As Seen in the October 22, 2010 Issue of Vision Monday

LAS VEGAS-Independent Doctors of Optometric Care (IDOC), a member-based organization providing education, resources and exclusive vendor programs for independent optometrists, was on hand at Vision Expo West, both on the show floor and in the line-up of evening events.

"The 2010 Vision Expo West was a very successful event for IDOC," said Jill McKenzie, IDOC's VP of marketing and member services. The IDOC booth remained busy throughout the entire show, with company representatives explaining the organization's strong commitment to help members grow profitable practices through education at IDOC University and strategic vendor partnerships.

IDOC also reported that vendor partner GPN-providers of The Edge was present in the booth demonstrating their business-management software product that one IDOC Member described as "designed to help optometrists identify the strengths and weaknesses of their practice."

"We felt it was important for our members to see first-hand one of the business management tools available to them through IDOC," Mark Feder, OD, the organization's president and CEO, told VM. "I use the The Edge software in my own practice and rely on it to monitor both sides of my business: medical and optical. Providing business resources like The Edge to our members continues to be the primary focus of IDOC," he added.

According to the organization, among the new members IDOC signed up at the trade show was Louisiana Senator David Heitmeier, a practicing OD.

IDOC also hosted a cocktail reception, sponsored by Vistakon, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., on Oct. 8 for their members and prospective members. Dr. Feder began the evening with a brief presentation on the company's strategic direction and the benefits of membership. He was followed by several IDOC members who shared testimonials about how their IDOC membership benefited them and grew their practice. All reception attendees were entered into a raffle for an all-expense paid, 7-day resort vacation in Palm Desert, Calif., which was won by David R. Toland, OD, of Northwest Valley Eyecare in Sun City, Ariz., the company said. The 2011 IDOC National Meeting will be held at MGM Grand Foxwoods in Connecticut on April 7-11, 2011. The event will be open to all IDOC members and prospective members. For more information, call IDOC at (203) 853-3333 or visit IDOC.net.

VISION EXPO WEST WINNERS!!

Congratulations to Dr. David Toland of Sun City, Arizona, winner of the IDOC Cocktail Reception Raffle! Dr. Toland will receive deluxe accommodations at the Marriott Desert Springs Villas in Palm Desert, California, airfare for 2 and $1,000 cash!

Congratulations to the winners of the Vision Expo West Raffle!!

• Dr. Jeremy Ciano - Apple iPad
• Dr. Mark Chasse - Apple iPod Touch
• Dr. Mark Page - $250 AMEX gift card
• Dr. Kate Claffie - $250 AMEX gift card
• Dr. Michael Pharris - GPS System
• Dr. Jay Blazius - GPS System


Special thank you to the IDOC Vendor Partners that participated in the Vision Expo West Raffle: Signet Armorlite, Younger Optics, Nordic Naturals, and EyeCOR!

Upcoming IDOC University Events

Webinar: Strategic Leadership and Empowering Women ODs

On Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 8:00PM EDT, The Vision Care Institute , LLC along with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania will present a 60-minute Chief Executive Optometrist Webinar.

Description: This webinar explores the transformative power of leadership traits and presents insights into how you can apply them to enhance your practice. The hour-long interactive session will include real-life examples and case studies.

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Click here to register for this webinar

Webinar: How to Turn Web Site Traffic Into Patients - RESCHEDULED!!

IDOC University in conjunction with Eyecarepro.net will be hosting a webinar on Monday, November 15, 2010 at 8:00PM ET

Description: Turning Web Site Traffic Into Patients will take your web site to the next level with a webinar that hits you where it counts, in your appointment book. Learn best practices for optometry web sites that help you turn more of your website visitors into patients. This webinar focuses on demonstrating best practices for design, content, architecture, interactivity and tools, and how you can implement them for your practice web site to bring more patients into the practice. Turn your web site into the revenue generating tools you know it should be! This webinar will be the 2nd in a series presented by Eyecarepro.net which began with the webinar, How To Reach #1 In Google Rankings? If you have not yet viewed How To Reach #1 In Google Rankings you may do so by visiting the IDOC website, www.idoc.net.

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Click here to register for this webinar

The Devil's In The Details
IDOC Consultant, Mark Hinton

 
We've all been to meetings where we've discussed our human resource issues or problems.

Often independent optometry businesses do not employ a Strategic Human Resource Management System (SHRM). Large companies create or outsource these robust systems in order to manage and evaluate their personnel efficiently and effectively.

These systems provide individual team members with what they may expect while working within the office. It may include a code of conduct, job description, procedures, memo's, task lists, and training, among other factors necessary to meet the specific needs of the optometry business.

How many times have you scratched your head, wondering why the phoropter wasn't set? Or VA's weren't recorded? How many times have you heard "I forgot" or "Nobody told me I had to do that?"

In your weekly team office meetings: revisit, review, edit and refine. Brainstorm and create a simple daily, weekly, monthly task list for each individual on the team. This helps each team member remember what they are accountable for.

If "the Devil's in The Details", the details are in the task list! People want to know where they rank in their performance and it's easy to reference a daily, weekly or monthly task list when review time arrives!

50% Discount On All New to Brand Viva Products!

Viva is now offering all IDOC Members 50% discount off an initial order on all new brand purchases (except Guess by Marciano.) New Brand refers to any purchases of $200 or less of a specific Viva brand in the past 12 rolling months.

Contact your Sales Consultant for more details today!

Alcon Introduces New Treatment for Blepharitis

Alcon is introducing TOBRADEX® ST Suspension, a topical antibiotic and corticosteroid combination for steroid-responsive inflammatory ocular conditions for which a corticosteroid is indicated and where superficial bacterial ocular infection or risk of bacterial ocular infection exists. The tobramycin /dexamethasone combination uses a novel suspension technology to reduce viscosity and help prevent settling in the container.

In a recent survey, 37 percent of ophthalmologists and 47 percent of optometrists reported that patients they saw presented with some form of blepharitis.2 In a 2003 study of 1,148 patients seeking an eye examination due to ocular discomfort, posterior blepharitis was found to be the most commonly diagnosed condition (24 percent) followed by dry eye (21 percent) and anterior blepharitis (12 percent).

1. Stephen V. Scoper, et al. Ocular Distribution, Bactericidal Activity and Settling Characteristics of TobraDex® ST Ophthalmic Suspension Compared with TobraDex® Ophthalmic Suspension, Adv Ther. 2008:25(2):77-88
2. Campbell Alliance Group. Patterns of Practice and Prevalence Rates for Lid Margin Disease. July-August 2008.
3. Venturino G, Bricola G, Bagnis A, Traverso CE. Chronic Blepharitis; Treatment Patterns and Prevalence. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.2003; 44: E-Abstract 774.