OPTOMETRY ARTICLES

The goal of The Practice Solution Magazine is to provide practice owners with practice management information that will assist them in achieving success.

How You Can Monitor Productivity

Knowing how to monitor and measure productivity objectively is the underlying secret of success for any practice or business. No doctor would decide on a treatment plan without properly…

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Office Manager Purpose

The Office Manager is a key staff member in any private practice. A well-trained, positive and experienced Office Manager is worth his or her weight in gold…

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Putting New Employees on the Job

Practice owners bring on new employees for a variety of reasons. Often, when practices are undergoing expansion of production and income, they require increased staffing…

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Did you hire the wrong person?

A recent survey conducted with practice owners across the US revealed that the number-one management problem they have is personnel issues. Among the issues mentioned by hundreds of owners surveyed were…

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The Responsibilities of Managers and Staff

Dealing with staff can often be a confusing and complex subject.  Certainly if a staff member was overtly unwilling, refusing to do what was expected, gossiping, constantly complaining and so on, this is a staff member you wouldn’t tolerate. On the other hand…

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Screening Applicants

Screening Applicants

Finding a new employee is a very time consuming process. To consolidate efforts and streamline the initial stage of the interview and selection process, have all of the applicants who meet the basic criteria…

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Resolving Negativity in Your Office

Since dealing with staff bickering and personality conflicts can be a major source of stress in an office, knowing how to deal with it can be extremely useful. When you let employee situations linger too long…

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How to Handle Confrontation With Your Staff

A very common confession I hear when I analyze practices is that the executive isn’t good with confrontation and thus lets things slide when they shouldn’t.  I want to address this issue for a number of reasons:

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Presenting Treatment Plans – the Do’s and Don’ts

Proper treatment-plan presentation can boom your practice, give your patients the best quality of care and can give you the ability to demonstrate how much you care for your patients. It can also generate more referrals from happy patients and help the practice to grow to its fullest.

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Discussing Payment: How to be Both Polite and Effective

Discussing Payment: How to be Both Polite and Effective

You should always assume that a patient/client can afford the recommended treatment when discussing payment with him. Don’t be shy, embarrassed or apologetic about the cost of your services. This can give the appearance that the treatment isn’t worth the fee being charged…

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Leadership Attributes and Management Qualities

Leadership Attributes and Management Qualities

As a practice owner, you should be asking yourself the following questions objectively:

Am I a good leader?
Do I run from conflict?
Am I able to motivate my staff?
Is my office harmonious or is it filled with conflict?
Does my staff “own” their jobs, or do they just punch in and out?
Do I ever feel that my staff is “holding me hostage”?
Am I running my practice? …or is my practice running me?

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What Are the Four Components of Great Service?

What Are the Four Components of Great Service?

There are Four Components of Great Service. Great service to your patients/clients is one of the most important factors required to build a successful and thriving practice. Under the heading of great service, you will find the following key components…

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A Functioning Office Manager

A Functioning Office Manager

The primary function of the office manager is to accomplish the goals and purposes of the practice as determined by the owner of the practice. The OM should assist the owner in developing policies that forward the purpose of the business as a whole…

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How to Structure a Bonus Plan in a Private Practice

It is very wise to have a bonus plan for staff in operation in your office. If you reward staff for increasing their production and the production of the practice, they will naturally want to continue to do that, and the whole staff will tend to operate much more as a team.

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Providing a Firm Foundation Through Written Office Policy

Providing a Firm Foundation Through Written Office Policy

In order to function most effectively as a team, agreements must be known and adhered to for smooth, efficient coordination and cooperation. This is also known as “policy.” As long as people know what the rules of the activity are, and those guidelines are…

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12 Steps to Collect Past Due Accounts

Collecting on past due accounts is a function that the Accounts Manager will find herself/himself having to do. Any contact with a patient/client, even under these circumstances, should be…

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The 6 Recovery Strategies for Dealing With the Pandemic

COVID-19 has changed the healthcare profession forever, with practice owners feeling exposed to threats within and outside the clinic. The good news is that, with the right strategies, you can fly past competitors whose slow response time is crippling their ability to deal with issues as they arise.

