The Power Hour welcomes Maureen Cavanagh on this episode.  A 24 year industry veteran, Maureen heads up this important group whose mission is to enhance and promote the leadership role of women  in the ophthalmic industry through networking and peer support.  Maureen talks about what the association brings to its members and the industry as well as their goals for 2017.

VSP's Global Board Chair Dan Mannen, O.D., F.A.A.O., and VSP Vision Care President Kate Renwick-Espinosa are our guests.

Dr. Mannen discusses his new position paper on managed vision care, which explores the value it provides patients and consumers, and why he believes the channel is so important to independent optometry. The guests also discuss VSP’s focus for 2017, how it is helping increase access to care, and take questions on other topics from callers.

Join Jerry Warner, CooperVision President, as he talks about big picture changes in optometry such as selling models, online commerce, legislative battles, private lable contact lenses and more.

If you could do five – and only five – things to build your practice, what would they be?  On this episode of the Power Hour, Gary shares his own special list of what he recommends to jumpstart your practice and ensure it stays highly efficient and profitable.

Dr. Mark Jacquot, Luxottica’s VP and Clinical Director, Vision Care Operations is the guest on this episode of the Power Hour.  Mark discusses his thoughts on the current state of corporate optometry and where he sees it fitting in the big picture of optometry’s future. 

David Friedfeld is back on the air to share his thoughts about everything from what the optical of the future will look like to how many frames should be in a typical practice.  We discuss the pros/cons of carrying ubiquitous brands vs. frames from smaller independent companies, frame markup strategies and a potpourri of other important topics.

By using new technology, more opticians are now able to offer auto-refraction to patients. Some of them are having the data signed remotely and used as an eyeglass prescription. Is this a convenience for patients and a business builder for the optician, or a public health hazard? Is this part of the future of eyecare that should be embraced or avoided?
Listen to the this episode of the Power Hour when Yaopeng Zhou, the CEO of Smart Vision Labs calls in to discuss this important topic.

Listen to Gary on this episode of the Power Hour where he shares some of his unique perspectives around delegating.  This is much more than “buy an automated X and have your tech use it.”  Learn some very compelling reasons about WHY you should be delegating, what you should delegate and how to get it done.  As with all of Gary’s shows, you’re sure to get a perspective on a previously mundane topic you hadn’t ever considered before!

In addition to conventional marketing, properly used, public relations can be a huge benefit to most practices.  Tune in to this episode when PR professional Jennifer Bodner discusses how to get a great campaign in place for your practice.

Your state law changed to say you could never see another new patient or raise your fees?

Listen to this thought provoking episode of the Power Hour with Gary leading the discussion. 

Listen to this episode of Power Hour when we take your calls to discuss specifically how using a consultant helped your practice. 

Your practice rent is one of the largest ongoing expenses your practice has.  Learn from real estate expert, Chuck Feitel, how to minimize your rent and maximize concessions from your landlord on this episode of the Power Hour. 

Dr. Cheryl Engels, Senior Consultant from the Power Practice is our guest this week.  Dr. Engels runs the “Practice Made Perfect” program at the Power Practice and discusses her list of “must do and must know” before you open or buy your next practice.  Tune in for some lively and insightful discussion on this important topic!

Most of us know George Martin as No. 75 of the New York Football Giants, the star defensive end of the 1970s and ‘80s, with 96 quarterback sacks, the touchdown record for a defensive lineman, a Super Bowl win and an incredible interception that Coach Bill Parcells called the greatest football play he has ever seen. George is an NFL legend, but he’s also so much more.
Son of a sharecropper who grew up dirt poor in the American South, through talent and determination, family and faith, George Martin became a true leader on the field and off, a man whose relentless positive energy and ability to inspire know no bounds. He has championed NFL colleagues as their union president, advocated for retired players with chronic injuries, and created a non-profit to help young people find their way to responsible adulthood through athletics and mentoring.
He joins the Power Hour along with Dr. Don Teig to talk about how OD’s can get more involved with concussion care for athletes. Tune it to this very special episode!

It’s easy to get bogged down in the regulations around security compliance, HIPAA and billing and coding requirements.  While the information is available to help you navigate the confusion, there are companies who can carry that burden for you.  Rob Marcella from CSEye talks about when it is (and isn’t) a good idea to outsource this important part of your practice, what to watch for when making the decision and other relevant topics.

