framed my resume for people to read before they saw my face. I wore suits for the majority of my first 10 years in practice. I focused on children because they thought I was the babysitter.
We often hear from ODs about their problems managing their staff, but once you read these staff horror stories, we bet your staffing headaches will look tame in comparison.
There’s nothing more exciting than working in an office that continues to grow and expand. Recently, our practice has taken a gigantic step and purchased a brand-new, state-of-the-art office that allowed us to merge our two offices into one, larger space.
After many years as the sole optometrist in a busy ophthalmology practice, I found myself feeling isolated. I had excelled in my career managing many complicated ocular disease cases and making a difference in the lives of the patients whom I served; however, I was lacking the collaboration with my peers I had experienced during my residency and years in school.
With a change of perspective, any optometrist can add sports vision to his practice.
Jerry Hayes, OD, shared the secrets of high-producing optometrists during a session at SECO.
Many of your patients are interested in maintaining or improving their vision, but they may walk into your office with wrong information.
If you have not been reading industry social media sites lately, you missed a big announcement from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to end Meaningful Use.
Super Bowl 50 is in the books, and the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning are the Super Bowl champions! What a storybook ending for Manning and the Broncos. Not all of our practices will ride off into the sunset with a world championship, but there are many lessons we can learn from the Super Bowl.
Is your staff addicted to social media? Some of them are indeed social media junkies, as polls show the average American spends a quarter of his work day on sites such as Facebook.1 That means a 25 percent decrease in productivity. That means that in an average workweek, you a paying a staffer to socialize online for over a full day of work!
There is no question that our profession is undergoing rapid change as well as significant challenges. As a profession, we are faced with the dual responsibility of protecting our patient and maintaining our proficiency. Both of these also fall under the legal jurisdiction of the State Board of Optometry in the states in which we are licensed. Some state boards have already acted, but most have not. One that has not is California.
The time we’ve all been waiting is finally here-The Beatles are now streaming for free on all major music-streaming services (Spotify and Apple Play, to name a few). To celebrate their arrival, we’ve been listening nonstop to our favorites at the office. After days on repeat, I couldn’t help but notice how applicable many Beatles’ classics are to office life, especially as it pertains to culture.
Last week, a bill allowing New Jersey optometrists to avoid joining vision care plans died on the desk of Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) in a pocket veto. The bill would have given ODs in the state the ability to participate in third-party medical insurance plans without being required to join accompanying vision care plans as well.
The skyrocketing price of prescription medications has been a huge topic from the presidential campaign trail to social media, thanks in part to former Turing Pharmaceutical CEO and real-life villain Martin Shkreli. Shkreli made headlines in late 2015 when he jacked up the price of Daraprim (pyrimethamine), used to treat toxoplasmosis and malaria, to $750 per pill from $13.50.
I have been fortunate in my career to meet some amazing people: optometrists, ophthalmologists, editors, those involved with industry, and several others along the way. One of the things I enjoy most about the profession is working and collaborating with many to help advance the profession and continue to move it forward.
Each year brings its own challenges, and 2016 will be no different.
In my consulting work with practices, I have found that most of us don’t know if our practice is doing well or not.
Seven months ago, on Friday, May 8, I walked across the stage wearing a graduation gown and hood to receive my fourth and final (for now) degree. It was nearly six years to the day after my graduation from OD school in 2009.
Purchasing a private practice is a big decision and requires thorough preparation. The practice that you purchase can determine where you live and where your children go to school, and it ultimately shapes the lifestyle you’ve been dreaming about your entire life.
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