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Covid-19 and it’s economic impact on private practices

Covid-19 and it’s economic impact on private practices

Hello, This is Ken DeRouchie, the editor of The Practice Solution Magazine. On March 11th, I decided that The Practice Solution Magazine needed to shift its focus to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is effecting private practice. This is still an ongoing research...

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Dealing with a Problem Employee

Dealing with a Problem Employee

I received an email from a doctor having a staff problem. I replied to her and thought this might benefit some other people out there. Please see our discussion below: Hi Ken, As an employer, how can you tell your employee to stop his/her: gum smacking, not to laugh...

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How Do You Hold Employees Accountable For Their Positions?

How Do You Hold Employees Accountable For Their Positions?

Surveys show that workers are happiest when they are productive and are contributing to the success of the group in which they work. To boost morale, efficiency and longevity of workers, one must: understand the importance of one’s production, know exactly what one is...

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Generating New Patients by Using Surveys

Generating New Patients by Using Surveys

How do you market for new patients in a cost efficient and effective manner? Starting with internal marketing is always the best approach­, as it produces the most cost effective return, which is of utmost importance in managing a practice. Surveys are one method of...

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Optimize Your Marketing

Optimize Your Marketing

In today’s economic climate a great deal can be said for the benefits of marketing effectively. There are many mediums for marketing a practice – referrals from existing patients/clients are normally the best and most cost effective means of getting new...

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How Healthcare Marketing Has Changed During COVID

Marketing and Promotion Ideas for Your Practice

In my nearly 23 years of delivering practice management training and consulting, I’ve found that of all of the marketing techniques available, properly asking for referrals is easily one of the most useful marketing and promotional ideas for your practice. There are...

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Proper Case Presentation and Better Case Acceptance

Proper Case Presentation and Better Case Acceptance

We have found that doctors can lose thousands of dollars per month because they are unaware of some of the principles associated with proper case presentation and case acceptance. In addition, sometimes the best treatment planning and case presentation doesn’t result...

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Recruiting New Employees

Recruiting New Employees

Who, what, when, where and how: It is a 100% certainty that with any practice you will need new employees at some point in time, either to replace employees who leave or to help the practice grow. Where do you find the type of people you want to work with, people that...

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The Key to Effective Marketing: Surveys

The Key to Effective Marketing: Surveys

Surveys can save you time and wasted effort. By properly utilizing surveys, you will not be shooting in the dark when you implement a new idea. You will not be left wondering why people are not coming back to your practice. You will know what your public needs and...

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Public Relations and Social Responsibility

Public Relations and Social Responsibility

This article concerns the benefits of getting out of the office and getting actively involved in your community. Whether it’s sponsoring your local little league team, encouraging your area’s children’s museum to do an eye screening or “Celebration of Smiles”...

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Get Your Promotion Organized: A Promotion and Marketing Calendar – Part 1

How to Set Reminders for Continual Services (Recall)

Whether you are using an automatic reminder system, or it is someone's job function to send out reminders; or a combination of both. The below information will be highly beneficial to increase your appointments scheduled, reactivating clients/patients and having them...

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How The Practice Solution Works

Here is a video that we have put together explaining how The Practice Solution works and how wego about compiling practice management articles and resources for our readers.As you can see, everything that we do depends on the help and cooperation of practice owners...

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Termination Series:A Constructive Face-to-Face Termination

Termination Series:

A Constructive Face-to-Face Termination

This article is a continuation of our termination series. To view the previous article, click here. This series will go over how a termination decision should be made, how the organization handles problems before making a termination and how to convey the news for a...

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Termination Series:Guidelines to Follow When Terminating

Termination Series:

Guidelines to Follow When Terminating

This article is a continuation of our termination series. To view the previous article, click here. This series will go over how a termination decision should be made, how the organization handles problems before making a termination and how to convey the news for a...

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Two Steps You Must Do Prior to a Successful Marketing Campaign

Marketing: Why are Surveys Important to Your Practice?

Are you as confident in your ability to get a steady flow of new patients into your practice as you are in your ability to provide high quality technical care? You should know that successful marketing has a technology that, when applied correctly, will get results...

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How to take ownership of your Google+ and Yelp pages

How to take ownership of your Google+ and Yelp pages Over the past few months we’ve done several articles about consumer reviews and their importance. A question I often get asked has to do with claiming one’s business page in Google+ and Yelp. Many practice owners...

