SOCIAL

  THE WAY I SEE IT

INQUIRING MINDS

ASSESSING THE VALUE OF CE AND ENCOURAGING MEDICAL SERVICES

MARC BLOOMENSTEIN, O.D., F.A.A.O.

ALAS MY favorite edition of Optometric Management. This is when readers send their questions and we, the contributors, get to answer said queries. Readers wonder why my picture has hair when in person I am almost bald; why I am obsessed with Darwin and Lincoln; whether my wife is deaf and blind, and whether it is true that I ate my twin in the womb? We can get to these mind tingling and hurtful questions another time, rather I would I like to tackle questions from Janice of Akonting, Pa. and Jacob of St. Firm, Minn.

Q: WHERE CAN I FIND CHEAP CE?

– Janice of Akonting, Pa.

A: There are numerous opportunities to obtain excellent quality CE at affordable rates, most often supported by industry. However, I would argue that most programs are reasonably priced for the amount of hours and caliber of education that you can obtain.

Janice, now let me ask you a few questions: Do you ask Babies ‘R’ Us for the cheapest car seat for your child, or do you look at the quality of the seat to assess the value? When you enter a restaurant are you inclined to find the cheapest thing you can eat? Do you go to the department store and ask the sales people to point out the cheapest pair of pants?

I trust that you are not asking whether there is a way you can get your education without having to pay for it, which in itself is tantamount to saying, “I don’t want to pay the vendor, the speaker, the organizer or the accrediting organization to obtain a state-required continued competency of my optometric education.”

We are talking about the continued education of your profession and the value that it provides for your patients. I would encourage to you to look at what you are getting, the destination, and choose your topics accordingly.

If you insist on the cheapest CE (is “cheap” the best verbiage?), you can go to one of the major meetings and sit in a classroom for three days straight, sleep in the hallway to avoid a hotel bill and eat via the dollar menu. But please be considerate of other attendees — brush your teeth, and sit in the very back on the floor.

Q: HOW CAN I ENCOURAGE MY ASSOCIATES TO PRACTICE MORE MEDICAL OPTOMETRY?

– Jacob of St. Firm, Minn.

A: Consider a classic three-step approach: 1. Gather your associates together. 2. Bribe them with something sweet, like Kool-Aid. 3. Tell them: “Do your job!”

Optometry is the front-line of the eye and that means managing medically related complications. Notwithstanding, you will generate more revenue in your practice by medically managing than simply hoping to sell product. Excess revenue can then trickle down to your staff and even allow your employees to attend excellent CE, without you having to worry about the cost (see question 1). OM

Questions are based on reader responses to an Optometric Management online survey, which closed on Dec. 20. The survey was anonymous. The names presented are fabricated.

DR. BLOOMENSTEIN currently practices at Schwartz Laser Eye Center in Scottsdale, Ariz. He is a founding member of the Optometric Council on Refractive Technology. Email him at mbloomenstein@gmail.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment on this article.