5 Key Lessons Taught By COVID

Finance|Wealth, Human Resources, Practice, Resources

The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic has caused changes in mindset, attitude, direction, and behaviour for practice owners. It changed for employees too. One year later, we can all agree that important lessons have been learned – not always by choice but by necessity.

Lesson #1: Learning to be agile.
We all had to respond quickly to changing events. Sometimes with only a couple of days notice. This made us realize how
important it is to be comfortable with change and willing to shift gears when necessary. A sub lesson in learning to be agile was also recognizing the gaps in the way things were being done. Because we had to change, perhaps some of these changes had positive outcomes.

Lesson #2: Appreciating technology more.
So many of us have had to change the way we do business. The face-to-face meetings, attending events/conventions and how
patients needed to be looked after are just some of the many examples. Corona emphasized the importance of technology. Think of all the virtual learning opportunities we have had to embrace or tele-medicine that became a necessary and by default option. I for one was forced to embrace webinars and Zoom calls. Prior to the pandemic, these were never an option for me because I was not comfortable. Simple applications like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram have enabled me to meet new people and stay connected to those I already knew. I must admit, until the pandemic, I never appreciated the value of these tools.

Lesson #3: Being more empathetic.
In these trying times, clear communication with all stakeholders of your practice—staff, partners, advisors, and patients are
critical. There is no doubt that the stress of the pandemic on owners is massive. The key towards sustaining your business
in this situation is being transparent with your stakeholders and prioritising their needs. Apart from supporting your staff and
understanding the situation, you must support your workforce by encouraging them to learn and give them opportunities to join Zoom training and courses.

Lesson #4: The essential nature of social interaction.
While digital collaboration tools have become critical to remote work and will remain post-pandemic, the new way of work also emphasized the need for social interaction for humans. Suddenly a trip to your office during a lockdown may possibly be a real treat or outing. People miss human contact with those outside of their homes. Never underestimate the positive effect you have on the people who walk through your doors. For the staff, as stressed as people may be, the ability to laugh or participate in banter can mean so much. For example, when I was at my office a few weeks ago, four of us, while social distancing, had the most frivolous conversation that left us simply laughing. It was such a wonderful feeling, one that has been missed from our daily lives.

Lesson 5: Keeping a cash buffer.
The period from mid-March 2020 to mid-June 2020, taught all of us the importance of fiscal responsibility. Certainly, our credit cards took a beating as evidenced from the multitude of Amazon packages, however, for owners of practices as well as the associates, these were very scary times. Even with the various government programs, the major lesson learned by all was that we must have something in reserve. It is why banks are being tough on purchasers today because they must be confident that this person could withstand another lockdown if it ever happened. The good thing we have seen is that healthcare is recession resilient and now pandemic resilient. The pandemic has taught us the importance of having a cash buffer. Hopefully, it has also taught many of us to be grateful for what we have. So many have fallen on economic hardship and forced with extremely difficult decisions.

The pandemic has been an unforeseen situation for the whole world. It has brought about crisis and problems we never experienced before and has exposed us to many unknown vulnerabilities. This has been a period for all business owners to take a closer look at how their practice was run pre-pandemic versus now. However, along with the many challenges we faced due to the pandemic, it has also given us an opportunity to align, adapt and amend businesses as well as reinforce the strategies to make the most of the ongoing situation. Clearly, it has also taught all of us lessons that shall be both applicable and beneficial in the long run. A wise man told me that we do not need to embrace the reason for the change, but we must embrace change!

JACKIE JOACHIM

Jackie has 30 years of experience in the industry as a former banker and now the Chief Operating Officer of ROI Corporation. Please contact her at Jackie.joachim@roicorp.com or 1-844-764-2020.

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Be a Lifelong Learner!

NextGenOD, Perspectives

By Jaclyn Chang, OD

Continuing Education is a requirement of maintaining membership with your College, but it also gives you the opportunity to learn on your own time and expand your knowledge in areas that you are particularly interested in learning more about.