Alan Homestead, OD is the guest on this informative episode.  Get the latest on preventing and surviving audits, meaningful use updates, using after hours codes, using your iPhone for anterior seg photos and a host of other important updates.  As the director of billing coding at the Power Practice, Alan is uniquely capable to share his expertise on this important topic.

It might be an old saying, but it certainly applies to any OD trying to manage their practice. Listen to this episode where Gary shares his, and his Power Practice client list of, “If I’d only known then what I know now I would have . . .”
On tap for this interesting episode are topics like starting a practice that focuses on everything except the doctor, learning practice building from anyone but an optometrist, the importance of culture, what marketing really means for an OD and lessons learned about staff management.

Dr. Edward Paul gets us up-to-date on how OD’s can integrate nutrition into their practices.  Everything from science to practice management is on tap for this episode.

Tarik Sedky from Agency Pure has done advertising for Glaxo Smith Kline, DuPont, AT&T, Home Depot and many other large corporations.  Now, he’s our guest on the Power Hour where he shares his words of wisdom and discusses how optometrists can emulate the marketing messaging of these huge companies – at a fraction of the cost. He covers the most common mistakes small businesses make in their marketing and talks about how you can improve yours.

Lukas Ruecker, president of EyeMed and Dr. John Lahr, VP of Provider Relations return to the Power Hour to take your calls.  Topics include their perspectives on the managed vision care marketplace overall, where and how they think optometry will be practiced in the future and how EyeMed is working with doctors to promote positive clinical patient care outcomes and a positive overall consumer experience. 

Architect Joost Bende is our guest this episode of the Power Hour.  With experience designing medical and optometry practices of all shapes and sizes, Joost answers questions about your own personal design challenges and answer questions about everything from color schemes to window placement.

Drs. Barry Eiden and Andrew Morgenstern join the show to get listeners up-to-date on all things keratoconus.  It’s more prevalent than you think and there’s a lot more you can do about it than just stress over patients never being really happy with their contact lenses.  We’ll also take a deep dive into cross linking and how it fits in an OD’s practice.

Drs. Tom Arnold and Nathan Schramm are fitting a lot of their patients with scleral lenses. Are you?
Find out why they’ve become so popular in their practices, and how the doctors became clinically competent and practice management savvy with these specialty lenses. Find out how you too can get on board with one of the hottest modalities in contact lens care.

Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, shares his thoughts and data about how contact lenses are viewed and prescribed outside the U.S. and what American doctors can learn from their international colleagues.

Gary walks through the most important “mid year” metrics to examine as we approach the halfway point of the year.  Are you hitting the goal you laid out back in January and are you sticking to your budget?  Scheduling, staffing and marketing are all fair game for discussion on this episode of the Power Hour!

Previously unaware of the enormous unmet demand for eye care within his San Francisco community, Robert Bell began using his influence as a long-time eye care industry executive, consultant, and speaker to inspire more eye care professionals to volunteer and to bring in more optical and optometric resources, equipment, and eyewear to the Project Homeless Connect vision program in San Francisco.  Hear about Robert’s journey and how you can do the same thing to support your own communities.

Moscot is a New York institution currently headed by Director, Dr. Harvey Moscot.  As a fourth generation owner in arguably the most competitive optical environment on the planet, Harvey shares his company’s legacy and “secret sauce” to enduring for so strongly for so long.  Take a deep dive with Harvey on the Power Hour and  hear this fascinating story about how all of his locations compete not only with Warby Parker, but with every other conceivable optical competitor on the price volume curve spectrum.

We’re honored to welcome one of optometry’s best known speakers, Dr. Paul Karpecki back to the Power Hour!  Paul gets us up-to-date on everything from anterior segment technology, disease and treatment, advances in refractive surgery and keratoconus – and just about anything else you might think of!  Take advantage of this rare opportunity to listen to a genuine optometric thought leader on this episode.

Healthcare attorney Susan Orr is back on the Power Hour.  Our topic is the recent increase in audits by Medicare and other 3rd party payors resulting in overpayments that need to be returned by the provider.  Hear how to approach these audits and what to do when you discover a billing error. Also, get up to date information on REQUIRED compliance plans that are necessary to remain a participating provider in Medicare.  We also discuss the sale of practices – stock purchase or asset purchase – the pros and cons of each.  

