Practice Advantage

In this episode, we sit down with the CEO of Visibly Brent Rasmussen to discuss the future of eye care and the role remote vision testing could play, especially in private practice.

Key Takeaways:

1. 35% of individuals who take Visibly's online vision test fail the exam - resulting in a recommendation of referral to a provider. From a standpoint of private practice, this type of technology has the potential to drive more patients INTO a practice.
2. Visibly is primarily a visual acuity testing software and provides the ability to refract the patient remotely (available only in Europe currently). Both visual acuity testing and full refraction involve an eye doctor throughout.
3. There is clear patient consumer demand for the ability to do portions of their eye exam remotely. The average consumer that uses Visibly is a 27 year old female with an income of $42,000 a year that feels they may not be able to come in for an exam every year. While this is hard to swallow for most optometrists and private practice owners, this technology could provide the business an opportunity reach this demographic in a unique way. 140 million individuals skipped their annual eye exam last year.
4. For private practice, remote visual acuity testing could be leveraged as a marketing tool to connect your patients more to your practice, as part of an e-commerce strategy, and/or way to shorten the time the patient is in the practice which is tied to increased patient purchasing within the practice.

What Brent is reading:

• Leading with the Heart by Mike Krzyzewski

Practice Advantage Reading List

** Don't miss out on an extra $10 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams this year! Earn up to an additional $55,000 in 2024 just by taking great care of patients. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**

In this episode, we sit down with the founder of Digital Optometrics to discuss tele-optometry and the role of a patient-in, doctor-out model, today and as part of the future of care.

Key Takeaways:

1. Digital Optometrics was born out of both a patient demand for access, especially in rural areas/ healthcare deserts and solve the gap in provider demand.
2. DO has performed over 1.8 million remote eye exams and currently performing 2500 pre day on the system.
3. Today’s patient consumer wants convenience of care access independent of when the doctor is in the office. 9 out 10 times, patients will choose convenience over waiting to see their trusted doctor.
4. DO has a current NPS of 85/100 and is reflective of all populations that leverage the service
5. Private practices interested in leveraging tele-optometry could provide exam services outside normal business hours, choose to be the doctor to provide care or leverage DO’s doctors as desired, consider hiring doctors from out of state, expand their existing space, or open practices/ locations in other locations without having to immediately have an onsite doctor to care for patients.

What Howard is reading:

• Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Practice Advantage Reading List

** Don't miss out on an extra $10 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams this year! Earn up to an additional $55,000 in 2024 just by taking great care of patients. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**

In this episode of the Future of Eye Care series, we sit down with PECAA's Kathy Long to discuss strategies for success in implementation. The future of eye care will bring all sorts of new technologies, new services, and significant change to how we take care of patients. Implementing these changes successfully is key.

Key Takeaways:

1. Kathy's Four Steps to Implementation
   1. Identify the need for change and what needs changed
   2. Prepare everyone for the change
   3. Implement the change
   4. Track results for that change
2. Bringing your team onboard from the very beginning is critical. Clearly explain what will be changing, the why behind the change, and get their input and feedback on how to be successful. Ask their opinions up front.
3. Before pushing Go, it's important to detail out all the steps necessary to be successful with the implementation. You cannot be too detailed as it will minimize surprises that pop up and throw you off course.
4. Tracking and managing the plan after beginning execution is just as important as pulling the trigger. Make sure you set aside time for track the new change, ask your team for their feedback and what they've noticed - good or bad, and have key data points (KPIs) that will tell you whether or not you're being successful.

What Kathy is reading:

• Lifescripts: What to Say to Get What You Want Out of Life's Toughest Situations by Stephen Pollan and Mark Levine

** Don't miss out on an extra $10 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams this year! Earn up to an additional $55,000 in 2024 just by taking great care of patients. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**

In this first episode of the Future of Eye Care series, we sit down with the head of VSP's Global Innovation Center, Ruth Yomtoubian to discuss the future of eye care and how innovation happens.