Consider the Source.
Many commercial organizations provide sponsorship in the form of an unrestricted educational grant to the education provider. Commercial grants usually allow the education provider to make the course content available without charge.

Non-granted CE does not entail commercial sponsorship or provide any grant towards the development of the CE. A typical charge of $15 – $25 USD per accredit hour is normal.

CRO (Clinical & Refractive Optometry) Online CE, derived from the CRO peer-reviewed Journal is a good example of a resource that provides CE without commercial grants.

COPE has Strict Rules.
Course instructors are required to declare their involvement, if any, with commercial entities at the outset of a course.

The course content, however, is supposed to be absent of any commercial influence in the development, promotion and delivery of the content.

Below are some resources to help you out – visit the websites for more details and the most up-to-date information.

Non-granted Continuing Education.
Clinical & Refractive Optometry (CRO) offers paid CE hours, with some free hours available. Access to course content and preview of the test is free. Course authors almost exclusively come from challenging clinical settings such as optometry school clinics and US Veteran’s Affairs clinics. Courses are present in text format and can be taken at any time.

CRO is also on the approved list of Journals for AAO Fellowship application. Fellowship applicants can earn 10 points by having a paper accepted and published in CRO.

Optocase offers paid CE hours, with some free hours available: https://optocase.com/

CE Wire, a virtual CE conference, is a commonly used resource to obtain many CE hours at an affordable price. They offer 64 CE hours and 4 live events: https://www.cewire2021.com/

The Academy of Ophthalmic Education, offers paid CE hours with some free hours available: https://www.aoece.com/education

Many optometry schools offer continuing education, including the University of Waterloo:
https://uwaterloo.ca/optometry-vision-science/continuing-education

For continuing education from SECO, including paid CE and occasional free courses, visit:
https://secouniversity.com/cope-individual-courses-full-listing/

Eye Code Education offers paid CE hours: https://www.eyecodeeducation.com/collections?category=continuing-education

Granted Continuing Education

Review of Optometry: https://www.revieweducationgroup.com/

MedEdicus: https://www.pathlms.com/mededicus

Review of Myopia Management: https://reviewofmm.com/category/continuing-education/

CL Spectrum: https://www.clspectrum.com/continuing-education-center

EyeSchool.ca: http://www.eyeschool.ca/

Evolve Medical Education offers free CE for a number of specialties, including optometry: https://evolvemeded.com/

Healio offers free CE for a number of specialties, including optometry: https://cme.healio.com/optometry

Industry partners often sponsor CE, including TLC Laser Eye Centers. Notifications of upcoming webinars are emailed out if you are on their mailing list. The previously used link has not yet been updated for 2021, but is here for your future reference: https://www.tlcvision.com/ceseries/

For Your Learning (non-COPE)

Dr. Ike K Ahmed, MD hosts Prism Eye Rounds: https://www.prismeyeinstitute.com/webinars/

Zeiss offers educational webinars: https://www.zeiss.ca/meditec/en/c/zeiss-educational-webinars.html

They also have texts available for download for a limited time:
https://www.zeiss.ca/meditec/en/c/effective-perimetry-free-book.html
https://www.zeiss.ca/meditec/en/c/practical-angiography-free-book.html

Other Resources
Gonioscopy: http://gonioscopy.org/
Iowa Glaucoma Curriculum: http://curriculum.iowaglaucoma.org/

OCTs: https://www.octcases.com/

Resources from Dr. Ron Melton, OD and Dr. Randall Thomas, OD: https://www.eyeupdate.com/

KMK Educational Services also produce updates for ODs: https://www.kmkoptometrypro.com/

Videos and other resources from Dr. Timothy Root, MD: https://timroot.com/

Resources from ophthalmology residents: https://eyeguru.org/

Spending the time to learn more about a subject is an investment in your future and helps you become the best OD you can be!