Dr. Vance Thompson is our special guest on this episode of the Power Hour.  Vance has been, and is currently involved in many FDA studies related to refractive surgery.  Listen to his insights about what’s hot, what’s not and what you must know about the next wave of dry eye treatments, cross linking, phakic IOL’s, presbyopia treatments and cataract surgery.  With Vance on the show, be prepared for a fascinating discussion – and the show’s FIRST discussion about refractive surgery!

Talking about everything from an anterior seg update to national and state optometric politics, Dr. Art Epstein is back on the show.  Never one to hold back an opinion on all things optometry, we welcome Art back to the show.

Industry veteran, Mike Daley, is the guest on this episode of the Power Hour. As the CEO of the Vision Council, Mike discusses this important industry organization whose mission is to grow in the vision care industry through education, advocacy, research, consumer outreach, strategic relationship building and industry forums.
Mike also talks about their role in the upcoming Vision Expo East meeting and Think About Your Eyes.

Kate Gifford, OD joins the show to talk about the parallels and differences in how optometry is practiced in Australia vs. the US.  Business topics like the competitive landscape, corporate optometry and Internet sellers will be discussed in addition to clinical practice differences.  Don't miss this interesting discussion!

Live from the Vision Source Exchange in San Antonio, TX. Listen in and join the discussion about where we’ve been, and more importantly, where we’re headed – and how you should prepare for what may lie ahead. Joining us are key industry executives from Vision Source as well as some members, old and new, to give their different perspectives.

Questions and comments for the current AOA president, Steven Loomis, OD on this episode of the Power Hour.  Listen to the discussion about what the AOA has been working on of late and an in depth conversation about the current legislative battle with 1-800-Contacts, particularly in Arizona.  Don’t miss this VERY important episode!

Chris Marentis, respected authority on internet marketing and founder of Surefire Social, an internet marketing company making major waves in optometry, is the guest on this episode of the Power Hour.  Joining Chris is Dr. Alan Glazier, a noted industry expert on digital marketing and social media.  

Dr. Thomas Aller has been using multifocal contact lenses for years – successfully!  Yes, those same lenses that many of us run from, Tom runs towards!  Find out why and how he readily embraces these lenses and how he’s integrated them into his practice on this episode of the Power Hour!

Tune in to this episode and listen as VSP’s CEO, Jim McGrann takes your calls and questions from Gary.  Topics include everything from VSP’s Premier program, VSP’s new relationship with CVS and just about anything else listeners want to call in and talk to Jim about.  Don’t miss this important and unique opportunity to hear how Jim responds to your questions answered directly from the CEO!

Listen to the show as Dr. Nick Despotidis talks about how he built one of the largest corneal reshaping practices on the planet and how it allowed him to provide a quality of practice and personal life that many of us only dream about.  Prepare to be inspired!

It’s 5:00 PM, you’ve got your coat on and are heading out the door when your office manager stops you and says, “Mrs. Abrasion is on her way over. She was in a lot of pain so I thought it was best she come right over. I’m sorry – I hope that was OK.”
Of course it’s OK because you want to take care of this patient, but in doing so, you’ll now be late for your daughter’s violin recital.
Nearly all doctors, whether they are practice owners or associates, working in private or corporate practices, struggle with work–life balance.
On this episode of the Power Hour former AOA President, current full time OD and mom, Dr. Dori Carlson joins the show. Tune in to hear about how she juggled three full time jobs when most of us stress over just one.

You already know your patients are constantly looking at their mobile devices. Is your practice showing up on those devices?
They built the industry’s #1 mobile platform that allows doctors to connect with their patients. EyeXam Founder and CEO, Dr. Nikki Iravani talks about how EyeXam came to be, and based on what she learned in creating the app, shares her insights on how doctors can benefit from being more connected to their own patients and prospective patients. We talk about everything from patient’s viewpoints of scheduling exams, checking insurance benefits and of course, finding a doctor.