Key Takeaways:

1. Innovation isn't just about disruption and the future. True innovation respects the past, understands the presents, and seeks to solve the problems of the future.
2. Two key trends Ruth is following outside of eyecare that likely will impact eye care:
   1. Hybrid care - the best of in person and virtual in a single experience (e.g. Forward Care, Carbon Health, Eden)
   2. Future of Benefits (e.g. upskilling, maternal care, leisure/ travel benefits, mental health)
3. Innovation often starts with solving a single problem for a small group that leads to noticeable impacts for larger populations. Don't overlook small opportunities to innovate and create large wins within your business.
4. Spatial computing will also impact eye care and the patient consumer's awareness of the importance of eye and vision care.
5. Innovation is truly about setting yourself up for the future. Generative AI is a technology that will dramatically impact health care and eye care. In many ways, small businesses have the opportunity to leverage these easier than larger corporations. Considerations for generative AI include data readiness and "human in the loop" operation.
6. Five innovation questions to ask yourself:
   1. Can you create value in an ambiguous environment?
   2. Do you go beyond challenging the status quo?
   3. Do you get in the trenches?
   4. Do you truly believe that ideas come from anywhere?
   5. Do you know yourself?

What Ruth is Reading:

• Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia MD
• Move Fast and Fix Things by Anne Morriss, Frances Frei

Additional Resources:

• VSP Global Innovation Center LinkedIn Page
• VSP Global Innovation Center page
• Future of Benefits report
• Future of Generative AI in Healthcare report
• Futurist Reports page
• Emerging Tech Accessibility Guide
• Hybrid Care Insights Reel
• SXSW 2024 Official Panel: Future Eye: 10 Vision Trends That Will Transform Healthcare

In this short episode, Dr. Manning introduces the Future of Eye Care Series, a new series from the Practice Advantage podcast. Over the coming weeks, we'll be exploring the demands of the patient consumer in the future, the advancements technologies and technology companies are making in healthcare and eyecare. Artificial intelligence is a huge topic of conversation in all industries.

In this series, we'll talk through how the industry is evolving and how other companies view innovation. We'll also talk through change management and how to successfully make process changes or bring in new opportunities to your practice.

We look forward to you joining us on this journey!

There's a new resource available from the Practice Advantage podcast! Download the Practice Advantage Reading List to see all the books recommended by our distinguished guests over the last 3 years.

Setting goals is critical to business success. In this episode, Dr. Manning shares goal setting tips for accomplishing the success you want this year.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start with the end in mind. Envision December 31, 2024 and look back on the year. What happened over the course of the year. Where's the practice and what success did we have along the way?
2. Set SMARTER Goals. Your goals should be:
   1. S - Specific
   2. M - Measurable
   3. A - Achievable
   4. R - Relevant
   5. T - Time-bound
   6. E - Evaluated
   7. R - Readjusted and Rewarded
3. Avoid death by goals. Setting too many goals is a distraction and prevents you from doing the most important work. We recommend setting 3-5 key goals for your growth this year.
4. Bring your team in along every step of the way. Allow them space to provide feedback and input. Encourage them to stretch and share why the goals are important. Buying in to the goals gives them motivation to accomplish them.

** Don't miss out on an extra $5 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams this year! Earn up to an additional $30,000 in 2024 just by taking great care of patients. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**

In today's episode, I sit down with Dr. Jerry Robbin to discuss the clinical and business impacts of dehydrated amniotic membranes in practice and his paradigm shifting experience with the PECAA K-DISK.

Key Takeaways:

1. For a practice to truly expand in dry eye management, a number of things are important to have:
   1. Diagnostics - Inflammatory testing, tear osmolarity, and meibography
   2. Treatment Options - ZEST or BlephX, meibomian gland treatments including thermal pulsation and IPL/LLLT, Amniotic membranes
   3. Willingness to Prescribe Medications - Meibo, Tyrvaya and others
2. Different dehydrated amniotic membranes are processed in different proprietary ways which could impact their effectiveness on the eye.
3. While amniotic membranes can certainly be used for complex, severe cases, the earlier they're used the better the outcome the patients will have. Any moderate dry eye patient having difficulty with ocular surface healing would benefit.
4. When managing patients with dry eye, always be on the lookout for patients that would benefit from an amniotic membrane and do not hesitate to educate on the option when appropriate.
5. Dr. Robben is now using K-DISK 80% of the time patients need an amniotic membrane. The bidirectional nature and ease of handling make application easier than other membranes and has seen significant improvement in patients' outcomes.
6. Dr. Robben recommends bringing the patient back for a follow up visit to place the amniotic membrane v. doing it same day in practice for both reimbursement purposes and patient expectations/ deductible considerations.

