Power Hour Optometry's Only Live Radio Show

Is he a comedian or an OD?  Dr. Monty Vickers’ witty insightful monthly columns having been making us laugh for more than 25 years.  Now, for the first time ever, he brings his “show” to live radio!  Listen to Monty and Gary on this episode of the Power Hour as they make light of all things optometric.

James Diecidue shares his unique viewpoints about how he thinks EHR’s SHOULD work, why some don’t work that way and his opinion on a new solution.  Tune in to hear this fresh viewpoint about a very important topic.

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!

Jeffrey J. Walline, OD PhD, Associate Dean for Research at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, is THE source for all things myopia and myopia control – and is the guest on this episode of the Power Hour.  Involved in all the major studies in this area (COOKI, CLAMP and CRAYON to name just a few) Jeff talks about what the research has (and hasn’t!) found and what lies ahead.   Does spending time outside really make a difference in myopia progression?  Should you really be telling parents of myopic kids to limit time on their iPads?  Separate the myths from the facts on this important show.  

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?

They claim to help keep your appointment books full, help get positive online reviews, automate marketing emails and texts, and decrease the workload for your staff. But which one is right for you? You won't want to miss this episode where 4patientcare, Demandforce, Solutionreach, and Websystem3 discuss each of their offerings.  

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.

Dentist have it made! Or do they? Trevor Maurer from SmileSource, a network of independent dentists is our guest on the next Power Hour.  With years of vision care experience behind him, Trevor talks about the similarities between us and how we can leverage dental’s best practices in our practices. 

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 themJeremy Poincenot - 2010 World Blind Golf Champion shares his incredible inspirational life story and talks about the Vision of Children Foundation

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!