Target Optical’s Post

It may seem that if you drop a heavily used vision plan that your practice will lose patients, and, ultimately, end up worse off than before. However, Michael N. Kleamenakis, OD, shares that his practice's experience was different. They experienced rich rewards after dropping a major vision plan. Here is how they did it. https://lnkd.in/g2ahhQp4 #optometry #optometrist #optometrists #eyecare #eyedoctor #eyedoctors #ODS #PracticeOwner

The ideal practice investments make it easier to provide thorough examinations while boosting efficiency and the patient experience. Ryan Cazares, OD, shares the details on one such investment in his office, including how his practice is getting the most out of it. https://lnkd.in/emkaXEeq #optometry #optometrist #optometrists #ODS #eyecare #ECP #eyedoctor #eyedoctors

In the practice of Zachary Holland, OD, FSLS, 45 percent of contact lens evaluations performed each month are specialty lens fits for keratoconus or ectasia. While contracted reimbursement rates vary, vision plan reimbursement for medically necessary lenses is usually topnotch. But what happens when a problem occurs on the billing side of evaluations? Who notices it? How do you recoup the losses? Here is what Dr. Holland and his team did. https://lnkd.in/e8k7Qbug #optometry #optometrist #optometrists #ODS #eyecare #ECP #eyedoctor #eyedoctors #practiceowner

Happy to share a new article! Discover the underlying reasons for disparities in eyecare accessibility and steps ODs can take to improve accessibility in optometry practices. https://lnkd.in/euyrmgyi

One of the best things about working for Specsavers for many years was that it gave me the very rare opportunity to work in advertising without having to make uneasy ethical compromises. The business of selling glasses is relatively harmless, and Specsavers genuinely made decent eye tests and eyewear affordable and accessible. This article in today's Guardian raises the question of the degree to which further 'fringe' privatisation of the #NHS damages NHS services. While the accessibility argument may still apply, it would fail if the payoff were the limitation of universal accessibly to the doctors whose skills are deployed. This point becomes especially acute at a time when poor government decisions have considerably depleted the availability of those skills in the first place. It suggests that, at present at least, damage to NHS services is therefore directly related to the level of sophistication of the privatised services. As usual, the difficult challenge for government as the population ages will be to make good decisions about where the line should be drawn. https://lnkd.in/duuqRkRP

Let’s talk about missed appointments. To cope with the increased demand, GP surgeries including my own are working as hard as they can to provide as many appointments as possible. At Elm Tree Medical Centre, we have worked really hard to get our heads together to provide a service where people can be seen within the day, and even within the hour. But like other practices, we do have an issue where people do not turn up to their appointment. Whilst I fully understand the struggles that people go through to be seen by a healthcare professional, which is their full right, the NHS is also working extremely hard to see as many people as possible. Life happens, and people can no longer make their GP appointments. That’s understandable, and completely reasonable, but that missed appointment could have been given to someone else who is still on the waiting list. Let me be clear, I’m not at all saying that people should turn up to all their appointments no matter what, but when they have to miss their appointments, it would be great if their focus was on freeing up that appointment up for someone else We are also noticing that sometimes people who do not turn up to their AM appointments, make another appointment, the same day, for later in the afternoon. Whilst we are glad that we can provide a service that enables such flexibility, one cannot wonder if its a consequence of providing a high quality appointment booking service for your GP surgery. The same issue occurs, with time that could have gone to others, being wasted. So I do wonder, what can we do to help ourselves ? What are actions people have taken to reduce missed appointments , or Did Not Attend (DNA) appointments? One observation our receptionist made is that 👇 “People never DNA/miss appointments in a practice where they were lucky to be seen .... As our access is soo good people DNA knowing they will get another appointment whenever they want” The obvious action from here is to then not provide as slick as an appointment booking system. But as a practice leader, I am too proud of our work at Elmtree to provide such a booking system. It is dangerous for people’s health to not see them as soon as possible as well, so I do not want to modify or abolish our booking system at all. The system benefits everyone, of which a majority are great with attending their appointments. So why for the few should we not strive to provide great care, with flexible and smooth booking systems? Do you guys face the same issue of DNA/missed appointments in your surgeries? How do you navigate around such a difficult issue? Let me know in the comments below! #primarycare #GP #Elmtree