Is he a comedian or an OD?  Dr. Monty Vickers’ witty insightful monthly columns having been making us laugh for more than 25 years.  Now, for the first time ever, he brings his “show” to live radio!  Listen to Monty and Gary on this episode of the Power Hour as they make light of all things optometric.

James Diecidue shares his unique viewpoints about how he thinks EHR’s SHOULD work, why some don’t work that way and his opinion on a new solution.  Tune in to hear this fresh viewpoint about a very important topic.

It’s been said that buying a house is the single biggest decision you’ll ever make . . . unless of course you’re buying a practice or starting your own.  Tune in to this episode of the Power Hour when Gary discusses his unique consultant’s view on how to stack the deck in your favor to ensure your success.

Topics include everything from choosing a name, dispelling the “location, location, location” myth, ways to save on rent and inventory, secrets to getting great staff and a list of other very important decisions you’ll need to make early on.

It could be argued that for today’s OD, an OCT is as essential to the medical part of a practice as a phoropter is to the refractive practice.  With that level of importance, we are dedicating this episode to all things OCT.  To keep things lively and informative, we’ve invited competing OCT manufacturers to discuss the importance of the technology as well as why they believe their device is best.

Digital dispensing devices are the topic of this episode of the Power Hour.  Guests include representatives from Zeiss, VSP, Shamir, Hoya and Essilor.

Barry Tannen, OD, FCOVD, FAAO is our guest on this informative episode.  Barry talks about the latest body of evidence around optometric diagnosis and treatment of concussions and TBI patients and how you can make this a part of your practice.  It’s a fascinating topic where OD’s are making significant, life changing differences for their patients!  

2016 is now only six weeks away.  Power Hour host and practice management consultant Gary Gerber, OD talks about the three things every practice should be doing NOW to ensure they get 2016 off to a profitable start and sustain growth during the course of the year.  Be ready to take notes for this show as Gary takes a deep dive into his three top planning strategies and how to ensure they get implemented and stick!

Angie Paccione, Ph.D from Verus Global is our guest on this episode of the Power Hour.  With her diverse background as an educator, professional basketball player and Colorado legislator, Angie talks about how to create a positive culture in your practice and how it leads to greater profitability.  The keynote speaker at the last Power Practice National Client meeting, Angie received a standing ovation at the conclusion of her motivating and very practical and useful talk.  Be sure to listen to this important episode, invite your staff to listen and get started on the path of becoming an inspiring leader!

Hear why doctors should join an alliance, and specifically, why they should join one of the six alliances on this episode (Block Business Group, IDOC, PECAA, PERC, PRIMA and Vision Source).

Is it just about who has the best price on a box of contact lenses, or is there more to it now? Is inclusion in a changing healthcare system a function of joining the “right” group or are they all the same? What about live meetings and camaraderie? Is that important? With six choices, which group – if any – is best for YOUR practice?

Dr. Don Teig is our guest on this episode of the Power Hour. Don discusses how he got his start in sports vision and ultimately wound up working with the NY Yankees, Knicks and training other doctors to work with their local sports teams and athletes. He also talks about his newest venture, The A Team, High Performance Vision Associates and some of their work across the country.

With so much talk about social media and online reviews, is there still a necessity for a web site for most practices?  Tune in as the experts from iMatrix talk about why a broad based web approach still matters and how to go about making sure your web site is robust and meaningful to patients and prospective patients.  Getting patients to your web site isn’t enough.  They have to stay there long enough to absorb your message! Listen to this important show for updates you can use for your own web presence.

Marc Ferrara – the CEO of information services at Jobson gets us up to date on why generational differences matter in our practices and what we should do about them
Jeremy Poincenot - 2010 World Blind Golf Champion shares his incredible inspirational life story and talks about the Vision of Children Foundation

Gary is the guest as he’s interviewed and discusses his views on where the industry is headed and what OD’s should do to prepare and succeed.  He also shares some personal history about what brought about the Power Hour in the first place, future plans for the show and how it will benefit listeners.  Finally, listen to a “consulting free for all/stump Gary session”.

You have a “no smoking in the office” policy.  Your optician only smokes during allowed break times.  When he comes back, he smells like smoke and you believe it is affecting sales in your practice.  Can you discuss this with the optician?  Can you fire them because of it?  What about an employee, who in your opinion, wears too much perfume or cologne?

