This is a brief mini-episode to say thank you to all our listeners and to share that we are excited about the future of Critical Issues In Eyecare: An MD/OD Conversation.

We'd like to know what you think of the podcast and what we can do to make it better. Please take one minute to fill out this 5-question survey. Your input will help us produce quality shows in the future!

The link to the anonymous survey is: tinyurl.com/MDODpodcast

Thank you!

-Nate and Mitch

 

Join us for this important discussion on the role of trade shows in the eyecare industry. G. Timothy Petito, OD, Director of Professional Relations at Marco, joins regular hosts Mitchel Jackson, MD and Nate Bonilla-Warford, OD to talk about about the eye care meetings and the reasons to go to them.

Subjects that are covered:

• What does the Director of Professional Relations do?
• What it takes for a company to prepare for a professional meeting.
• What is the ROI of going to a meeting? 
  • Education time vs in-office
  • Diverse experiences
  • Show Savings
• Should you bring staff? Yes! 
  • Morale
  • Buy-In
  • Recommendations
• Pearls:
  • Have a strategy
  • Have a schedule
  • Plan in flexibility, too!
  • Ask around. 

Maximizing Opportunities on the Exhibit Floor:

• Take advantage of possible test drives (not available with refractive workstation builds in the practices)
• Take advantage of other partners and Staff at the meetings
• Set specific appointments at exhibitor workstations during the meeting
• Attend in-booth workshops with product specialists available
• Tap into peer opinions on the floor
• Take advantage of all competitive technologies at your disposal- maximize your efficiencies
• Typically capitalize on best pricing 

About Dr. Petito:

Dr. Petito is an internationally known author and lecturer on various topics relating to ocular care. He has published several books and numerous articles in national publications and continues to serve in editorial positions. He has been in practice in St. Petersburg, Florida, since 1989. In his private practice, Dr. Petito specializes not only in low vision but also in "hard to fit" contact lens patients. He has been the American Optometric Association's primary representative to the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement of the American Medical Association since 2009, and has served on the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement's Screening and Preventative Care Workgroup since 2008. He was inducted into the National Academy of Practice in 2009.

You can reach him at [email protected].

 

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For this episode of Critical Issues in EyeCare: An MD/OD Conversation hosts Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD and Mitchell Jackson, MD are joined by  John Novak, OD. He discusses a subject near and dear to his heart - giving back to the community by volunteering eye care services.  

Some of the topics include:

• The satisfaction of helping those in need
• Local and international opportunities
• Monetary and Time donation 
• Press and recognition 

 

Some of organization that were mentioned in the show are: 

• Eyecare International - http://www.eyecareint.org/
• VOSH International - http://vosh.org/
• Lions Club International - http://www.lionsclubs.org/
• Vision Is Priceless - http://www.visionispriceless.org/
• VisionUSA - http://www.aoafoundation.org/vision-usa/

About Dr. Novak:

Dr. John Novak grew up in the Cleveland area, graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2001 and is a 2005 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry. Dr. Novak completed a hospital-based residency at the Wade Park Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2005-2006. He gained additional experience with the U.S. Public Health Service working on the Navajo Indian Reservation near Canyon de Chelly, AZ. Dr. Novak also participated in the Student Volunteers for Optometric Services to Humanity with a trip to the Dominican Republic in 2004, providing eye exams to those in need. He also has traveled to El Salvador in humanitarian efforts and provided exams in Cleveland and Columbus for those with low-income families.

Join us for this important discussion on payment models in the eyecare industry. Lawyer Allison Shuren joins regular hosts Mitchel Jackson, MD and Nate Bonilla-Warford, OD to talk about about the change payment landscape. New payment models for eyecare are discussed, such as pay-for-performance, bundled disease state management, capitated risk arrangements, and collaborative care.  

  Topics include:

Is pay-for-performance a new trend? Or an old one "on steroids"? 

How can doctors push back against these changes?

  Can these changes be expected to impact the relationship between optometrists and ophthalmologists?   Do these payment systems essentially mandate EMR in the practice?   And, the million dollar question, what affect will the US election have on the new payment systems?    About Allison Shuren:   Allison Shuren co-chairs the Life Sciences and Healthcare Regulation Practice and advises a wide range of health care clients on regulatory, compliance, enforcement, and legislative matters. Her clients include large international manufacturers of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biologics, emerging companies with early stage concepts, hospitals and integrated health networks, ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostic testing facilities, clinical laboratories, dialysis centers physicians, physician practice management companies, and developers of mobile and digital health technology. A primary focus of Ms. Shuren's practice is compliance with health regulatory requirements, especially the healthcare fraud and abuse laws. She counsels on complex referral arrangements as well as sales and marketing programs, including discounts and rebates, represents clients in government investigations and qui tam actions involving False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, and health care fraud allegations. She regularly interacts with the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the US Department of Justice, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She also leads internal compliance investigations and regulatory due diligence related acquisitions and investments. Ms. Shuren's goal is to be a trusted advisor who helps clients meet legal requirements while achieving success in a competitive healthcare marketplace.

 

What is the next big thing in eyecare?  New surgical devices? 3D Printing? Telemedicine?

