Power Hour Optometry's Only Live Radio Show

On this last show of 2017, and as the Power Hour closes in on half a million downloads, Gary recaps 2017’s most listened to shows along with his own top five favorites!

With all the rapid changes going on in optometry, is a residency still necessary?  2015 graduate Dr. Kevin Cornwell joins the show talking about his experiences and viewpoints on the benefits of a residency as well as his thoughts about OD’s practicing in the prison system.  Tune in for this very interesting perspective on this episode of the Power Hour!

Try as we may, things still occasionally go awry in a practice.  What you do after that happens can be the difference between losing a patient, their family and all their friends – or making them lifetime practice cheerleaders.  Learn Gary’s view on service recovery in your practice and what you should do when things don’t quite go as planned.

What is often talked about, easy to calculate and rarely used?  That would be "chair costs."  This week, Gary discusses exactly what the terminology means, how to calculate yours and what to do with the numbers you get.  If you want to learn what GOPPAR and RevPAR mean, and how they affect your practice, and what they've got to do with chair costs - you'll want to tune in to this episode!

Enchroma’s web site says their glasses, “ . . . open up a world of color for people with color blindness.  Our products provide vibrant, accurate color . . .” Seems straightforward enough, until you discuss the lenses with doctors.  On one side are doctors who say, “Patients report they see better, and that’s what matters” and on the other, “If they can’t see any extra Ishihara plates, what’s the point?” Listen to this episode of the Power Hour when Enchroma supporters, optician Barry Santini and Dr. Justin Bazan explain why they prescribe the lenses – and listen to callers and others who explain why they don’t.  Then, you decide if Enchroma is right for your practice!

“My staff just doesn’t get it!  It’s hopeless and training doesn’t work!” Sound familiar? It certainly does to us! On this episode of the Power Hour, Gary digs into why so many practice owners say that so often – and what you should do about it!  There is hope – but you’ll only get the advice you need if you tune in!

In what will probably be the shortest episode ever, Gary reveals the atomic powered tool the every entrepreneur has, and never uses.  It’s one of those “I can’t believe it was this obvious and staring me in the face all the time” things that you WILL be able to use right after the show.  Short, to the point and powerful – on this episode of the Power Hour!

How are frames designed?  Get the inside scoop behind the design process of the John Varvatos Eyewear Collection. The company's creative director Nico Roseillier joins the show to discuss how this cool process takes place. 

Listen to this episode for an entertaining discussion with Gary and Brian as they talk about the difference between UK and US optometry.  Opticians scope of care, OD education, UK practitioners emphasis on glasses and being ahead of the curve in contact lenses are discussed along with differences health insurance systems and the state of the industry.  Brian also talks about his important work with the BCLA, his fun presentation style and . . .  shoes (listen for details!)

Managed vision care, telemedicine, online shopping for eyeglasses or contact lenses... are these things that will hurt or help your practice? The answers and discussion may surprise you when you listen to this episode of the Power Hour!

Private Equity is getting more and more involved in optometry.  What is private equity, why are they so interested in eyecare, and is private equity something you should look at for your own practice?  Jeff Fronterhouse and Bret Davis, two experts in private equity, join Gary on this episode of the Power Hour!

During a staff training session you tell your optician, “When you sell AR lenses, say X.” We’ve all tried training our staff this way, and whether “X” is effective or not, invariably we have trouble making it stick. Is the problem “X” or the way we’re training and teaching our staff? Frank Pigneri, Sr. Manager of Customer Training and Development at Essilor is the guest on our show. He discusses some of the finer points of optical training, what should be included in a good training program, when to do it, how to make it stick as well as a host of other great topics related to staff education.

You practice in an area that is very conservative. Your long time trusted, well known receptionist who had brown hair yesterday, shows up with purple hair today. What should you do? What can you do? Your optician shows up with a therapy dog. Your insurance biller is afraid of dogs. Now what? Attorney Julia Goldman is the guest on the Power Hour.  

We have all watched kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span. Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.

Years of scientific research and intensive study of real-world applications have led to incredible breakthroughs in the way businesses large and small identify and hire top talent in their fields. Optimize Hire, a leading Internet-based pre-employment testing company focused on helping organizations hire better, joins Local Eye Site on this episode of the Power Hour to discuss this important topic.  

The CDC, in close collaboration with industry partners, has organized Contact Lens Health Week as a strategy to increase public awareness and promote healthy contact lens wear and care.  Jennifer Cope, MD, MPH from the CDC and  Joseph P. Shovlin, O.D., F.A.A.O., the President, American Academy of Optometry, join the Power Hour to discuss the fourth annual Contact Lens Health Week. This year’s campaign theme is “healthy habits mean healthy eyes” with a focus on encouraging youth to start healthy habits early, for healthy eyes later. Increased awareness about the importance of proper contact lens hygiene can encourage contact lens wearers to adopt healthy habits that can reduce their chances of getting an eye infection. 

Five years ago the first Power Hour episode discussed the future of optometry. What's has and hasn't come true since that show? The dialogue will probably surprise you!

It’s as constant and inescapable as gravity.  Yet, most of us only focus on the downside of the 80-20 rule and don’t look at how it can actually help our practices.  That changes on this episode of the Power Hour when Gary discusses how this powerful principle can help you build your practice.  Marketing, staffing, accounts receivable, and scheduling are but a few of the areas that can be improved once you understand how to leverage this natural law.

While Google Glass “1.0” certainly had enough challenges that prevented it from becoming mainstream in optometry, other companies (including Google) haven’t stopped developing new and better products.  Listen to this episode of the Power Hour as we bring back industry expert David Friedfeld, the president of ClearVision and Dr. Richard Clompus, the VP of Communications for PogoTec and we visit the current state of wearable eyewear and how it can work in your practice.

What’s the secret number of dollars that should trigger you to start thinking, “I need help and need to hire an associate?” Does such a number even exist? Regardless, when the time comes and you decide to bring an associate into your practice, how should you do it? On the next episode of the Power Hour, Gary discusses the nuances and best practices to bringing on an associate doctor. When you should do it, how to it and why you should (or shouldn’t) consider it. Like all the practice building topics discussed on the show, you can expect this discussion to be thought provoking with very different information you’re likely to hear anywhere else!