July/August 2009

Inside This Issue 

 
   
President's Message
   
Board Certification
   
On the Front Line
   
New Membership Benefit
   
Dr. Mario M. Perez
   
EyeCare Pro
   
Members in the Spotlight
   
Membership has it's Advantages
   
Classified Ads

FOA OFFICERS 

2008-2009
President  
Emilio H. Balius, O.D.
President-Elect
 Michael A. Fregger, O.D.
Vice President  
 Kenneth D. Boyle, O.D.
Secretary/Treasurer  
 David W. Rouse, O.D.
Chairman of the Board  
R. Andrew Wiles, O.D.
Trustees 
 Kenneth W. Lawson, O.D.
April L. Jasper, O.D.
Stephen R. Kepley, O.D.
Barry J. Frauens, O.D.
NSU Board Liaison 
David S. Loshin, O.D.

FOA Endorsed
Service Providers 

EyeCarePro.net
Building Better Optometry Web Sites
(866) 886-4442
www.eyecarepro.net
An AOA Preferred Provider
 

FOA Insurance
Brokerage Service
Various Insurance Plans
401 Office Plaza Dr.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(888) 232-4136
www.floridaeyes.org
 

IC System
Debt Collection Services
P.O. Box 64639
St. Paul, MN 55164-06391
(800) 279-6520
www.icsystem.com
 

iSekurity, Inc.
Identity Theft Protection
2701 Cambridge Court
Ste 411
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
(877) 838-5734
www.isekurity.com
 

Owen Business Systems
Coding Books, Office Forms
1749 NW 27th Court
Pompano Beach, FL 33064
(800) 634-1876
 

Signet Armorlite
KODAK Lenses/3MOptical Supply
1001 Armorlite Dr.
San Marco, CA 92069
(800) 759-0075
www.signetarmorlite.com
 

Vision West, Inc.
Membership Buying Group
1927 Avenida Plaza Real
Oceanside, CA 92056
(800) 640-9485
www.vweye.com

 

President's Message

Emilio H. Balius, O.D.
FOA President

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am honored and privileged to take over the leadership role of this organization.

I want to thank the outgoing president, Dr. Andy Wiles, for a fantastic job this past year. He worked very hard on our behalf and represented our state proudly.

I want to thank my friends in optometry, my local society, my family and my wife for all the behind-the-scenes help and unwavering support.

As your incoming president I promise to be open-minded, honest, and work hard on your behalf. The current board and I will protect and watch over Florida optometry, regardless of the type of practice.

We, as a profession, seem to be constantly attacked by other professions, legislation and sometimes even criticized by some of our own doctors. It takes active participation and not from the sidelines for us to change these views in the future.

For those that practice in Florida and graduated within the last few years, we must always remember that in 1987 optometrists started for the first time in the history of our state to prescribe topical medications for ocular conditions, and shortly there after began co-management of post surgical cases. Before this time, which is not that long ago, we were only doing refractions. Those privileges that you and I enjoy today were put in place by a lot of folks who put in a lot of energy and money into changing the way we practice optometry today. I urge you to not sit and watch but help shape the future of our profession by not complaining but contributing to it. A single voice will not be heard and a few dollars won’t get us too far in our state capital. Collectively is how we got here and is the only way we are going to move forward.

I know that I am going to have a very productive year because I have come to know that the strength of the board does not solely rest on the president but on the supporting members of his team. The strength of the board lies in the diversity, opinions and experience of the individuals around you and this group possesses all those qualities.

Please be loud and let your colleagues that don’t belong to organized optometry know that we are tired of having them ride our coat tails. We the 20 % that carry the other 80%, need their help to achieve a better place in health care for our profession.

Best Wishes,

Emilio H. Balius, O.D.

Board Certification

Board Certification
Edward K Walker, O.D.,F.A.A.O.