You know that your millennial patient only responds to text messages.  Can you dismiss this horribly non-compliant contact lens wearer via text?

After repeated attempts at re-training, you have decided to fire your receptionist.  Just as you’re about to tell her she’s fired, she interrupts with, “I have great news.  I’m pregnant!”  Now what?

Attorney Ron Goldman, director of legal services for the Power Practice, joins this episode.  Listen as we take a deep dive into the above topics along with many others. 

Never one to hold back his oft viewed controversial opinions, Barry discusses:

Why Rx expiration dates undermine a doctor’s credibility

The 5 stages of grief & Warby Parker

The 5 things ODs should never say

An Optician's view of “outside” prescriptions

Why you should give patients a prescription for “plano” as opposed to simply saying, “You don’t need glasses."

Steve Dorfman from Driven to Excel joins the show.  Steve’s background in two diverse industries – hospitality and car sales, allows him to bring a very different point of view to orchestrating a patient’s visit in your practice.

In addition to his 9 imperatives, Steve talks about why the patient experience is the real key to practice profitability.  Gary and Steve take a deep dive into this interesting topic and talk about ways you can make it positively memorable and absolutely profitable!

Their company's vision is, “To be the premium progressive lens designer and vendor in the United States.” 

Shamir CEO, Raanan Naftalovich joins the show and discusses how they are doing that in the face of the constantly changing vision care landscape.  Raanan opines on everything from the effect of vision care plans, internet eyeglasses and refractions, decreasing emphasis on optical sales, social media and millennials on this eclectic episode.

When most doctors at this point in their careers would have already retired, Dr. Neil Draisin is forging on.  He has continually built larger and larger practices and assimilated nearly every specialty service into his still growing practice, Neil’s drive and enthusiasm to keep pushing his practice forward is contagious.  When others are complaining about the Internet and the rest of optometry’s woes, Neil is finding ways to make them work for his practice.  Proving that a long career doesn’t equate to a declining, stagnant or boring one, Neil shares his wisdom with us on this episode of the Power Hour.

Technology is shrinking and autorefractors are no exception.  But what does the reduction in size mean beyond simply saving space in your practice?  Are there other implications and is this trend likely to continue? 

Listen to our guests from Smart Vision Labs as we discuss their technology and handheld technology in general and what the implications might be for your patients and practice.

Contact lens guru, educator, writer, researcher and lecturer Patrick Caroline takes your calls on this episode of the Power Hour!  Pat talks about the reasons for the recent resurgence of GP lenses, how practitioners can get educated and benefit from current new modalities and designs and also what’s on the horizon.

Listen to the discussion about ethical practice dilemmas.  For example, a patient tells you that his last doctor charged him for $5 for a box of “free” trial lenses, another patient tells you their last doctor said she had glaucoma (and she clearly doesn’t) and that she had to be seen (and pay) every three months. 

What would you say to these patients?  Would you contact their previous doctors?  What about if you knew that another doctor in town was committing blatant insurance fraud, or your patient wants to self-refer for cataract surgery to a surgeon who you know is obviously and grossly inept with a long history of poor outcomes?

Don't miss this very special episode where the guest is YOU and YOUR personal experiences!

Newly elected AOA president, Dr. Steve Loomis, Dr. Carla Mack, from Alcon, Jon Torrey and Dave Plogmann, both from Think About Your Eyes (TAYE) join the next Power Hour.  Our guests discuss this important national public awareness campaign that is presented by the Vision Council and the AOA.  

David Friedfeld joins us on this episode to give his thoughts on industry trends.  As the president of a large frame company, he shares a different perspective on things like Internet eyeglasses, managed vision care, online refractions, social media as well as a host of other important topics affecting today’s eye care professionals.

Listen to Jim McGrann, the current president and soon to be CEO of VSP on this episode of the Power Hour.  Jim answers your questions and discusses what’s new at VSP.  Get an update on the Premier program, hear about Jim's plan and direction once he becomes CEO, his view on why the millennial market is so important to the industry, and his thoughts on how managed vision care and practitioners can cooperate to the betterment of patients.

