EYE OWN A BUSINESS

Does your career feel stagnant? Have you lost your excitement for practicing optometry? If you fall into that category, that may be hard to admit, but you’re not alone. In fact, it’s very common for ODs to feel “burned out” from the routine of seeing patients. The good news is… you don’t have to be confined to a small dark room if you don’t want to. A lot of opportunities exist for ODs to pursue alternative career paths if they aspire to.

In this episode I talk to Dr. Joel Hayden. His story involves specialty services, a YouTube channel, teaching a course, mentoring potential optometry students, and even a foray into the world of acting. This is Joel’s story. You can write your own, and I hope this interview inspires some people feeling “stuck” to get out of their comfort zone and pursue the unconventional path.  

Follow us on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty

Like many specialty services, a lot of ODs “dabble” but fail to make a service like Dry Eye a meaningful part of their practice. From a clinical and financial standpoint, dry eye has tremendous potential, but a lot of ODs are standing on the sidelines while doctors like Dr. Cohen are going all in and reaping the benefits!  

It takes time, effort and money to get where Dr. Cohen is, but the important thing is just to get started. In this episode, we hit the fundamentals of launching a dry eye specialty. Stop dabbling and start building. 

Follow us on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance  

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc  

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty  

In this episode we talk with Dr. Michelle Johnston, author of The Seismic Shift in Leadership, about being a more effective leader. Leadership in the workplace has moved beyond the “command and control” style… or has it? Many leaders are still deploying outdated methods of leading their teams. In a time where employees appear disengaged, turnover is high, and practice revenues are stagnant, it’s worth looking in the mirror and asking, “Am I the problem?”

This interview may challenge many of the ideas you have about leadership, but if you’re willing to make some changes, the rewards for both you and your team could be astounding.

Follow us on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty

Leadership

Employee engagement

Effective leadership

Human connection

Benchmarking is a term used in business to reference the study of other companies or businesses to compare with your own. Through this process, many companies will (wisely) adopt best practices of other companies.  

Disney is one such company that has been widely studied by numerous other companies across a wide spectrum of industries. In this episode, Dr. Vargo talks with Dr. Jennifer Stewart about her fascination with Disney and how she’s integrated many of their business strategies into her practice.  

Follow us on Instagram, at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance  

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc  

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty 

Disney 

Disney experience 

Customer service 

Patient experience 

Patient journey 

In this episode, Dr. Vargo reached out to IDOC’s own Managed Care Consultant, Jenna Armitage, to discuss an issue we’re hearing from many ODs – getting denied access to insurance panels. This has been a longstanding issue with a few vision plans, but we’re now hearing this more frequently for medical plans also.  

While we’re seeing a trend with many practices dropping insurance plans, that’s not practical for every practice and the majority of optometry practices still depend on access to patients provided by insurance companies. In this podcast, we’ll walk you through the process and offer valuable insights into what to do when you’re denied access to an insurance panel.

Follow us on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty

Insurance

Insurance credentialing

Insurance denial

Insurance panel

In this episode, Dr. Vargo explores the world of employee benefits with Cory Friedman, Senior VP of Benefits Consulting with the Alera Group. They cover how to get started, how to choose what benefits to offer, how small businesses can get creative with benefits to stay competitive with larger employers, and how to manage all of it without losing your mind!  

In this job market, employers have to be competitive with salary and benefits to acquire and retain good talent. Cory’s background working with small businesses gives him a unique perspective and he does a great job laying out the options in this interview.  

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance  

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc  

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty  

Employee benefits 

Job benefits 

Employee acquisition 

Employee retention 

In this episode, Dr. Vargo sits down with IDOC CEO Dave Brown to discuss something on everyone’s mind – the economy! For business owners, scary words like inflation and recession might be keeping you up at night. You’re probably feeling the pressure from things like rising wages and higher cost of goods, not to mention the fear and uncertainties that come from not knowing what the future holds. 

In this podcast, they discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. Fortunately, it’s not all bad and ugly. Neither Dave nor Steve have a crystal ball, but they do their best to share some insights and recommendations based on historical data and trends from previous economic downturns.  

Follow us on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance  

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc  

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty  

Inflation 

Recession 

Economy 

Economic downturn 

Marketing is critical to the growth of any business, but HOW to spend those marketing dollars is a decision many practice owners grapple with. Host, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Dr. Matt Taylor to discuss his approach to digital marketing, print marketing, and community involvement. If you want to delegate your marketing, let IDOC help https://idoc.net/productsandservicesmarketing. 

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/idoc.alliance/ or https://www.instagram.com/idocnet/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IDOC.OptometricAlliance

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/idoc

Interested in an optometry specialty? Join our community FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/idocspecialty

Relevant Articles: 

Professional Burn Out: https://idoc.net/blog/887/the-antidote-to-professional-burnout 

SEO:https://idoc.net/blog/891/the-importance-of-local-visibility

https://idoc.net/blog/884/what-is-seo-and-why-does-it-matter 

Marketing

Digital marketing

Word of mouth marketing

Advertising

Google reviews

Online reviews

Let’s talk MONEY! Specifically, regarding mistakes made by practice owners who handle their own bookkeeping. Host, Dr. Steven Vargo sits down with Hayley Stewart, IDOC’s Financial Services manager to discuss what owners can do to keep their books accurate.  

If you want to make sound financial decisions for your practice, you have to have accurate books, our expert says that 80% of the books she takes over has at least 1 of the 5 financial blunders we discuss in this episode.

For more information on outsourcing your bookkeeping, visit https://booksandbenchmarks.com/ 

Follow our Podcast on All Available Platforms

Follow our Podcast on Instagram

Follow IDOC on Facebook

Follow IDOC on LinkedIn

Watch our Podcast Video on YouTube

Relevant Articles: 

Professional Burn Out: https://idoc.net/blog/887/the-antidote-to-professional-burnout 

Practice Management  

Bookkeeping  

Optometry Bookkeeping  

QuickBooks Mistakes  

DIY Bookkeeping  

Financial Health  

Build an optometry practice and life you love! Eye Own a Business teaches independent ODs how to grow a thriving practice while wearing the hats of both a doctor and a business owner. Tune in as Dr. Steve Vargo and his guests guide you with the tools and strategies you need to build the practice of your dreams, one step at a time. Eye Own a Business is brought to you by IDOC. Learn more at IDOC.net