Interview – Page 4 – ODwire.org

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Dr. Faive Kovalis, SmartOD.com: Striving to be the “Zappos” of your Optical [#R049]

In this ODwire.org Radio Show, we interview Dr. Faive Kovalis, the founder of SmartOD.com.

The company provides an online site for eye care professionals to directly order frames and lenses WITHOUT the need for sales rep visits or ‘boots on the ground’. This removes a great deal of cost.

Using Zappos as a model, docs can go to the SmartOD.com web site, order product that they want to evaluate, and return any product they don’t want in a pre-paid box.

We get into:

The history of SmartOD — Why it was founded
How the SmartOD business model keeps costs low and improves profit margins for docs on frames and lenses
How Dr. Kovalis and SmartOD have incorporated feedback from ODwire.org members as the company has evolved
How the “force of habit” in purchasing is preventing docs from saving money in their opticals
Updates on the latest frame lines that they now carry
How docs can get started with SmartOD.

If you have any questions for Dr. Kovalis, please post them here!

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Interview ODwire.org Radio

Managing Your Financial Profile – Tom Baker, Wells Fargo Practice Finance [#R045]

In this episode, Adam & Paul continue their conversation with Tom Baker, Business Development Manager at Wells Fargo Practice Finance.

We discuss your financial profile — which is the “snapshot” that banks use to determine your eligibility for loans, as well as the interest rates you’ll pay.

Tom gives advice on how to “tune up” your profile, how to detect (and correct) inaccuracies, and the types of entries that impact your profile the most positively and negatively.

This is a great talk, and not just for folks currently going after a loan!

Ask Tom any follow-up questions in this thread.

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Interview ODwire.org Radio Practice Management

Assembling your Professional Team – Tom Baker, Wells Fargo Practice Finance [#R044]

In this episode, Adam & Paul continue their conversation with Tom Baker, Business Development Manager at Wells Fargo Practice Finance.

When starting a new practice, you need help — and lots of it!

Professionals such as: Lenders, Attorneys, Accountants, Insurance brokers (… and more) are critical to getting your practice off the ground.

We discuss how to assemble your professional team with Tom, and give you tips for finding the right folks.

Ask Tom any follow-up questions in this thread!

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Interview ODwire.org Radio

Using the Keratograph 5M to Build your Practice – Dr. Barry Eiden [#R040]

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Barry Eiden to discuss how he’s built his dry eye practice.

We focus on a particular instrument, the Keratograph 5M, an advanced corneal topographer, and how he uses it to:

Evaluate dry eye
Track disease progression
Educate patients

He discusses tips for building your own dry eye practice, and I ask him a tough question:

Should it be the standard of care to perform a thorough meibomian gland evaluation on all dry eye patients?

(Our thanks again to long-time ODwire.org Supporter OCULUS for sponsoring this show!)

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Interview ODwire.org Radio

Blepharitis, Tea Tree Oil & Cliradex — with Dr. Walter Whitley [#R039]

Blepharitis remains a significant source of discomfort for patients, and over the years docs have tried a variety of therapeutic approaches to treating the problem.

In this ODwire.org Radio show, we talk with Walter O. Whitley, OD, Director of Optometric Services at Virginia Eye Consultants about:

The etiology of blepharitis
Current therapies
The use of tea tree oil
Tips to improve patient compliance
Dr. Whitley’s experience with Cliradex and in-office treatment with the NEW Cliradex Complete

Please share your experience with ODwire.org members in the thread below, and if you have any questions for Dr. Whitley, ask them here.

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Interview ODwire.org Radio Technology

Biologic Therapies and PROKERA with Dr. Nick Colatrella [#R038]

Biologic therapies (using substances made from living organisms to treat disease) are the latest cutting-edge tool that you can implement in your practice to improve patient outcomes.

In this ODwire.org Radio show, we sit down with Nick Colatrella, OD, FAAO to discuss:

What biologic therapies are
How he uses them in his private practice in Minnesota
How clinicians who want to get started with biologic therapies can do so & build them into their practices.

We also talk more in-depth with Dr. Colatrella about PROKERA®, a biologic corneal bandage composed of preserved amniotic membrane tissue.

Docs who want to provide leading-edge care to their patients & differentiate themselves should take a listen to this show!

Please discuss your experiences with biologic therapies in the thread below, Dr. Colatrella can answer any follow-up questions here!

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Interview ODwire.org Radio

When Equal is Not Equal: Issues with Prescribing Generic Drugs [#R037]

We’re taught in school that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name equivalents.

But is that true? Are generics actually identical, or do differences in their composition and production processes lead to different clinical outcomes?

In this important ODwire.org Radio show, experienced clinicians Drs. Mel Friedman and Agustin Gonzalez talk about their research into this issue, and what you as a clinician should know when you write for generics vs. branded pharmaceuticals.

If you engage in patient care (or regularly take pharmaceuticals yourself), this is one episode you won’t want to miss!

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Interview ODwire.org Radio Practice Management

Profiting From the Affordable Care Act & Joining an ACO [#R036]

Frequent ODwire.org contributor Dr. Richard Frankel discusses how ODs can profit from the Affordable Care Act, and the nuts-and-bolts of joining an Accountable Care Organization (ACO), which is a critical program for expanding your patient base & ensuring you won’t be left behind.

*** IMPORTANT: The deadline for clinicians joining an ACO & participating in 2015 is August 17, 2014. You need to hurry up & get the process started to avoid being left out.

Listen to the radio show for instructions on how to get started & read the discussion thread.

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Interview ODwire.org Radio

Dr. Irving Bennett — The Practice Management Legend Speaks! [#R032]

On this edition of ODwire.org Radio, we were incredibly fortunate to have an in-depth conversation with Dr. Irving Bennett.

For those who don’t know him, Dr. Bennett literally wrote the book on practice management in eye care, and is the founder of the Bennett Center for Practice Management at PCO.

With a career that spans eight decades (he started in the mid-1940’s), Dr. Bennett has seen just about everything.

Highlights of our talk include:

How he devised & founded Optometric Management
How he founded VisionExpo, the largest eyecare show in the world
His thoughts on board certification, practitioner oversupply, the opening of new schools, and where he sees the profession heading
An amusing (painful?) story of how he passed up an opportunity to be the first to import Varilux lenses to the US!

If you are at all curious about the history of eye care, you won’t want to miss this show.

And if you have any follow-up questions for Dr. Bennett (or just want to reminisce), you can post in this thread.

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Interview ODwire.org Radio Practice Management

Clinical Coordination & Collaborative Care with Dr. Richard Hom [#R031]

Dr. Richard Hom — an ODwire.org regular and the National Optometric Director at WellPoint — stops by to talk with Paul and Adam about the importance of ODs coordinating with other healthcare providers and sharing information in order to improve outcomes and efficiency.

He also talks about what he’s working on at Blue View Vision, including software initiatives that help with the two-way flow of information to and from your office & the offices of other care providers. (spoiler alert: you may already be using some of his work in your office!

Feel free to ask Richard follow-up questions in this thread.

Our thanks to Anthem/Blue View Vision for giving us the opportunity to talk to Richard about his work!

Interview – Page 4 – ODwire.org

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