You are likely aware the House of Delegates of the American Optometric Association recently voted to create the American Board of Optometry (ABO) for the purpose of developing a process to issue “board certification” in optometry.  Supporters of “board certification” argue it is necessary to demonstrate optometric continuing competence to managed care organizations, third party payers, and private insurance companies.

The purpose of this correspondence is not to advocate for or against “board certification” by ABO, but to address some confusion that has arisen among Florida certified optometrists as a result of the House of Delegates’ decision. 

Please be advised that “board certification” by ABO will have no effect on the licensure and regulation of certified optometrists by the State of Florida.  Under Florida law, all optometrists initially licensed in Florida subsequent to July 1, 1993 are licensed as certified optometrists and are authorized to administer and to prescribe topical ocular pharmaceutical agents.  Proposed “board certification” by ABO is entirely different from licensure as a Florida certified optometrist.  “Board certification” by the ABO is purely voluntary, and is not a prerequisite to either initial licensure as a Florida certified optometrist or to renewal of that licensure.  ABO “board certification” is not a substitute for or the equivalent of a Florida license.

“Board certification” by ABO is not necessary to continue to engage in your current scope of practice as a Florida certified optometrist.  Moreover, “board certification” by ABO will not authorize you to practice beyond the scope of certification issued by the Florida Board of Optometry.  A Florida certified optometrist who secures ABO “board certification” will continue to be subject to the standard of care, standards of  practice, and continuing education requirements contained in Chapter 463, Florida Statutes, and Rule Chapter 64B13, Florida Administrative Code.  For purpose of the Florida Board of Optometry, “board certification” by ABO will not be considered as indicative of any level of competence or specialization beyond that possessed by any Florida certified optometrist.

I hope this correspondence is helpful in answering the questions that have arisen as a result of the AOA’s vote to create the ABO.

 

Sincerely,

Edward K. Walker, O.D., F. A. A. O.
Chair
Florida Board of Optometry
 547 N. Monroe Street
E-Mail: EKWOD@aol.com
Tallahassee, FL 32301-1292
Web: www.visionsource-visionarts.com
(850) 224-1184  

On the Front Line

On the Front Line
John Lewis, O.D.,F.A.A.O.

Although I thought I’d heard enough “doom and gloom” about the economy and the competition, I couldn’t help but contemplate some recent news and statistics that impact all of us:

  • Florida’s unemployment rate is up 9.6%.[1]

  • With state revenues continuing to fall, it's taken a combination of spending cuts, federal stimulus money, and about $2 billion in tax and fee increases to balance Florida’s $66.5 billion budget.[2]

  • At the end of last year, consumer spending dropped 3.8% in two consecutive quarters; the first time that’s happened since record keeping began in 1942.[3]

  • Patients are spending less. In a recent Vision Monday survey, about 82% of respondents said economic pressures are affecting their businesses.[4]

Because of these realities, I wasn’t surprised when VSP® Vision Care announced last month that it was making changes to its premium VSP Signature Plan® and several programs to increase its competitiveness in the marketplace.

The two primary changes to the Signature Plan are:

  • updates to the Contact Lens Care Program, and

  • a 30% discount for patients on non-covered, additional pairs of glasses purchased the same day as the exam in your practice.

Contact Lens Care Program

Did you know that nearly 47 million adults in the U.S. wear contact lenses, but fewer than 40% of them purchase their lenses from an independent practitioner?[5]

The updated Contact Lens Care Program offers more value to clients, so they continue to purchase VSP benefits, and more value to members, so they continue to visit our practices for care and purchase contact lens services and materials. The program provides package pricing for eligible patients who stay in-network to receive their initial contact lens exam and materials from VSP doctors.

It fits nicely with our practice because we’ve created our own annual supply program that tags in well with the VSP benefit. We explain to patients that they can get an initial supply of contacts using their VSP benefits and get an annual supply at the same rate if they purchase all of their lenses on the same day.

Patient Discount

The other change is that Signature Plan patients receive a 30% discount on non-covered, additional pairs of glasses purchased the same day as the exam from your practice. All other patients receive a 20% discount—same as today.