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The Truth About Referral Marketing

The Truth About Referral Marketing In my nearly 23 years of delivering practice management training and consulting, I’ve found that of all of the marketing techniques available, properly asking for referrals is easily the most useful. There are several reasons for...

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Getting Your Staff on the Same Page

Getting Your Staff on the Same Page

  This article is a continuation of Critical Practice Foundations. If you haven’t done so yet, we recommend reading the first article to get a better context. The Staff Meeting One very important activity you, as the owner, should implement is a...

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Critical Practice Foundations

Most doctors, when starting their practices, miss some of the basic actions that should be established prior to opening. An owner of a healthcare practice should always, as a first step, work out the following basics:

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Real Office Policy Examples and Checklist

Below is a list of items that should be included in any basic office policy or policies: Patient Relations Sexual Harassment Orientation and Training Work Hours Fringe Benefits Solicitation Equal Opportunity Statement Terms of At-Will Employment...

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Forming Office Policy

All doctors are extremely well trained in their profession. Unfortunately, very few doctors are trained in business or employee handbook policy creation and their appropriate implementation.

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Internal and External Marketing

Internal and External Marketing

There are two areas in a practice that are targeted when marketing your practice. The first is internal; the second is external. “Internal” deals with dissemination and promotion within your practice and to already-established patients. It includes things such as:

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Guest column: Coping With Conflict – Part Two

A Layperson’s guide to resolving conflict in the office By Daniel A. Bobrow, MBA President, American Dental Company Part two in a series of two articles In last issue’s article, we discussed models and tenets used to resolve conflict. In this part, I’ll go over the...

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When the Doctor is Away

How you keep the office running If you as the doctor/owner are planning to be away from the office – even for a day or two – the staff has some free time, too. The doctor/owner or office manager can make lists of things that need to be done. Make sure that if your...

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Optometry Awards Contact Lenses With Seal of Acceptance

World Council of Optometry Awards UV Absorbing Contact Lenses With Global Seal of Acceptance The World Council of Optometry’s (WCO) Global Seal of Acceptance for Ultraviolet Absorbing Contact Lenses was awarded to Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. The...

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An Eye Disease or Systemic Disorder?

Hearing Loss Study Adds to the Evidence Shahin Yazdani, MD, and his research team evaluated whether patients with ocular pseudoexfoliation syndrome—the most common cause worldwide of the form of glaucoma known as “secondary open angle”—had a higher incidence of...

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The Benefits of Regular Practice Newsletters

Marketing is a vital part of the management of any business, whether a health care practice or any business in general. Implementing successful marketing actions that help increase the number of new patients/clients as well as help facilitate the retention of existing...

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Bioluminescence Imaging Used for Eye Cancer Detection

Newswise —At the moment, doctors rely on biopsy analysis to determine the progression of eye cancer. However, researchers now believe that a new technology, bioluminescence imaging (BLI), will allow doctors to detect tumors earlier and quickly choose a method of...

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“Lazy Eye” Treatment Shows Promise in Adults

Newswise – New evidence from a laboratory study and a pilot clinical trial confirms the promise of a simple treatment for amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” according to researchers from the U.S. and China. The treatment was effective on 20-year-old subjects. Amblyopia was...

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Tears Reveal Secrets

Tears Reveal Some of Their Deepest Secrets to Researchers Newswise – It’s no secret why we shed tears. But exactly what our tears are made of has remained a mystery to scientists. A new study sheds some light on the complex design of tears. What we think of as tears,...

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The Lessons I’ve Learned by Lee Shuwarger, O.D.

The Lessons I’ve Learned “The Lessons I’ve Learned in My Journey to Become a Professional Practice Owner” Part One: “What I Did Wrong” by Lee Shuwarger, O.D. Right off the bat, I can guess what you are thinking – why would anybody write about everything they did...

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Search Engine Marketing for Practices

(Article 2 of 4 Part Series) By Lisa Thayer, GoldfishNetwork.com “Spiders and crawlers and bots…oh my!” – Two views of the same website One of the most challenging aspects of optimizing a website is that there are two audiences to appeal to: 1) standard website users...

