QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION

IN ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROFESSION, WE TOOK OUR CUES FROM YOU.

Jim Thomas, Editorial Director

THIS ISSUE of Optometric Management is dedicated questions and answers. OM’s expert contributors provide the answers, in both columns and feature articles, throughout this issue. But where, exactly, did these experts get their questions? The short answer: you.

In October and November of last year, OM emailed subscribers a link to an online survey, “Patient Care and Practice Management,” which asked readers for their most pressing practice questions. About 90 readers replied with more than 400 questions.

WHAT WAS ASKED?

Respondents asked questions across a range of categories (see the chart on p. 21 for a full list) including:

• Contact lenses, representing 16.8% of questions

• Ocular disease, 14.1%

• Optical-related issues, 13.7%

• Big issues, notably, issues related to health care reform, 11.3%

• Marketing and social media, 7.2%

• Health and nutrition, 6.9%

• Visual testing, 6.7%

• Coding and medical documentation, 5.8%

About half the respondents reported working solo in private practices, while another 25% reported working in group practices (see the chart on p. 19). Most respondents, 69.3%, worked at practice locations made up of 10 staff members or less (see the chart on p. 20). About 30% of respondents reported total annual practice revenues of more than $1 million, while 19.3% reported $250,000-$499,000 (see the chart on p. 20).

CHOOSING THE QUESTIONS

Unfortunately, we do not have the space to answer all 400-plus questions. To make the list more manageable for our experts, the Optometric Management editorial team removed duplicate questions and questions that dealt with specific companies, organizations or name-brand services and products such as drugs, diagnostic tests and EHR systems.

From there, we eliminated questions that would elicit too broad an answer, such as, “How do you code?” or “What goals should I set for my practice, and how should I set them?” We then eliminated questions that didn’t deal directly with optometry. As a final step, we collaborated with Chief Optometric Editor Scot Morris, O.D., to edit the list down to about 80 questions that would be of greatest interest to our readers.

WHERE YOU’LL FIND ANSWERS

Dr. Morris then arranged the questions by topic and sent them to the appropriate OM expert. For example, Laurie Capogna, O.D., our “Nutrition” columnist (see p. 36) received the questions about diet, vitamins and nutrition. From the list of questions they received, the columnists selected the questions they would answer and provided the answers in their columns. The exception to the Q&A format is the “Sports Vision” column, which is new this year. In addition, Dr. Morris answers several questions in the feature, “The Profession’s Future,” beginning on p.22.

*Due to rounding, total does not add up to 100%

MORE ANSWERS

Admittedly, we did not have enough space to answer all the questions. However, we did find answers to many popular questions in OM’s back issues, as well as the OM “Management Tip of the Week” e-newsletter. A sampling of these are listed here.

• Can I split a patient’s single visit between medical insurance for the office visit and a vision plan for the refraction portion?

In a word, no. For the complete explanation, see “Dealing with Deductibles and Copays” from February’s issue (p. 22). The abbreviated version is this: Medicare does not allow a single visit to be billed to two entities. The question of which entity to bill is driven by the patient complaint. If the patient complains about a medical issue (burning, itchy eyes, for example) then the visit must be billed to medical insurance.

• How do you treat anterior segment disease?

Yes, this is one of the broader questions, but Josh Johnston, O.D., answers this each month in OM’s “Anterior” department (see p. 28). For those who asked about a broad approach to treating posterior segment disease, the OM “Posterior” department, authored by Sherrol A. Reynolds, O.D., (see p. 29) tackles specific details of this question each month.

• How do you increase second pair sales of glasses?

In his “Management Tip of the Week” e-newsletter, practice management expert Neil Gailmard, O.D., recommends offering a discount on additional pairs of glasses when purchased at the same time as the first pair. For the complete details, see the Nov. 6, 2013 edition of his Management Tip. A complete archive of the newsletter is available at optometric.com.

• How do you sell high-end frames?

In the April issue of OM, Dave Ziegler, O.D., will answer this question in his “Optical” column. In this month’s issue (p.47), Gina Wesley, O.D., focuses on merchandising high-end frames.

• What are the keys to frame board management?

In his March 2013 “Optical” column, Dr. Ziegler explains five steps for better management of frame boards: 1. Determine the number of frames. 2. Allocate board space for each vendor. 3. Have an adequate price distribution. 4. Mix displays. 5. Keep best sellers on the board. Frame management issues will also be discussed in next month’s “Optical” issue, including in the “By the Numbers” column by Jay Binkowtiz.

• In terms of nutrition, what does it mean when products carry labels like “organic”?

Kimberly Reed, O.D., answered this question in her “Nutrition” column from May 2012, “Understanding the Organic Label,” which is available through the OM website archives. Tips include: If a product carries the seal USDA Organic, “at least 95% of the content of that food is organic.” Those foods that boast a 100% organic label must be 100% organic, which does not include the water or salt used to process them.

The USDA Organic seal is strictly regulated.

*Due to rounding, total does not add up to 100%

• Can you provide any tips for performing refractions on young children?

Last year’s monthly series on pediatric optometry, authored by Leonard J. Press, O.D., addressed this issue in the November issue of OM. One example: When Dr. Press was faced with a shy child, he told the child she could whisper the answer to her mother and then the mother would whisper the answer to him. “That worked like a charm,” he said.

• How can I improve my practice’s online presence on Facebook?

Beginning in the August 2015 issue of OM, Justin Bazan, O.D., presented a three-part series entitled “How to Fix a Failing Facebook Page” in his “Social Media” column. For those who want an immediate answer, Dr. Bazan offers this advice: Commit to a daily post, and create your first one right now!

When it comes to financial benchmarking, what numbers really matter?

“By the Numbers,” a relatively new column by Jay Binkowitz (p. 54), explores the benchmarks critical for an optometric practice. Recent issues provided equations for capture rate (product sold divided by the number of exams or patients) and gross revenue (patient contribution plus plan reimbursements divided by the number of refractions) along with explanations of how these numbers can be used to improve the practice. OM