news
Hot List: January 2012
Alicia Isenberg Hoglund
1 Social Studies
A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that Americans are diving into social networking sites. A total of 41 percent of respondents reported having a profile on a social networking site, with Millennials leading the charge.
| Millennial (ages 18-29) | 75 percent |
| Generation X (ages 30-35) | 50 percent |
| Baby Boomers (ages 46-64) | 30 percent |
| Silent (ages 65+) | 6 percent |
2 CLICK, CLICK!
According Crowd Science's latest JustAsk! survey on advertising attitudes, a whopping 76 percent of adults ages 55 and older click on online advertisements, more than any other age group.
3 FROM A TO Z
In its 2010 Report: Generation Analysis, marketing and branding agency Sparxoo revealed that 60 percent of Generation Z wants to consume relevant, interesting advertisements, and predicts marketers will fuse entertainment with usergenerated content to reach these tech-savvy consumers.
4 HE SAID, SHE SAID
Boston-based branding firm AMP Agency's “Inside the Buy” study of Generation X and Y consumers reported the top influencers that drive their purchase decisions.
52% online consumer reviews
41% feedback from a friend
37% number of positive online reviews
Sunshine Act to Track Payments to Optometrists Delayed
Implementation of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, coined the “Sunshine Law,” originally set for Jan. 1, 2012, has been postponed because of the delay in promulgating regulations. The purpose of the law, which was included within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in March 2010, is to prevent fraud abuse and waste in the healthcare system by making the public aware of payments made to applicable healthcare providers. Under the new law, all manufacturers of “covered” drugs, biologicals, devices, and medical supplies will be required to report all payments to or on behalf of physicians and teaching hospitals to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS).
On Dec. 19, 2011, the CMS published proposed rules in an effort to define the scope and process for reporting obligations, under which “physician” is to include ophthalmologists and optometrists and “covered device” is to include any device for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including contact lenses, spectacle lenses and frames, and various diagnostic instruments.
The rules are subject to public comment until Feb. 17, 2012. All comments will be reviewed by the CMS. Final rules are expected to be published this year. CMS is also considering requiring manufacturers to begin tracking payments 90 days following the publication of final rules, with a partial year report due on March 31, 2013.
The Vision Council has released an overview of the law to its members on its website: thevisioncouncil.org/members/content_7641.cfm?navID=601
| License Lineup |
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| Tura, Inc., and Ted Baker have renewed their partnership by signing a long-term license agreement for the design, production, and marketing of Ted Baker ophthalmic and sunwear collections in North America. ESPRIT has renewed its license agreement with longtime partner, Charmant, Inc., for the design, production, and marketing of the ESPRIT eyewear collections. Charmant and ESPRIT have been collaborating on the brand's eyewear collections since 1994. |
Hong Kong Fair Sets Records
The 19th Hong Kong Trade Development Council's (HKTDC) Hong Kong Optical Fair set new records in early November 2011 with more than 600 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions on hand. The number of vendors in the Brand Name Gallery was also at an all-time high of 150 exhibitions in the section. The show also featured its first ever Contact Lens and Accessories zone.
HKTDC and the event's co-organizer, the Hong Kong Optical Manufacturers Association, sponsored several seminars, including GfK's Market Outlook 2012 as well as presentations by The Vision Council's Ed Greene, who spoke on standards, and Jamie Shyer of Zyloware Eyewear, who talked style trends.
At the show's 13th annual eyewear design competition, Chu Kong Optical Manufactory came out on top in the corporate group, while the entry Show-Big took first place in the individual arena.
This was also the ninth year of the Hong Kong Optometric Conference, which focused on vision development and myopia. Co-sponsors included HKTDC, The Hong Kong Optometric Association, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The show also represented Hong Kong's first use of QR technology, which buyers used to instantly connect with exhibitors.
