Power Hour Optometry's Only Live Radio Show

Tony Hawk – Tony talks about his new line of eyeglasses and his foundation Tom Loughran – from Reed Exhibitions, Tom discusses some of the “must see/do” things for Vision Expo attendees Anne Marie Luthro – get ready for a fascinating discussion about optical shopper psychology and environmental factors that affect purchasing decisions

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.