6 things you missed at Vision Expo West 2015

Las Vegas-Even if you made it to Las Vegas for Vision Expo West 2015, there’s a good chance you didn’t catch all the action.

Don’t worry-we’ve got you covered.

CooperVision introduces Best Practices initiative

During Vision Expo West, CooperVision unveiled its Best Practices initiative, kicking off a nationwide search for honorees. According to the company, Best Practices will discover and recognize U.S. eyecare practices that have found unique ways to make their businesses thrive and can share a refreshing perspective with the entire profession.

“Being an eyecare practitioner is more challenging than ever, with pressures and stresses coming from sources far and wide,” says Gary Orsborn, OD, MS, FAAO, FBCLA, vice president of Global Professional and Clinical Affairs, CooperVision. “Yet every day, we hear stories about how practices are overcoming these challenges in new, inventive, and exciting ways. Through our Best Practices initiative, CooperVision is partnering with the profession to recognize creativity and success, and then share these stories to inspire new ways of thinking and drive excellence in eye care.”

All U.S. optometry practices currently fitting contact lenses are invited to participate. Best Practices candidates are encouraged to submit practice profiles and stories, sharing their insights and experiences in one or more of the following areas:

• Innovation will be evaluated on contributions to the betterment of eye health and education, leveraging technology in interesting ways to grow the practice, and advancing the eyecare profession among the public.

• Patient experience will be judged on how a practice delivers excellent eyecare experiences and education to its patients, and unique aspects of patient care.

• Business culture will be rated on a cultivation of staff, an enriching working environment, and community impact in relation to the overall success of the office.

Candidates can choose to submit their stories via written responses or video at EyeCareBestPractices.com. Applications will be accepted through Monday, November 23, 2015.

The selection committee includes:

• Jason E. Compton, OD, AOA Board Member

• Alan Glazier, OD, FAAO

• Andrew J. Sacco, OD, FAAO

• Gary Orsborn, OD, MS, FAAO, FBCLA, CooperVision vice president

The inaugural Best Practices recipients will be announced in January 2016. Honorees will be broadly recognized among their peers, and be presented with opportunities to help educate and elevate the profession through the telling of their stories across the U.S. Practices receiving the honor may be invited to serve on high-profile professional panels, meet with members of the eyecare and medical news media, and contribute to knowledge-building white papers. In addition, honorees will be able to participate in enhanced training and educational meetings at CooperVision facilities or in other locations.

Next: RevolutionEHR launches Rev360

RevolutionEHR launches Rev360

RevolutionEHR announced the launch of Rev360, a new eyecare professional (ECP) business services company that offers a full-circle view of the practice to provide clarity and drive business performance and profitability.

“We are at the beginning of a data-driven ECP business era. We believe the power of data is the foundation for ECP business owners to create lasting value in their practice,” says Scott Jens, OD, CEO of Rev360, who remains in the same role for RevolutionEHR. “ECPs need services that lighten their load and provide clarity to reduce costs, increase profits, and bring joy back into their practices. With RevolutionEHR at the core, Rev360 is uniquely able to deliver practice data-driven services that provide ECPs the clarity and confidence not just to survive, but to perform and thrive.”

Rev360’s SmartFlow for Sight technology is the latest innovation currently in development. SmartFlow will provide RevolutionEHR users a streamlined experience to order products for their patients directly from manufacturers with simplicity, efficiency, and speed.

“Think of SmartFlow like Amazon for opticians, providing patient-specific product search, comparison, selection, and built-in delivery tracking for ordering lens and contact lens products from a massive product catalog, virtually from anywhere,” says Dr. Jens.

Rev360 will initially offer RevCycle for revenue cycle management and RevAssure for friendly EHR medical record audits, all built around and enabled by RevolutionEHR in the practice. SmartFlow is scheduled for availability in 2016.

Next: SightRisk USA identifies potential AMD patients

SightRisk USA identifies potential AMD patients

SightRisk USA, exclusively distributed by MacuHealth, officially launched its cloud-based algorithm to eyecare professionals to help identify patients at risk for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

SightRisk USA was developed through a collaboration of a team of research scientists who assessed and documented both modifiable lifestyle and non-modifiable risk factors of thousands of patients studied, who were diagnosed with AMD and through a detailed review of over 300 published scientific manuscripts. The proprietary algorithm behind the SightRisk questionnaire prioritizes, compiles and weighs the risk factors based on the patient’s answers creating a unique report that the eyecare professional and staff can review with their patients. This report will help identify young and healthy patients with risk profiles that through consultation and eyecare professionals’ recommendations may delay or even prevent the onset of blindness from AMD later in life.

“It is important to take preventative action,” says Frédéric Jouhet, managing director of SightRisk. “Modifiable lifestyle factors such as smoking and a poor nutritional diet have been scientifically and clinically shown to increase the risk of developing AMD. Educating patients and continued monitoring of patient choices as early in life as possible will help reduce these risks. Optometrists have an opportunity by implementing SightRisk to provide greater value to their patients’ overall healthcare and as a contributing member of an ACO.”