The effects of blue light on your patients has been all over the news.  Is the science solid, and if so, what are you doing about it?  Which lens is best and how should you present it to your patients?  Is all blue light bad?  Why the emphasis on it now vs. years ago?  Get answers to these questions and more.  Joining the show will be representatives from Essilor, Zeiss, Hoya, VSP and BluTech so be sure to listen to the important episode.

Google Glass may be in the history books, but as optician John Bonizio discusses on this episode of The Power Hour, wearable eyewear technology can be a significant part of your practice.  John talks about particular products he recommends for his patients, how they are presented and aligned with conventional eyewear. 

Dr. Keith Thompson from Digital Vision Systems joins the show and talks about new technology that could very well replace your phoropter and be a genuine “game changer.”  Keith is the head of the team developing this breakthrough technology and the implications for your practice are staggering. 

Our special guest this week is YOU!  Listen as doctors call in to share their experiences in working with a consultant.  Gary gives advice on what to look for when choosing which consultant to work with and doctors with new, established and those exiting, call in to share how their consultant helped them.

The mission of the Vision Impact Institute is to raise awareness about the importance of healthy vision, including the socio-economic impact of Uncorrected Refractive Errors and quality of life benefits of visual correction.

Their president, Maureen Cavanagh is the guest on our next episode.  She’ll discuss how they aim to be the voice of vision by gathering and communicating pertinent information to all stakeholders, including government policy makers, optical industry associates and the general public, to mobilize a world-wide movement on visual impairment advocacy.

Dr. Alan Homestead, director of billing and coding for the Power Practice joins this episode of the Power Hour.  Alan separates fact from fiction regarding what you should do to prepare for ICD 10.  He also discusses some of the most common billing and coding myths. Being prepared for ICD and using proper billing and coding procedures can significantly alter your practice’s financial destiny. Making mistakes can literally put you out of business!  

In home vision testing by "Visioneers" is here.  Listen to David Schafran, the founder of www.goblink.co and Drs. Neil Schafran and Adam Deutscher as they discuss their new technology delivery system for what they refer to as "vision testing."

They discuss the differences between their test and a comprehensive eye examination, talk about the logistics of how and when their Blink optometrists sign off on the test and write an eyeglass prescription and how their technology benefits patients.

Listen in as we broadcast LIVE from the Vision Source Exchange in Phoenix, Arizona.  Joining the show are Vision Source Execs who share their thoughts about where the industry is headed and why joining a doctor alliance is so critical.  They also talk about what's new at Vision Source.

Are Independent Practice Associations (IPA's) the answer to managed care woes?  Dr. Joseph Ross, president of the NY IPA discusses how IPA's work, his opinion on their advantages compared to current managed care plans, how you can research if there is already one in your state, and if not, how to set one up.

World famous optometrist, Professor Brien Holden offers up great insight on the myopia epidemic.  He discusses probable causes and the best current solutions as well as some solutions that are on the way.  He also makes a case why astute OD's will become myopia managers instead of just myopia correctors. It's a fascinating discussion from the worlds' leading OD!

Are dentists smarter than optometrists? 

Well known and highly respected optometrist, Dr. Art Epstein, answers with a resounding "Yes!" 

Listen to Art discuss why he thinks this way, how optometrists can benefit from practicing like dentists and how he has similarly configured his own practice to model a dental practice.  Always outspoken and on point, Art offers great practical advice to our listeners.

Sjogren's syndrome is often either missed or misdiagnosed yet as many as 4 million Americans live with the disease.  Steve Cohen, OD, is the only optometrist on the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation board of directors and he's our special guest on this episode.

He discusses how to diagnose and help treat the ocular manifestations of Sjogren's and how to communicate with the medical community about your place in the patient's care.

Jeff Anshel, OD and nutrition expert joins the show.  Jeff talks about how to interpret conflicting studies and what's hot and what's not in the world of ocular nutrition.

LIVE FROM VISION EXPO EAST, PART 2!

Listen to Dave Ziegler, OD, talk about how he's used technology to raise the customer service bar in his optical, Marc Ferrara from Jobson gives highlights of the recent Jobson Summit and the "Internet of Things," Eric Leonard, the president of Essilor talks about the next big thing in eyeglasses (and it's not what you think!), and Matt Geller, OD returns to talk about a new web site for hiring staff.