I’m hopeful this 30% patient discount will help me capture more same-day sales—something that has been difficult to achieve in the past. The way I look at it, when patients see added value in their plan and have incentive to purchase on the same day, there’s a good chance we’ll see increased sales. 

Best-in-Class Programs

In addition to these plan changes, VSP is enhancing several of its best-in-class programs including:

·   A robust marketing program whereby VSP continuously promotes its 26,000 doctors to 55 million members, 29,000 clients, and consumers throughout the year.

·   Eye Health Management® Program, which:

§ elevates the role of private-practice doctors in the healthcare delivery system,

§ helps practices acquire and retain patients, and

§ improves the quality of life for patients.

·   Advancing Private Practice Initiative, which includes:

§ Vision Loans® Program, which helps doctors expand their practices and hire new associates,

§ EyeSeekTM,  which helps doctors find business opportunities, including practices for sale, partnership opportunities, and qualified associates, and

§ Student Outreach Program, which helps optometry students pursue careers in private practice.

As a VSP Network Doctor for over 25 years and a VSP State Professional Representative for 10 years, I value these programs because they help support the success and growth of private practice.

There are other valuable programs I could talk about, but you get the picture. It’s reassuring to me, in these tough economic times, to know that VSP is on the front line.

I’d enjoy hearing from you and learning about your practice and how you’re weathering these challenging times. Drop me a line at johnagator@aol.com.

New Membership Benefit from iSekurity, Inc


Deter the Crime. Defend the Victim. Defeat the Criminal.

Identity theft is the fastest growing and most lucrative crime in the United States, claiming millions of new victims each year.  Everyone is vulnerable. Identity theft is devastating and can take, on average, 330 hours to reverse the damage done to its victims. Most people believe identity theft is just about credit card fraud, it’s not, it’s about using your personal information to gain employment, open utilities in your name, open new credit, buy homes, or vehicles in your name and even gain access to your health care services. 

Medical Identity theft has spiraled out of control claiming over half a million victims each year. Unlike traditional identity theft, medical identity theft is very hard to detect and, if you have become a victim, it is much harder to repair the damage.  Every time a thief uses your medical identity to obtain medical care, it creates records with their medical information that could be mistaken for yours – a different blood type, a history of drug or alcohol abuse, test results that aren’t yours, or a diagnosis of an illness you don’t have.  Unlike credit reporting agencies, health care providers are not required to delete or correct incorrect information on your medical records.

Crimes relating to Identity theft have accelerated in 2008 and are expected to worsen in 2009.  In addition to traditional methods, criminals are using more sophisticated schemes targeting the unemployed, consumers with poor credit and homeowners facing foreclosure, especially in our troubled economy, according to a report issued by the Identity Theft Resource Center, a national advocacy group of experts based in San Diego, CA.

Fortunately, the FOA has taken the necessary steps to proactively combat this growing problem. The FOA is dedicated to our members by providing quality insurances at highly discounted rates. As part of our commitment, we have partnered with iSekurity - an industry leader employing more than 200 former federal agents from the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, ATF, US Customs, IRS, and Postal Inspectors committed to fighting identity theft and fraud. iSekurity provides victim insurance coverage, credit and restoration services, and a promise to aggressively go after the criminal and seek justice should you become victimized. iSekurity provides complete identity theft protection solutions with the tools to deter the crime, defend the victim, and defeat the criminal.

Identity theft affects 10 million people per year, costs businesses over $50 billion, and unsuspecting consumers nearly $5 billion to restore the mess that has been made of their credit and legal identity.

Identity fraud against consumers has reached epidemic proportion and consumers are looking for a solution.  By choosing iSekurity, you will be a part of that solution.

Below is a brief description of iSekurity and it's services:

·         Sekure Scan ℠ - iSekurity’s proprietary scan searches multiple databases to create your comprehensive “life history” report to detect suspicious activity early.  This report is more than just a credit check and includes everything from your entire address history, all financial account information to criminal acts committed in your name.  As an iSekurity member you will receive a Sekure Scan annually.