Using SightRisk is very simple. An editable PDF can be emailed or faxed to a patient to be completed prior to his eyecare appointment. The staff takes the patient’s answers, adds in the answers for five clinical questions from the doctor, and the report with a set of unique recommendations is created. The questionnaire can be easily integrated with other practice patient history forms.

Next: Marco releases Ion anterior segment imaging system

Marco releases Ion anterior segment imaging system

Marco introduced its Ion imaging system, which combines a new intra-optics beam-splitter/camera adapter with the tremendous computing and imaging power of the latest Apple Technology.  

According to the company, Ion combines all of the bulky components (digital camera, adapter, computer, monitor, multiple cables, keyboard, mouse, etc.) of the traditional photo slit lamp into an all-in-one device. Ion includes an app dedicated to anterior segment imaging that consists of:

• Patient demographics

• Pre-set photography modes maximizing the various lighting techniques for video or still images

• Auto storage to the cloud

•  Local network for EMR or PACS integration 

“From the very beginning, Marco set out to redefine slit lamp imaging. The idea was to fuse the latest technology with a wealth of imaging experience. The result is a highly intuitive device that delivers on image quality and streamlined workflow,” says Marco President David Gurvis. “We believe Ion is a game changer.”

Next: Digital Eye Lab unveials EZConnect with partner Silhouette

Digital Eye Lab unveils EZConnect with partner Silhouette

Digital Eye Lab (DEL), a division of ABB Optical Group, announced the launch of EZConnect, a new service for ordering a complete pair of eyewear. For the introduction, Digital Eye Lab has partnered with Silhouette International in support of the launch of its new Adidas Performance RX program.

Adidas Performance RX will be filled exclusively by Digital Eye Lab using its new EZConnect service, an online portal that allows ECPs to order eyewear and lenses at once, eliminating the need to send frames to the lab.

“This collaboration with Silhouette and launch of the exciting Adidas Performance RX program is the foundation for our EZConnect service,” says ABB Optical Group Vice President of Eyewear Nan Meehan. “With this new service, we are bringing frames and digitally fabricated lenses together using a streamlined and efficient web portal created for eye care professionals.”

Digital Eye Lab Managing Director Scott Pearl says, "We are pleased to introduce ABB Optical Group’s customers to the EZConnect service through Digital Eye Lab. We are very confident that the logistics, quality and service improvements found within EZConnect will reinforce our customer base's ability to compete and win.”

Next: PFO Global launches JustTheRx.com

PFO Global launches JustTheRx.com

PFO Global announced the launch of its two new websites and a new associated program.

The program and B2C website JustTheRx.com will launch on October 1, 2015. Consumers will have the opportunity to purchase online Just the Rx vouchers for the lens types, lens material, and coating options which are redeemable through eyecare professional (ECP) practices willing to embrace the new system.

According to PFO Global, its solution has the potential of reseeding clientele lost through online Internet eyewear sales back to ECPs. The offering is expected to create the opportunity for re-growth in the ECP's patient portfolio, while utilizing the professional care necessary for dispensing eyeglasses. The solution meets the needs of value conscious consumers interested in savings, while promoting, addressing, and maintaining the quality of direct brick and mortar care, according to the company.

"Our proprietary patent pending program, and the Just the Rx/Get Rx system, has the potential of being a game changer for the industry, placing traditional ECPs on a level playing field with low-cost online providers, while importantly still maintaining quality control,” says Jeff LaPlante, PFO global executive vice president of business development. “We specifically designed our offering to help correct the myriad of hazardous issues associated with online ordering of eyeglasses, not limited to returns by the patient. Our intention is, and will always be, to drive quality and profitability back to the ECP-where it belongs."

The program is designed as an extension program for ECP practices to take advantage of patients visiting the website with the choice of ordering company-branded single vision or free-form progressive addition lenses. Materials include polycarbonate 1.67 and 1.74 ;clear, photochromic or polarized lenses are available, in addition to AR or AR/HEV coatings.

Prescription parameters cover a large patient population with sphere powers ranging between +8.00 D and -10.00 D with cylinders up to -5.00 D. Progressive adds range from +0.75 D and up to +3.50 D.

ECPs accepting the vouchers are able to redeem them by ordering the complete eyewear through the Get the Rx B2B website. The website will pre-populate the patient's lens selections via the unique voucher codes, and the remaining ordering information and frame information is populated by the ECP. When the order is completed, the Get the Rx site automatically generates a pre-paid shipping label to send the frame to the lab at no charge to the practitioner.

When the glasses are returned, the glasses are wrapped in the "dispensing fee"-a check made out to the ECP for $25 for each single vision and $50 for each progressive that are successfully dispensed to the patient.

For 30 days, ECPs are not charged remake fees for remakes due to Rx changes or dispensing errors; however, a $50 postage and handling fee is assessed.