CRO (Clinical & Refractive Optometry) Journal (www.CROJournal.com) will provide one free COPE credit for any new OD signing up to the NewOptometrist.ca e-newsletter. The free credit can be applied to any course in the CRO Catalogue.

Click Here to Sign up Now.

JACLYN CHANG, OD

Editor NewOptometrist.ca

Dr. Jaclyn Chang graduated from the University of Waterloo (UW) with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences before continuing at Waterloo to complete her Doctor of Optometry degree. She is currently a practicing optometrist in Toronto.

Dr. Chang is committed to sharing information and bringing new resources to her colleagues. As a student, she sat on the Board of Trustees for the American Optometric Student Association, organizing events to connect students with industry. She was the Co-Founder/Co-President of the award-winning UW Advancement of Independent Optometry Club, the first club at UW dedicated to private practice optometry. Dr. Chang is also a passionate writer, who aims to make information accessible and easily digestible to her colleagues. She has published in Optometry & Vision Science and Foresight magazine and contributed to Optik magazine. She is excited to bring valuable resources to Canada’s next generation of optometrists with NewOptometrist.ca.

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Episode 18: Building a Dry Eye Specialty Practice

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

Dr. Steven D’Orio, practicing in partnership his father Dr. Greg D’Orio, shares his approach on incorporating a dry eye specialty within the practice.

About the Guest

Dr. Steven D’Orio first became interested in the field of Optometry during high school. This led him to take greater interest and involvement into his father’s practice. D’Orio graduated from Salus University School of Optometry in Pennsylvania, and experienced first-hand working in primary care and triaging ocular emergencies in Albert Einstein Hospital, low vision at The Eye Institute, and trained further in contact lenses and ocular disease at Will’s Eye Hospital. Dr. D’Orio has taken special interest in Dry Eye, incorporating the latest equipment and treatment options to meet his patients’ needs.

Episode Notes

Dr. Steven D’Orio explains his motivation to incorporate a dry eye specialty in his Toronto practice. He indicates his preferred approaches to diagnosis tools and which therapeutic options and treatments he deploys. The impact of COVID on dry eye is also discussed.

He and Glen share their points of view on how industry representatives can and have truly added value to their practices, and how staff can be optimally deployed to benefit the patient experience.

Finally, Dr. D’Orio shares what he sees as exciting new dry eye therapeutic options on the near-term horizon, but not before he and Glen debate the intricacies of Philly Cheese Steaks, an indulgence they both enjoyed while interning in the City of Brotherly Love.

Resources

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto. In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. As a host of “Eyes Wide Open”, Glenn looks forward to exploring new new technologies and services for eye care professionals.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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Zero to Five Pathfinder: Spotlight Joanne Han Qiao

NextGenOD, PathFinders

NewOptometrist.ca puts the spotlight on Zero to Five Pathfinders

PathFinder Spotlight:

Joanne Han Qiao

Undergraduate Studies
McMaster University in Biochemistry.

Post Graduate
Master of Science, UW, Centre for Ocular Research and Education

Optometry:
University of Waterloo 4th year – 2021 Graduating Class

Why did you choose Optometry?
As a child, learning to read the clock was a very challenging task to me, until I was fit with glasses to correct my myopia at the age of five. The ability to tell time suddenly clicked, as I was able to see the increments on the clock hanging on my living room wall for the first time.

However, my myopia continued to progress and I knew something was not right. My advancing prescription became one of my worst fears, and I would always ‘rest’ my eyes or do ‘eye exercises’ before visiting the optometrist.

Unlike most kids, instead of the dentist, I was scared to visit my eye doctor. A few years later, I was recommended to be fit with Ortho-K lenses as a new management for myopia, which acted as a source of tremendous hope and comfort to me.

All these experiences increased my fascination with the field of optometry and I am excited to be able to pay forward all the care that I was provided by my optometrist.

What are your future plans?
I would love to be able to return to academia sometime in the future. It would allow me to fulfill my goals to be not only a clinician, but also a mentor and researcher.