·         24/7 Victim Hotline - anytime access to and assistance from iSekurity’s victim hotline.

·         Criminal Investigation- an expert iSekurity agent will be assigned to manage your case and launch an aggressive investigation to identify the person(s) responsible for stealing your identity, including assisting law enforcement in the arrest and prosecution.

·         Financial Recovery- reimbursement up to $25,000 per year of identity restoration costs, legal defense expenses and lost wages. 

·         Reverse Bounty Guarantee- if iSekurity cannot identify the person(s) responsible for the crime against you within 12 months of the start of their investigation, iSekurity will pay you an $11,000 bounty.

iSekurity has the most comprehensive identity theft protection service in the market today.  They provide early detection, insurance coverage, credit and identity restoration services in the event a member becomes a victim, similar to other providers.  Unlike other providers, iSekurity will investigate the fraud against their members and identify and locate the criminal and assist in their arrest and prosecution.  Identity theft is a crime and both iSekurity and FOA know that the only real way to stop the impact of a crime is to stop the criminal. 

The Florida Optometric Association has recently contracted with iSekurity to offer the most revolutionary identity theft protection service on the market to all FOA Members, family, staff and friends at highly discounted pricing. All information regarding iSekurity and it's services can be found at www.floridaeyes.org or, for more information regarding identity theft and what you can do to protect yourself, please contact our NEW identity theft protection provider, iSekurity, at 877.838.5734 Monday thru Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm EST.

Dr. Mario M. Perez

EyeCare Pro

Can My Web Site Serve Patients While Selling Products?

It's quite common for practices to customize their web sites in an attempt to simultaneously achieve two primary goals: 1) to serve existing patients and capture new ones, and 2) to sell optical products such as frames and contact lenses online. The question is, can a practice successfully achieve both goals with a single web site?

If properly built, a web site can certainly achieve the first goal of serving existing as well as new patients by including background information about the staff, the practice's location, and contact details, along with self-service tools such as questionnaires, appointment scheduling, and insurance forms.

Achieve One Goal at a Time
In addition; part of the first goal of serving patients online does tend to also include a sub-goal of selling optical products to them. In this scenario, it appears that the second goal of selling products has been achieved, but in reality, this is only partly true. Yes, the web site is able to sell products to existing patients, but it is unlikely to function well selling products to any visitor, specifically to non-patients who view the web site.

Non-patients, who are actively seeking to buy a pair of eyeglasses, sunglasses, or to refill their contact lenses, are not interested in the background information about your practice that is most prominent if your web site is designed to serve patients. They will not see a web site that is geared toward purchasing optical products online. Therefore, it would seem that the two primary goals of an optical practice's web site - 1) serving patients and 2) selling products - are at odds with each other.

Two web Sites are Better than One
The goal of serving existing patients is not achieved in the same way as selling products online to any site visitor, whether they are patients or not. They each require different styles of web site, with a different primary focus and with different information requirements. Because of this, it is unlikely that a single site can successfully achieve both goals. Consequently, when establishing expectations as to what the site will achieve, leave out the expectation that this will be a one-stop-shop for everyone.

If you try to force your web site to make everybody happy, you're likely to end up making nobody happy. The solution for achieving both goals is now fairly obvious; build yourself a second and separate web site that is 100% e-commerce focused. In this manner, you can better achieve your two primary goals: 1) Your first site can serve existing patients and capture new ones, and 2) Your second site is a perfect sales tool to sell optical products such as frames and contact lenses online.

EyeCarePro.net is an FOA Endorsed Service Provider for optometric web site services. We are pleased to see that EyeCarePro.net's technology and vision for developing and servicing optometrist web sites has led to its recent selection as an 'American Optometric Association Preferred Provider' of web site services. The AOA now refers any web site development inquiries to EyeCarePro, as do we.