“Ins” and “Outs” for 2024! In their latest article, Mark Schaeffer, OD, FAAO, Brooke Kaplan, OD, and David Schaeffer, OD, FAAO, list a few of their New Year’s resolutions regarding contact lenses and patient care.    What’s In (Things We Want To Do For Our Patients/Staff): 1. Growing the base of patients wearing contact lenses. Most of our patients don’t know that contact lenses are even an option for them. Finding a way to give them a solution they weren’t aware of provides a level of care our patients may have never experienced.   Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gzqFD9Dy       You can subscribe for free here as well: https://lnkd.in/gSemHMB  #EYETEAM #Generation45+ #optometry #eyehealth #presbyopia  #eyehealthcare #eyecare  #optometrist  #visioncare  #eyedoctor #eyediseases #contactlenses #ocular #lenses #contactlens  #multifocals #eyecareprofessionals #optician #contacts, Al Greco, John R. Sailer, Jack Schaeffer

ALL OF THIS. Today on "Sway in the Morning" (a SiriusXM morning show with a hip hop focus), the host, Sway Calloway shaded his experience in getting implants this weekend (in the past year, this is probably the second time that the show has focused on #dental issues). The past hour of the show has focused on #oralhealth. What is telling about this conversation is the callers sharing stories about fear in accessing care (one call sadly was from Baltimore) and more importantly the cost!! Apparently, the dentist that Sway saw provides implants at a reduced cost ($1789 per implant). Mike Muse, the political commentator, shared a version of story of #DeamonteDriver. What he failed to share is that Deamonte had #Medicaid dental benefits, but Ms. Driver could not find a dentist to provide his care. Mike Muse later explained to the listeners some of the challenges of dental coverage in this country. A caller also talked his experience with #dentaltourism in Mexico. The majority of the callers seemed to have dental insurance, but are making different choices for how they access care. I share this because oral health is a topic that people want to talk about. People want to hear from dentists and members of the oral health team. People want information. People are not uninformed; the cost of dental care is so big that people opt out of the system, seek care in different countries, and in the case of Sway was willing to leave New York City and fly to Miami for cheaper care. What is also telling about the conversation is the degree to which people were unable to access care as a child and as adults, their relationship with dental care is seemingly oral health a luxury and making different choices regarding care, often because of painful extractions. This system and this practice are clearly broken. Experiences with trauma in the dental chair are real. Folks should not fear a dentist, and people should be able to access the care that they want. #Oralhealthcare should be a right and not a luxury. Perfect smiles are great, but healthy teeth and gums matter more.

Greater pricing transparency for consumers is a major trend across the care continuum. Reporting for our newest publication, Ambulatory Surgery Center News, Shelby Grebbin examined the issue in a piece this week that I found really interesting. Many of the themes in this article resonate with messages we hear across senior living, home care and other sectors, related to consumer empowerment and growing frustration with the way insurance markets are working. Key takeaways from the story include: - Fixed, upfront pricing for surgeries that covers all costs, including surgeon, facility, and anesthesia fees, helping to eliminate unexpected bills. - Patients know the total cost before the procedure, often paying significantly less—sometimes 6 to 10 times lower than at traditional hospitals. - Surgery Center of Oklahoma (SCO) operates without insurance contracts, with patients or their employers paying directly for services. - Many self-funded employers are now sending their employees to facilities like SCO, where they can cover surgery costs with no out-of-pocket expenses for the patient. - This model benefits surgeons as well, allowing them to receive higher compensation and faster payments compared to traditional insurance systems. - The transparent pricing movement is growing, with surgery centers in over 40 states adopting similar models, making healthcare more accessible and affordable for both patients and employers. #Healthcare #TransparentPricing #Surgery #ASC #CostTransparency #HealthcareReform

Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, received many e-mails in response to her column on chartaholics. After engaging in conversations with some of these individuals, and consulting with doctors known for their efficiency—who never find themselves working late on charts—she decided to delve deeper into this challenge. Here is what she learned. https://lnkd.in/eKyTRr2z #optometry #optometrist #optometrists #ODS #eyecare #eyedoctor #eyedoctors #ECP #PracticeOwner #doctors #doctorcharting