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Congress Moves Children’s Vision Bill Forward

Legislation an Important Step Toward Addressing the Uninsured For the first time, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation supported by the American Academy of Ophthalmology to combat undiagnosed and untreated vision problems in children. In a move...

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‘Twinkle after effect’ can help retinal patients

detect vision loss quickly and cheaply Scientists hope to make it available online Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have discovered a simple and inexpensive way for patients with retinal and other eye disease to keep track of changes in their vision loss....

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THE GOVERNMENT HELPS OUT ON NEW EQUIPMENT PURCHASES

Taking Advantage of the IRS Section 179 Write-Off Written by Brad Beck, Vice President Bank of America Practice Solutions What did you think the chances were that a banker would not start anything that is printed on paper without a disclaimer? Well if you took the...

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Extending Credit

Tips to Control Your Accounts Receivable Following are some guidelines to assist you in determining to whom you wish to extend credit and how to go about collecting on those accounts. * Assess the patient/client’s credit worthiness before extending any sort of credit....

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Employers Pay High Price for Vision Disorders

Uncorrected Vision Problems Contribute to Decreased Employee Performance Vision disorders carry a hefty price tag for employers and result in a marked decrease in productivity costing businesses an estimated $8 billion annually, according to a new report released by...

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Seatbelts Reduce Eye Injury Risk in Auto Accidents

Although airbags in automobiles have helped reduce overall injuries and fatalities by 32 percent since they were introduced in the 1970s, airbag deployment sometimes causes eye injuries, with an estimated incidence of 5 percent. A 2007 study led by Sunil K. Rao, MD,...

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Are Cataract Rates Declining?

The population-based Beaver Dam Eye Study was designed by Barbara E. K. Klein, MD, MPH, and colleagues to determine through long-term observation whether there were differences among age cohorts regarding rates of cataract prevalence and surgery, as well as type of...

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“Fluorescent” Cells Give Early Warning for Eye Disease

Scientists at the University of Michigan have shown that their new metabolic imaging instrument can accurately detect eye disease at a very early stage. Such a device would be vision-saving because many severe eye diseases do not exhibit early warning signals before...

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Optometrists Committed to Ensuring No Child is Left Behind

32 Percent of Vision Conditions in Preschoolers Missed As nearly one-third of America’s preschoolers fall through the cracks of vision screenings, the American Optometric Association (AOA) says that change is essential. Calling for a policy of “zero tolerance,” the...

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New Law Requiring Eye Exams for Missouri Children

Optometry Backs New Law Requiring Eye Exams for Missouri Children With the support of the Missouri Optometric Association, Gov. Matt Blunt today signed Senate Bill 16 into law, requiring comprehensive eye examinations for children entering kindergarten or first grade...

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Screening Prospective Patients for Laser Eye Surgery

LASIK Expert Dr. James Salz Provides Strategies in the Review of Ophthalmology For Doctors to Better Screen Prospective Patients for Laser Eye Surgery Dr. James Salz was a featured contributor among several doctors featured in an article entitled “Screening for LASIK:...

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Optometry Backs New Bill Before Congress

Optometry Backs New Bill Before Congress to Make Children’s Vision a Top Federal Priority Senator Christopher Bond Uses Personal Experience and Guidance From AOA to Develop Legislation to Boost State Learning Initiatives Congress will have the opportunity to consider...

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Survey: America’s Eye Care Knowledge

Survey Says Adults Not Making the Grade When it Comes to Eye Care Knowledge Nearly One-Third of America’s Children Have Never Been to the Eye Doctor As millions of students nationwide head back to school, the American Optometric Association’s first American Eye-Q...

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Sight Could Be Restored In Those With Macular Degeneration

A research center newly created by the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) aims to put light-sensitive switches in the body’s cells that can be flipped on and off as easily as a remote control operates a TV. Optical...

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AOA Backs Contact Lens Patient Safety Bill

Federal Measure Would Protect Consumers The American Optometric Association(AOA) announced its support for legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives designed to safeguard consumers from deficient or illegal contact lens prescription verification practices used...

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Guest column: Coping With Conflict

A Layperson’s guide to resolving conflict in the office By Daniel A. Bobrow, MBA President, American Dental Company Part one in a series of two articles Conflict is inevitable. As long as people possess the capacity for independent thought, there will be differences...