What Jerry is reading:

• The Lifestyle Investor by Justin Donald

** Don't miss out on an extra $5 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams extended through December 31, 2024. Earn up to an additional $15,000 in 2023 and up to $30,000 in 2024. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**

In today's episode, I sit down with Dr. Mila Ioussifova and Roger Kennedy to discuss the clinical and business impacts of cryopreserved amniotic membranes in practice, especially with patients with dry eye.

Key Takeaways:

1. The easiest way to bring amniotic membranes into your practice are by just doing it. Learn about application tools, patient education, billing and coding from the companies themselves and just go for it.
2. Amniotic membranes aren't just for train wrecks. Persistent ocular surface disease, reduced corneal sensitivity, and moderate dry eye are all great cases for amniotic membrane use.
3. Knowing the patient's deductible status ahead of time aids in the conversation. Dr. Mila presents amniotic membranes as one of hte only treatments that are covered/ billable to insurance and it's the only regenerative approach to corneal tissue and nerves. Knowing the deductible status prevents the patient from being surprised. The wow effect matters.
4. Don't be afraid to publicly market your dry eye and amniotic membrane treatments to patients on your website and patient communication. Have a word of mouth strategy and execute it.
5. Communicate the service and value of your products to other specialists in the area treating patients with conditions that cause dry eye.

What Mila and Roger are reading:

• Think Again by Adam Grant
• Shift Your Brilliance by Simon Bailey
• Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

** Don't miss out on an extra $5 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams extended through December 31, 2024. Earn up to an additional $15,000 in 2023 and up to $30,000 in 2024. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**

Gratitude is a critical skill for leaders managing people. Leaders that express gratitude on a regular basis have dramatic impacts on their culture, their people, and their business's performance.

Key Takeaways:

1. Gratitude and thankfulness are two separate concepts but are similar expressions of deep appreciation for a person, an action, or thing.
2. Leaders who express gratitude are more effective, efficient, and create more productive teams.
3. Studies show that 80% employees would work harder if they knew they were working for an appreciative boss.
4. Personal ways to increase gratitude:
   1. Send notes of gratitude
   2. Keep a gratitude journal or at least a list gratitude
   3. Take the time to reflect on the things you are grateful for
5. Ways to get great at gratitude:
   1. Be grateful for your people, not just their performance
   2. Customize it to your people
   3. Be specific
   4. Be authentic

References:

1. Research Reveals 3 Reasons Why Gratitude Is An Important Leadership Quality
2. How to Express More Gratitude at Work & Why Gratitude in Leadership is Important
3. Research: More Powerful People Express Less Gratitude

** Don't miss out on an extra $5 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams extended through December 31, 2024. Earn up to an additional $15,000 in 2023 and up to $30,000 in 2024. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**

In this episode, I sit down with PECAA's Marketing Member Business Advisor, Shelby Wade, to discuss the importance of launching a 'Use It or Lose It' campaign to drive more patient exams into your office.

Key Takeaways:

1. Overall, it's important to follow a yearly marketing calendar with each quarter focusing on a different type of campaign. The end of the year is great for a "Use It or Lose It" campaign.
2. Use It or Lose It is powerful because it reminds patients they have benefits to use and that they are likely to "lose out", which plays into human psychology. Preventing loss is an incredibly powerful driver of action.
3. Use your practice management platform to identify the patients who have not been in to see you. Selectively communicate with/ market to them for this campaign.
4. Use all avenues available to you for this type of campaign: website pop ups, email communications, social media, practice texting, online advertising/ Google Ads, PECAA Ads - even more traditional forms of advertising to those patients for which it works.
5. All content should have a call to action - a specific action item you want them to take after consuming your marketing materials. A great option is "There's No Better Time Than Now To Take Advantage of Your Vision Benefits. Schedule Your Appointment Online Today."

What Shelby is Listening To:

• How I Built This with Guy Raz

** Don't miss out on an extra $5 rebate for all commercial VSP Eye Exams extended through December 31, 2024. Earn up to an additional $15,000 in 2023 and up to $30,000 in 2024. Visit www.pecaaexamrebate.com now!**