  Dr. George Waring IV joins regular hosts Nate Bonilla-Warford, OD and Mitchelle Jackson, MD to take on this subject.      About George Waring IV, MD: 

George O. Waring IV, MD FACS is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, the Director of Refractive Surgery at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Storm Eye Institute and serves as the Medical Director at Magill Vision Center. Dr. Waring also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University.  Prior to joining faculty at MUSC,  Dr. Waring specialized in corneal refractive, cataract and intraocular lens surgery in a private practice in Ohio. He has served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Emory University School of Medicine, and a Staff Ophthalmologist at the Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in Atlanta, GA.  Dr. Waring IV is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology.  Dr. Waring IV has received numerous awards and distinctions for excellence in ophthalmology including the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, the Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society Gold Medal Award and the Patients’ Choice Award.  He has been recognized as one of the Nation’s Top Doctors in Ophthalmology by Castle Connolly’s Guide to America’s Top Ophthalmologists, and as a Top Ophthalmologist and Leading Physician of the world by the International Association of Ophthalmologists.

 

For this episode, Nate and Mitch discuss the MD/OD practice with Walt Whitley, OD. 

Topics include:

• Is Optometric Residency necessary to practice in an MD/OD practice?
• What about MD Fellowship? 
• How is the changing medical landscape affecting MD/OD practice?
• The modern MD/OD mix, does ownership matter?
• What about state licensure/credentialing variability?
• Has the  MD/OD relationship improved in the last few decades?
• Diagnostic equipment and education. 
• More

About Walt Whitley, OD:

Dr. Walter Whitley is the director of optometric services at Virginia Eye Consultants and serves several important roles including consultative eye care, clinical research, practice development and the supervision of an extensive referral network. He is a 2002 graduate of Pacific University College of Optometry and completed a residency in ocular disease, refractive and ocular surgery at Eye Care Associates of Nevada. In 2009, he completed his master’s in business administration for the University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to joining Virginia Eye Consultants, Dr. Whitley served as medical optometrist for Eye Care Associates of Nevada in the Reno and Las Vegas offices and helped develop one of the largest optometric referral centers in Nevada.

For this podcast we have a very special guest: Myra Cherchio, COMT, who is Director of Clinical Operations at St. Luke's Cataract & Laser Institute

In this episode, we tackle one of the most challenging topics for any practice: staff. 

Some of the topics that we talk about are:

  - Finding and hiring qualified staff - Training staff  - Keeping qualified - Engaging staff daily - Creating a practice environment with a balance   About St. Luke's:  

St. Luke’s was founded in 1968 by Dr. James P. Gills. In 1974, Dr. Gills’ practice at St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute became the first practice in the United States dedicated solely to cataract treatment through the use of intraocular lenses.  St. Luke’s surgeons became widely regarded as authorities on the treatment of many types of eye conditions. Today, led by Pit Gills, MD, St. Luke’s continues the legacy of innovation, thoughtful adoption of new technologies and an unsurpassed commitment to patient care.

St. Luke’s main location is in Tarpon Springs. The 78,000-square-foot facility houses our full service, state-of-the-art equipped ophthalmology clinic and an AAAHC accredited ambulatory surgery center with six operating rooms, 2 laser treatment rooms and  a 12-bed recovery area, making it one of the largest freestanding ambulatory eye care centers in the United States. St. Luke’s serves patients in six locations throughout the state of Florida including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Spring Hill and The Villages.

     

With Third Party having driven care for so long, what is a doctor to do? How does a doctor survive?

Our hosts Mitchell Jackson, MD and Nate Bonilla-Warford, OD tackle this subject with Guy Kezirian, MD.

We talk about:

- What’s driving the move to private pay.- Alpheon - subspecialties that are more likely to succeed with concierge care - And more!

Just a few of the projects Dr. Kezirian has going on:

- Founding partner, Strathspey Crown LLC / ALPHAEON Inc. - Program Chair, Physician CEO™ - Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University - Founder, Refractive Surgery Alliance, a professional organization to promote the growth and impact of refractive surgery. - Contributions: Conducted several successful FDA studies for ophthalmic devices. Many peer-review publications, trade-journal publications, text book chapters, and presentations. Founder of the SurgiVision Consultants, Inc., Physician CEO™, Refractive Surgery Alliance. Founding investor at Strathspey Crown LLC. - Best Practices in Medical Research. A survey of the current best-practices for conducting collaborative medical research directed at translational applications.

For this episde, Mitchell Jackson, MD and Nate Bonilla-Warford, OD talk about the solo doctor practice.

Can it survive? 

For this episode of Critical Issues in Eyecare: An OD/MD Conversation we tackle the future of refractive surgery with Eric Donnenfeld, MD.

• Where have the LASIK/PRK patients gone? 
• What is expected about how millennials will embrace refractive surgery?
• Does collagen cross linking play a role in refractive surgery?
• Does the new DNA testing Avellino improve overall conversions and/or volume of LVC procedures due to added safety concept?
• Will the refractive market rebound? Have PROWL study positive outcomes impacted overall volumes yet?
• Lots of smack about the recent Stanley Cup. 

 

About Eric Donnenfeld, MD

Eric Donnenfeld, MD, FAAO, has been performing refractive surgery since 1989 and was one of the first surgeons in the world to do laser vision correction and was involved in the first studies that eventually led to the approval of the excimer laser. During a career spanning more than 20 years, Dr. Donnenfeld has successfully helped tens of thousands of patients achieve better vision, including more than 1,000 fellow eye doctors and their families. He is also an experienced corneal surgeon and has performed more than 2,500 corneal transplant procedures. 

In recognition of his accomplishments and excellent track record in the field of refractive surgery, Dr. Donnenfeld has been honored with numerous awards, including the prestigious Senior Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In 2005, Dr. Donnenfeld was chosen as the National Cataract and Refractive Surgeon of the Year by the journal Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today. He is also a recipient of the VISX Star Award, an honor bestowed upon a few refractive surgeons nationwide.