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Profile: Dr. Steve Schoemer, OD

A Major Practice Management Success Story Practice: Vision Concepts Location: Springfield, TN Dr. Steve Schoemer, an optometrist twenty miles outside of Nashville, Tennessee, had a cash flow problem. Although his practice was growing 10-20 percent every year, his...

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Who Does What:

Confusion About Eye Care Providers, Training, M.D. Status Survey Highlights Need for Education; Consumer Group Offers Tips, White Paper A survey commissioned by the National Consumers League finds that when it comes to eye care, many consumers – in Oklahoma and across...

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Boom in Baby Boomer Eye Disease Anticipated

Boom in Baby Boomer Eye Disease Anticipated

Optometrists Anticipate ‘Boom’ in Eye Diseases as Baby Boomers Turn 60 – Save Your Vision Month Promotes Regular Eye Exams In a year where an estimated 2.8 million baby boomers will celebrate their 60th birthday, age-related eye diseases are becoming increasingly...

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Eye Fungus Reports Increase as Cases Emerge in United States

Eye Fungus Reports Increase as Cases Emerge in United States

American Optometric Association Urges Americans to Take Proper Contact Lens Precautions to Protect Against ‘Fusarium Keratitis’ Doctors of optometry from the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) Contact Lens and Cornea Section urged contact lens wearers to take...

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PROFILE: DIRK BEYER, OD

PRACTICE: BIG SKY EYE CARE LOCATION: HAMILTON, MONTANA How a Doctor Made his Wife Happy Dr. Dirk Beyer, an optometrist based in Hamilton, Montana had no idea how much he didn’t know when he came out of optometry school. “I had no idea how to run a practice,” said Dr....

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ADEA & AADR Launch Innovative Faculty Recruitment Program

American Dental Education Association, American Association of Dental Research Launch Innovative Faculty Recruitment Program With the dental school faculty shortage expected to grow in the future, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and the American...

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Laser Eye Surgery and Baseball

Laser Eye Surgery Does Not Improve Major League Baseball Performance University Researchers Find No Improvement in Offensive Performance There has been great public interest in laser refractive eye surgery (e.g. LASIK) with many prominent sports figures advocating its...

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Americans Eye Yellow Pages When Searching for Optometrists

Americans Eye Yellow Pages When Searching for Optometrists ”Optometrist” Yellow Pages Heading Referenced 47 Million Times Per Year Whether seeking vision therapy, eyewear, contact lenses or a comprehensive eye exam, more than 13 million Americans look for optometrists...

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Getting New Patients: A Practice Management Mantra

Doctors all over the country and the world are still trying to figure out, “How can I get more new patients?” The quest for new patients or customers is not indigenous to the medical professions. Every business is looking to find more people to buy their wares or sell...

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New NIH Cataract Study

New NIH Cataract Study

NEW NIH STUDY LINKS LEAD EXPOSURE WITH INCREASED RISK OF CATARACT Results from a new study show that lifetime lead exposure may increase the risk of developing cataracts. Researchers found that men with high levels of lead in the tibia, the larger of the two leg bones...

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Survey of Optometrists

Survey of Optometrists

SURVEY OF OPTOMETRISTS SHOWS FINANCES AND STAFF AS MAJOR PROBLEMS AFFECTING GROWTH In the second in a series of articles addressing surveys The Practice Solution Magazine has conducted on the optometry, veterinary and dentistry professions, we are releasing the...

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The rHuPH20 Enzyme

WASHINGTON /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. a development stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant human enzymes, announced that results from new preclinical studies with Halozyme’s recombinant...

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Treatment For Childhood’s Most Common Eye Disorder

Surprising results from a nationwide clinical trial show that many children age 7 through 17 with amblyopia (lazy eye) may benefit from treatments that are more commonly used on younger children. Treatment improved the vision of many of the 507 older children with...

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PROFILE: Dr. Tommasina Pasqua

Fresh Out of School Michigan Optometrist goes from $84,000 to $425,000 in 3 years! PROFILE: Dr. Tommasina Pasqua Practice: Harrisville Eye Care Location: Harrisville, Michigan A 1998 Dean’s List graduate of the Michigan School of Optometry at Ferris State University,...

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