The ideas for the articles in this issue of Optometric Management were based on responses to this year’s “Q&A” survey, where readers were asked to report their top practice concerns. We received more than 500 responses, in which readers asked questions that covered a diverse set of topics ranging from myopia management, to telemedicine, to personnel issues.

Below are some of the findings of this year’s survey.

MEDICAL EYE CARE FRONT AND CENTER

Categorizing the survey questions always poses a challenge. For example, a question about contact lens profitability could be classified as either a contact lens or a practice management question. That said, questions that included medical eye care comprised more than 50% of the survey responses. Some of the top questions are answered in articles covering dry eye disease, glaucoma and AMD. In addition, top myopia questions can be found here.

Billing and coding-related issues received the largest number of questions in any single category (more than 150 questions). To address the subject, several top billing and coding questions are answered in our coverage of dry eye disease, accounts receivable and coding.

CONTACT LENSES, PERSONNEL, TELEMEDICINE RANK HIGH

Similar to past survey results, contact lens business challenges and personnel/staffing issues ranked high among practice management questions. In this issue, we cover hiring and training staff and contact lens pricing, fees and profitability. We also provide answers related to telemedicine, which, for the first time, ranked high among survey questions.

Respondents Answer Survey Questions

 

 

About 65% of responses report practicing in single-location practices, while 35% report working in multi-location practices.

 

 

BONUS Q&A

The December digital edition of Optometric Management, available at optometricmanagement.com , includes bonus coverage with questions in the areas of diabetes on E1 (developing referral relationships), new optometrists on E3 (finding a choice employer) and legal issues on E4 (steps needed to lawfully terminate an employee).

ABOUT THE SURVEY

For the year 2020, the survey was sent to readers in three waves, based on the following categories: 1) refraction, contact lenses and spectacles lenses; 2) eye disease; and 3) practice management, which included billing and coding, accounting, personnel and telehealth, among other business issues. Respondents were invited to write-in questions for each category, for example, “What are the tools I can use to detect AMD early?” Survey responses were collected from April 10 to Sept. 30, 2020.

To help identify the questions to answer, we considered popular question(s) in each category, eliminating those in which the answers would be brand-specific or too general and, therefore, require a lengthy answer. For example, we did not attempt to answer the question, “Can you provide tips to better manage patients who have diabetes?” However, this question was addressed in the “Practicing Medical Optometry” section of July OM, which focuses exclusively on diabetes care (bit.ly/2020Oct ).

In many instances, we eliminated questions answered in recent issues of OM. A selection of these questions includes:

Q: Can you provide tips for practicing during a pandemic?

A: See the COVID-19 updates section on the website for a list of news updates and related information (bit.ly/OMcoronavirus ). Also, see “Viewpoint” for a listing of a several of OM’s most popular COVID-19-related resources.

Q: How do you evaluate image management systems?

A: See “Manage Images and Data in Practice” in August’s OM (bit.ly/OMImageManage ).

Q: How low should IOP drop in glaucoma patients?

A: See “How Low Does It Need to Go?” in July’s OM (bit.ly/OMGlaucomaIOP ) for a discussion of the science and art of lowering IOP.

Q: What technologies should I consider for monitoring the progression of common eye diseases?

A: See “Utilize Technology to Monitor Disease” in August OM (bit.ly/OMDiseaseMonitor ).

Q: Are there any tips for educating patients on dry eye disease when they are asymptomatic?

A: See “Ocular Surface Wellness” in April OM (bit.lyOMAprilDED ).

Additionally, in the coming months, we plan to address other “Q&A” survey questions in OM. We hope you find this issue both enjoyable and of value. We welcome your feedback…and your questions. OM