What is currently the most exciting thing in your field to help patients?
Along with the changing lifestyle of the 21^st century, there is a growing need for dry eye management. It’s an exciting field because there are so many treatment and management options we have available now.

As my supervisor used to tell his patients “You don’t have to suffer”, because there are things we can do about it.

What is your definition of success or what habits make you a successful person?
Growing up Asian, I thought grades were everything when it comes to going down the right path to a successful career. I was very wrong. If you find your passion and meet the right people, then success will follow naturally.

Something that I started doing is to say ‘Yes!’ to every opportunity I get. I’ll know if I truly enjoy doing something only after I give it a try.

So along these lines I have a motto: Know the best. Recommend the Best. We try to pass that on to our patients. We try to tell them what is new in treatments, eye wear, contacts…etc.

What is your favorite TV show / Netflix series?
Typically, my favorite TVs shows are in the genre of sci-fi (Marvel) and fantasy (Game of Thrones). However, recently, I fancied a change from my typical taste and found myself binge-watching Bridgerton.

If you had a time machine what year would you travel to and why?
It would definitely be 20 years into the future, when I will become presbyopic. I really want to know if we would have found a way to overcome presbyopia by then.

Tell me something few people know about you?
I have a talent for lucid dreaming and I can remember most of my dreams when I wake up. As a result, I have created a world that I often return when I fall asleep. So, when I tell people I love sleeping, I mean it.

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Targeting – The Key to Marketing Spend Efficiency

Advertising & Promotion, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Resources

Research suggests that around 39 percent of adults consult an eye care professional once a year. While an eye visit is a routine consumer activity, getting your share of the right types of patients is anything but ordinary. And, doing so on a small budget is even more challenging.

Marketing your optometry business involves a careful analysis of marketing strategies and organizing a well thought-out marketing plan. Here is how you can attract and retain your ideal patient on a budget:

Benefits of Targeting the Ideal Patient
To make your optometric practice more effective and cover all your costs, it is imperative that you use relevant marketing tactics to attract the ideal type of patients. With the right patients coming in, you will be able to:

· Earn a higher return on investment

· Understand patient needs better

· Market your services in a cost-effective manner

Being able to target the right client base through better marketing strategies will enable your clients to have a better understanding of what services to expect. Having a good idea of what your customers want will also help you add value to your products and services.

There are 2 simple steps to identify the ideal target market:

1. Marketing Segmentation

Analyze the primary characteristics of your ideal patient. Start with segmenting the market intodemographic, psychographic, geographic and behavioural categories. Evaluate where your target market stands in order to move closer to achieving a holistic overview of your ideal patient.

2. Patient Persona

Once you have completed segmenting the market, you are bound to have a good idea about your ideal patient. Ask yourself what kind of patients you enjoy working with the most. List down some common attributes based on health attitudes, income, occupation, interests, habits, age and method of payment.

Figuring out the ideal patient does not mean you should refuse to treat those who do not meet your criteria. The goal is to make your business more profitable by prioritizing quality over quantity.

Marketing Tactics to Attract and Retain Your Ideal Patient
Good marketing strategies for your optometric practice do not have to be expensive; they just need to be efficient. You should aim to market your products and services in a way that they provide valuable information to your target audience while increasing brand loyalty.

You can easily minimize your budget once you figure out details regarding your ideal patient and optimize your marketing tactics and spending accordingly.

Both traditional marketing and online marketing strategies are likely to benefit your business as long as you ensure you pick and choose the right ones based on the clientele you wish to attract and retain.

Conventional Marketing
Although the internet is gaining popularity as a marketing platform, it has not yet eliminated the need for conventional marketing practices. Some vital tactics include:

1. Referral program

A patient referring your practice to other people is not only an efficient marketing strategy but is also a compliment as it assures you that you are doing your job well.

Start a referral program by offers such as a voucher, discount, gas card or lucky draw token. This is a good way to show your appreciation and promote your services.

2. Take out time for local charities

Strengthen your brand loyalty by joining charities. This will help build trust and establish the reliability of your optometry practice.