 

 
 

Members in the Spotlight

 

Dr. Robert Greenberg

There was no birthday cake waiting on the Wakulla County Airport’s grass strip, but the Panacea runway hosted a special birthday celebration Sunday, July 12 for an area skydiver.

But this skydiver was not your “Average Joe” jumping out of airplanes. Dr. Bob Greenberg, 85, an optometrist at the Wal-Mart Vision Center in Crawfordville and at a Tallahassee private practice, was pondering how he could celebrate his birthday. Jumping out of an airplane was the perfect way, he said.

He recently followed the example of former President George Herbert Walker Bush by jumping from an airplane to celebrate his 85th.

Dr. Greenberg kept his eyes open July 12 as he and his Wal-Mart Vision Center Manager Matt Kirksey each took a turn diving from approximately 10,500 feet among the clouds over Panacea.

Kirksey was first to jump and said the chill of the cold air surprised him. “I was wearing shorts and it was 50 to 60 degrees up there in July,” he stated. “I skydived once before so it wasn’t as scary as the first time, but I was nervous.”

For Greenberg, the plan was to keep his wife out of the loop and keep her from worrying about him. “I didn’t tell her about it,” Greenberg said. “But she told me later that she overheard me talking to my daughter about it. She didn’t let on that she knew. She was a good sport about it.”Greenberg’s wife passed up the opportunity to be at the airport for the jump. It was attended by Greenberg’s daughter and son-in-law as well as friend and colleague, Kirksey.

“It was fun,” he said. “I always wanted to do it. Now I can take it off my bucket list. I’ve done it once, that was enough.”

When Greenberg is not jumping out of airplanes he is serving the vision needs of North Florida. “I like what I do,” he said. “I’m not going to quit.”

Greenberg’s skymaster weighed more than he did during the tandem jump and the first part of the jump featured a view of the sky for the optometrist. When the parachute opened, the view of the ground became clear with Alligator Point, Wakulla County and even Leon County.

“I could see all around,” Greenberg said. “The view was beautiful. I didn’t realize how much water was around us and not just the ocean.”

“I was really excited for him,” said Kirksey. “I though he might get some sort of cold feet, but he did fantastic. The view as awesome.”

Reflecting back on the experience, Greenberg said his wife said “she hoped I had fun. She told me ‘if that’s what you want to do, go for it.’ I’m 85. I’m not sure I’ll get a chance to do it again.”

 

Dr. Joni Scott-Weideman

Joni Scott Weideman was recently recognized by Tallahassee's WCTV as Tallahassee's Best Young Optometrist of The Year.

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/53077692.html

You don't always have to be on the front lines to serve your country. Many men and women never fight in the war, but still do their part to help the troops.

One FSU grad is doing just that as she's making sure all the troops headed overseas have the proper vision to protect and serve.

Dr. Joni Weideman works on another patient, but her work is more than meets the eye. Dr. Weideman is not only an optometrist at the VA Clinic in Tallahassee, but she's also a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. That title has allowed her to see the world. But not as a tourist. Weideman travels overseas to provide eye care is a disaster relief mission.

"I completed two humanitarian missions, one to the Philippines and one to East Timor."

"The sense of gratitude you get from your patients is immense and you really come back with a feeling of how blessed you are to have health care here."

Dr. Weideman is a doctor of many firsts. In 2007, she began Florida State's first pre-optometry internship program with the VA. This past year, she developed the first residency program at the Tallahassee VA. And working with the vets is what it's all about.

"Every day I come in, the veterans know me by name and they give me the best feeling ever serving them."

But Joni is more than just your average eye doctor. Actually, according to the Florida Optometric Association, she's the Best young doctor of the year. It's an award she won in July and a title she holds in high regard.

As for the future, Dr. Weideman will continue to grow her practice at the VA hospital. But her dream is to head overseas. She drills with the 622nd ASTS in Georgia and has asked numerous times to help her country, but has been denied each time. So for now, what she can do is help the veterans of Tallahassee and continue her overseas missions, doing her part to help those in need.

