Practice Management

“How do you give raises to your staff?” This is a common question among ODs. I have learned after several years of working with eyecare practices that we are all over the place in how we compensate our staffs.

Many eyecare providers use some type of electronic health records (EHR) system by now. I also realize that almost all eyecare providers seem to have complaints about whatever system they use and quite a few would prefer to go back to paper charts.

A Vancouver optometrist has accused online review website Yelp of extortion, according to The Globe and Mail.

A recent report from Accenture says two thirds of U.S. health systems will offer self-scheduling services online by 2019.

The new rule in Tennessee has reignited a debate across the country about similar rules creating a separation-both physical and professional-between ODs and retail spaces.

Check out our most-read stories of the whole year.

We recently asked some ODs what they think are the biggest challenges facing the profession in 2015 and beyond. Here’s our list of seven challenges-and we think all are important.

You can be the best clinician in the world, but if you cannot effectively run a business, you are likely to struggle. Having the right office manager is a key part of that success.

I will tell you, though, my residency year was the most fun I’ve had as an optometrist. I worked the hardest and most hours I’ve ever worked in my life, but man, did it fly by. And when it was all over, I didn’t recognize the same young punk who started the residency.

A year and a half after the Think About Your Eyes campaign launched to bring attention to the need for regular eye exams, the campaign is seeing results thanks to support from industry partners.

While millions of people hit up the big box stores to grab the best deals on Black Friday, this Saturday is for the locals as communities across the country celebrate Small Business Saturday.

Seems like everyone is focusing on baby boomers as they enter a new phase of their lives, but vision in particular is a big topic. And why wouldn’t it be? What is more critical to healthy aging than maintaining healthy vision?

One of the most stressful days in a person's life is the first day on a new job. If you remember the first day at your current job, you can probably remember the discomfort of walking into an unfamiliar place, not knowing where to put your stuff, and being nervous that you may have made a big mistake by accepting this job.

During the American Academy of Optometry’s Academy 2014, Hector C. Santiago, OD, PhD, dean of the college of optometry at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, said he believes cultural competence “will drive success in the new face of America.”

A recent report from business research firm IBISWorld ranked optometry as one of the top industries for women. The firm analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a database of more than 700 industry reports to identify six industries that offer unique employment advantages for women, characterized by strong growth in revenue and employment, particularly in the number of female workers.

The International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) code is scheduled for implementation in the U.S. on Oct. 1, 2015-less than a year from now. Many optometric practices will likely be unprepared and therefore at risk for serious claim-filing and cash flow problems, according to Rebecca Wartman, OD, the American Optometric Association's (AOA) point person on ICD-10.

The discussion of providing Saturday office hours can rile a group of ODs like few other topics. In the non-healthcare world, Saturdays are revered as a day off from the daily grind and a chance to spend time with family and friends.

During the Global Contact Lens Forum at Vision Expo West, Jeffrey Sonsino, OD, FAAO, shared tips on how to establish a specialty contact lens practice.

Many of the traditional descriptions we use for areas of our practices have become outdated. As things change in our practices, we tend to force new methods and techniques into old categories.

There are some great new products and technology trends that can help you manage your practice more efficiently and improve your patient care.

In this video, Dr. Scott Schachter discusses creating a dry eye center.

The general feeling is that the eyeglass patient is much more profitable to a practice then the contact lens patient. Let’s look at this misconception in some detail.

In the previous articles in this series, the focus of lowering your practice’s financial risk was through maximizing cash flow and retaining key employees. Risk avoidance and risk mitigation may seem like common sense, but sometimes are not always intuitive when your day-to-day concentration is on patient care and running a practice. Identifying your practice’s risk should be a disciplined and creative process that includes brainstorming and creating lists of negative financial implications. All thoughts and ideas are welcomed during this evaluation, and the more thorough your checklists and evaluations are, the easier it is to make decisions to accept the risks of each activity.

Do you spend time wondering why employees no-show or resign? Do you think about how employee retention and turnover affects your bottom line? Today’s employees leave jobs for reasons other than just compensation and benefits, and tend to leave managers/co-workers than actual companies. Owners should provide vision, empowerment, empathy, motivation, teamwork, fun, and incentives so employees feel they have an ownership in the business.

An important aspect of any marketing program includes 2 primary aspects. First, and most obvious, is the need to attract new patients. This aspect of marketing includes everything that is done to make people aware of your practice and your services. It includes efforts put into brand recognition. Common aspects of focus in this area include search engine optimization, web page improvements, and traditional advertising.

I'm obsessed with Steven Pressfield's writings. I've mentioned Do The Work before, and now I want to mention the second book in the series: Turning Pro. It spoke to me. In a short 1-sentence summary, the difference between an amateur and a pro: a pro, through hours and years of practice and training, can block out all the clutter and concentrate on the task at hand.

Medscape has released its third-annual list of the best and worst big cities and small towns in the United States to practice, based on lifestyle, climate, practice conditions, and amenities. So did your city make the list?