Practice Management

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.

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.

my fellow shared with me that after I left the room, the patient complained about me being a “salesman.” Awestruck, I came away realizing that my best intents and clinical knowledge had been taken the wrong way and that the cost of the best treatment for this patient were overshadowed by the fact that she was going to have an out-of-pocket cost.

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but for ODs, the holidays can get a little hectic both outside and in the office.

There is no shortage of new diagnostic technology at optometry’s disposal. It seems every month a new device is available to enhance our practice and patient care. And with each new device, we will have to ask the same questions: Will it pay for itself? How much does it cost? Can I afford it?

“Typically, (Roellinger) listens to the sound of the bread, not the cash register. It’s because he’s a ferocious advocate for the glory of tiny, individually owned and operated producers. The idea that one should-no, must-keep it small.”

I discovered that an employee had been dispensing glasses to her family without collecting payment for the materials. After studying the relevant charts, I was certain that the activity was deliberately hidden from me.

Promotional events are designed to create some sort of focused attention on you and your practice. There are a wide variety of events that can help solidify the brand you are building for your practice.

I think that most of us would agree that new technologies generally mean better patient outcomes. But those outcomes always come with an added cost.

Fred Edmunds, OD, FAAO, says there’s no one right way to provide sports vision services.

As the ICD-10 implementation deadline approached, we asked several practitioners to document their experience leading up to and the days after implementation.