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.