When patients notice your efforts to give back to the community, they will hold you and your practice in higher regard.

3. Broadcast or outdoor ads

An eye-catching advertisement or an infectious jingle will not fail to get noticed. Radio is an effective and reasonable medium to tap the local market.

A well-designed billboard ad is also likely to be retained by people. Whenever they will feel the need to consult an optometrist, they may recall your advertisement.

Online Marketing
In this day and age, the scope of digital marketing is growing tremendously. Having a noticeable online presence allows you to attract a large customer base and is easy on the pocket.

1. Email Marketing

Keep sending emails to your clients from time to time to reinforce their preference for your products and services. Ask people for their email addresses when they register with your services.

You can email people about new offers, newsletters, and reminders for yearly check-ups. Moreover, you can also market in subtle ways by sending out informative emails regarding eye health.

2. Website and SEO

Focus on developing a website that is designed well and provides visitors with valuable information about your products and services. When patients search for an optometrist’s services, they are bound to use a search engine rather than a traditional phonebook, which is why it is important to have an effective and professional online presence.

Make sure the visitors on your website enjoy a good user experience. In order to be visible to the right kind of users, your website must be optimized for search engines.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process that ensures that the site is structured in a way to rank higher on the search engine results page. It involves tweaking your website to increase its loading speed, making it mobile-friendly and placing visible calls-to-action to convert visitors into customers. Consider hiring an expert.

3. Social Media Marketing

The latest findings show that as many as 2.7 billion people are active on Facebook every month. The importance of maintaining your presence on social media cannot be overstated.

Make sure you are visible to your target audience on leading social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Routinely update your clientele about new offers and practices to keep them engaged.

Choose your marketing platforms wisely in order to attract and retain your ideal patient. Both conventional marketing and digital marketing avenues can be used in a cost-effective manner one you have a clear idea of your target audience and the way to reach them.

References:

1. Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/917000/optometrist-ophthalmologist-visit-frequency-among-adults-us/

2. Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/

MARIA SAMPALIS

is the founder of Corporate Optometry, a peer-to-peer web resource for ODs interested to learn more about opportunities in corporate optometry. Canadian ODs and optometry students can visit www.corporateoptometry.com to learn more.

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Is Big Corporate the Best Option?

Practice, Resources

We live in a time of rapid change and dislocation that rivals any period in recent history.

Change is Everywhere and Accelerating, but…
Anarchists right and left want to dismantle something that has proven to work—flaws and all. The U.S. is in a state of flux politically with sweeping implications.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc globally. Big Tech companies provide many platforms where people can publish both their best and worst thoughts and actions—AND allows for the promotion or demotion of a current demagogue seemingly at will.

Businesses have been dismantled, diminished and destroyed by events beyond their control.

Big and corporate for some of us means better and necessary, while others lament over what happens to small, local businesses and entrepreneurs with long standing, often family-based, individualized values.

What is fair for the individual health care practitioner who wishes to continue the tradition established by sole practitioners over many years of personalized care centering on the aforementioned individualized service and care model?

Is Growth the Only Measure of Success?
Many professionals do not want to go the “corporate” route and watch their creation absorbed by a larger entity that pays no homage to tradition.

The value of passing the torch to a like-minded “pro” who may take care and service to a higher-level building on the sweat equity of the former doctor. This does and can happen.

Many economic gurus are now challenging the wisdom of never-ending growth as a measure of success. We all know that bigger is not always better—that many things get lost in this process.

Where to Draw the Line?
Practitioners accept that there is a time when “enough is enough”.

A time to “stick to your knitting” and perfect what you do best and measure success not just in the financial rewards but also in the smiles and gratitude of your clients/patients.

This means that your goals shift from money to professional competency and increased health care achievement—something you set out to achieve all those years ago in the midst and miracle of your training to do so.

There is an alternative to the corporatization of healthcare providers and suppliers.

History has proven this and will continue to do so.