"We're there to serve them. We do get a sense of what it's like to live in that lifestyle."

 

Membership it has it's Advantages

Membership: It has it’s advantages

 

The FOA “Be One, Get One” membership campaign has been an outstanding success with new members joining the FOA, and a rewards system to those who recruit ‘Doctor-to-Doctor’ to join organized Optometry.  Here is a historical snap shot of the events which have created excitement and successful member recruitment and retention to our association:

·         In 2003, FOA President Alan Shaffer initially launched the “Be One, Get One” campaign concept, in an attempt to grow the FOA membership through doctor-to-doctor outreach.  Dr. Michael Carelli – Chairman of Membership Development and his committee were charged with the task and a goal of 75 new members was selected for the twelve month period from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004.  The result was 80 new members joined organized Optometry (local societies, FOA, and AOA).

·         In 2004, FOA President Jim Cobb continued the “Be One, Get One II” campaign, and working with the Membership Development committee a goal of 75 new members was established for the period of July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005.  The result---101 new members joined.

·         In 2005, FOA President Scott Pearl continued the “Be One, Get One III” campaign, and working with the Membership Development committee a goal of 80 new members was established for the period of July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006.  The result---116 new members joined.

·         In 2006, FOA President Terry Tucker also continued the “Be One, Get One IV” campaign, and working with the Membership Development committee a goal of 85 new members was established for the period of July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.  The result---120 new members joined.

·         In 2007, FOA President William “Bill” Tanke continued the “Be One, Get One V” campaign, and working with the Membership Development committee a goal of 90 new members was established for the period of July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.  The result---86 new members joined, and while not meeting the desired goal – the membership program continued to receive national acclaim for the concept of direct doctor-to-doctor recruitment.

·         In 2008, FOA President R. Andrew Wiles continued the “Be One, Get One VI” campaign, and working with the Membership Development committee a goal of 90 new members was established for the period of July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009.  The result---115 new members joined.

 

FOA President Emilio Balius has again continued the “Be One, Get One VII” membership campaign and a goal of 90 new members during the July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010, has been established…and as of this news article a total of 10 new members have already enrolled as members of organized Optometry.

 

It is very clear that the past six (6) years of the FOA membership campaign “Be One, Get One” works, but the real key to the success of the program is YOU, as a current member of the FOA.  The “Be One, Get One” program includes two (2) annual awards with winners drawn during the annual FOA convention.  The awards are as follows:

Grand Prize A…each Local Society Membership Director must join a minimum of five (5) members during the year’s membership drive to qualify for entry in this category.  Those who qualify are included in the pool with one potential winner receiving $ 600 FOA dues credit.

Grand Prize B…each individual Doctor of Optometry who recruits a new member is entered into the pool and five (5) winners are determined through the annual convention drawing, with a chance to win $ 200 FOA dues credit.

 

The five (5) 2008-2009 Grand Prize B winners were:

Dr. Patricia Bailey of Lake City

Dr. Emilio Balius of Coral Gables

Dr. Laura Clune of Ft. Lauderdale

Dr. Robert Davis of Pembroke Pines

Dr. Paul Gruosso of Tampa

 

So think about local O.D.’s in your area who are not FOA and local society members and encourage them to join by inviting them to coffee or lunch to discuss the benefits of organized Optometry or invite them to your next local society meeting.  Whichever method works best for you in this ‘doctor-to-doctor’ outreach---you could be our next year’s winner of FOA dues credit when that individual joins their peers as a member of the FOA. 

If you have questions about this program, contact Dr. Michael Carelli (772) 529-4982 or the FOA office (800) 388-2334 and speak with Amanda. 

Please also remind potential members that we have several different membership categories including: regular, partial practice, special class, and retired membership.

The future of organized Optometry in Florida is our strength of membership---and doctor-to-doctor recruitment has proven to be an outstanding way in which to gain new members. 

 

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