LIVE FROM VISION EXPO EAST, Part 1 . . . Guests include Mark Dunbar, OD, talking about some of the great classes and new programs at Expo, Ben Stewart from Bank of America discusses the current financing climate, Dean Butler, the founder of LensCrafters prognosticates on the future of the industry and Casey Hedberg from Glimpse discusses why there's been a recent high interest level in data analytics. 

Contact lens guru, Dr. Joseph Barr joins the show!  Joe shares his views on what he sees as the biggest opportunities and challenges for contact lenses and those doctors wanting to grow their contact lens practices.  As an educator, he also gives his views on the current state of OD education.  Listen to this episode for some candid discussion and great insight.

LIVE FROM SECO!!  Special guests include Drs. Walt Mayo, Al Kabat, Mile Brujic and Michael Chaglasian.  We discuss everything from $109 tablet computers to ocular side effects of oral medications.  Listen to this fun and eclectic episode!

AOA President, David Cockrell, OD joins the show!  We talk about the 1-800 Contacts legislation that is trying to elminate UPP and make it illegal for doctors to sell contact lenses to their own patients (Yes, you read that correctly!).  We also discuss the AOA's position on, "Are there too many doctors?," online refractions and many other important topics.

An employee calls you up and says they were hurt on vacation while bungee jumping and can't work for 6 weeks.  Are they "disabled?"  Can having something as simple as a job description help you in an ADA lawsuit?  Is it best to not ask prospective employees about their health, even if you feel they may not be able to perform a specific task in your practice because of poor health?  Elizabeth Harlan is an ADA Attorney.  She answers these and other questions and gives very useful information to keep in mind when dealing with your current and future staff. 

What can optometry learn from a leading retailer like Brooks Brothers?  Quite a lot as you'll hear on this episode.  Brooks Brothers president, Andrea Dorigo discusses everything from merchandising to social media.  Hear very interesting information that you should listen to with your optical staff!

Can very small amounts of prism (on the order of 1/2 diopter) really make a big difference for your patients?  Drs. Debby Feinberg and Mark Rosner share cases and techniques about patients with everything from irretractable headaches to vertigo and discuss how their system of very meticulous prescribing of prism has helped their patients - about 7,500 of them!

Meaningful use audits are on the rise.  How should you prepare and respond in the event you are one of the "lucky" doctors to be audited? 

The percentage of doctors who lose their audits is alarmingly high, so listen to this show and protect your MU payment!  Susan Orr, a healthcare attorney joins the show to discuss this important topic.

Are you putting your patients at risk when you prescribe generic drugs?  Have those drugs gone through the same approval process and clinical trials as branded drugs?

Drs. Agustin Gonzalez and Mel Friedman join the show to discuss this very important topic

The President of Luxottica Wholesale (frames), Holly Rush, joins the show.  Holly shares great perspective on the importance of brands and optimizing the patient’s experience in your practice.  Luxottica sells one RayBan per SECOND.  Holly talks about how you can make your practice the “RayBan” in your community!  Great information!

A two part episode!  First, Gary talks about a way to ensure 2015 is successful. Then, Drs. Justin Bazan and Alan Glazier debate whether Facebook is still relevant as part of your marketing plan.  Listen to this VERY lively and entertaining discussion.

EyeMed President Lukas Rueker and his leadership team are on the show and they take questions from listeners. 

We talk about the lab model, low exam reimbursements, why they mandate certain business practices for providers, Internet dispensing and many other important topics.  Listen as colleagues call in with their thoughts and comments!

If you'd like to contact EyeMed about the show, visit:  http://discovereyemed.com/viewpoint/  or, send an email to dialogue@eyemed.com

Glaucoma guru, Dr. Murray Fingeret is our special guest.  We discuss cutting edge diagnostic tools and treatment strategies.  Is the OCT the standard of care?  What happened to visual fields - still important?  With all this new information, exactly WHEN should you start treating glaucoma?  Listen to this important information you won't find elsewhere!

Are there too many optometrists and too many schools?  Dr. Jennifer Coyle, the president of ASCO, joins the show to discuss the findings of the AOA Workforce Study.  Listen to the discussion about the study and what it means for your practice.  We discuss everything from the effect of gender to new technology on the future of our profession!