The 2012 HKTDC Hong Kong Fair is slated for Nov. 5 to 7. Visit hktdc.com for more details.
| 1. Sam Lee, who founded the Subcrew street fashion brand in 2003, is center stage for the launch of “Subcrew by Mikli”; 2. High-end names abound in a colorful village atmosphere; 3. Models showcase the latest designs from the Brand Name Gallery; 4. The Vision Council's Jamie Shyer presents “A Global Eyewear Tour”; 5. Premium Korea was among the many wellattended country pavilions; 6. The winner of the 13th Hong Kong Eyewear Design Competition in the Individual Group was Show-Big, designed by Lai Pui Yan |
2011 Transitions Academy Awards Program Finalists Named
Transitions Optical, Inc., recently announced the finalists of the 2011 Transitions Academy Awards Program, which recognizes leading optical labs, retailers, independent eyecare practices, and vision benefits brokers for their commitment to growing their businesses with Transitions lenses as well as promoting eye health over the past year.
The three finalists for the 2011 U.S. Lab of the Year include: Optical Prescription Lab, Pelham, Ala.; Soderberg Ophthalmic Services, Minneapolis; and Toledo Optical, Inc., Toledo.
Finalists for the 2011 National Retailer of the Year are: Costco, Eye Care Centers of America (ECCA) & Empire Vision, and LensCrafters.
2011 Regional Retailer of the Year finalists include: Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center, headquartered in Phoenix; Eyear Optical, headquartered in McAllen, Texas; and SVS Vision Optical Centers, a 53-office chain operating in Michigan and Ohio.
The 2011 Eyecare Practice of the Year finalists include: Complete Family Vision Center, San Diego; Preferred Eyecare Center, Mount Pleasant, S.C.; and Smyth County Eye Associates, Marion, Va.
Transitions Optical also announced the three finalists for the second annual 2011 Vision Benefits Broker of the Year award: Anya Simpson of Benefit Plans, Inc.; Steve Farmer of Wallace, Welch and Willingham; and Patrick Tibbs of Everence Financial Advisers. These finalists will be honored during the Managed Vision Care track at Transitions Academy.
All of the winners will be recognized during a special awards ceremony to be held on Jan., 31, 2012, during the 16th annual Transitions Academy at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. Winners will also receive additional awards, including cash prizes and attendance of the 2012 Transitions Championship.
| New Program | New this year, Transitions Optical introduced an awards program to formally recognize and celebrate independent eyecare practice partners who are actively promoting healthy sight to their patients and within their local communities. See the winning strategies this year's three finalists—Complete Family Vision Care, Preferred EyeCare Center, and Smyth County Eye Associates—use to promote healthy sight in their respective regions. ■ COMPLETE FAMILY VISION CARE. Staff members at San Diego-based Complete Family Vision Care attribute much of their success with Transitions Optical to following the Doctor Driven Dispensing model in 2011. They've found that the perfect time to prescribe Transitions lenses is when the patient is in the exam chair. Optometrist Eric White and his team use many of Transitions Optical's marketing materials to explain the benefits of Transitions lenses and also recommend the product to almost every patient—especially to those who use smartphones and tablets outdoors. ■ PREFERRED EYECARE CENTER. Located in Mount Pleasant, S.C., staff members at Preferred EyeCare Center find it easy to help patients make the connection between the need for UV protection and healthy sight. Practice owner and optometrist Rachael Click often refers to Transitions lenses and photochromic technology as sunscreen for the eyes, which helps her keep the UV protection message top-of-mind among her patients. Click recommends Transitions lenses by filling out a form that ranks her recommendations during each patient exam. The same form is then used as a reference for the rest of the staff, ensuring that the entire team is recommending the same options. Plus, all of the workers at Preferred EyeCare Center wear Transitions lenses. ■ SMYTH COUNTY EYE ASSOCIATES. During weekly staff meetings at Smyth County Eye Associates, located in Marion, Va., role playing is used to ensure the entire staff is on the same page when talking about UV protection and the benefits of Transitions lenses to patients. Owner and optometrist Susan Keene and her team encourage their patients to proactively take care of their eyes by eating right, taking nutritional supplements, and selecting the right eyewear. Patients are asked to complete Transitions Optical's consumer-friendly Eyeglass Guide in the waiting room, something Keene says has helped her and her staff better understand each patient's eyewear needs. |
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Practice Director Updates its EHR Software
Practice Director Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams Group, is set to release updates to its ONC-ATCB certified EHR software, including numerous clinical data efficiency enhancements. In addition, the company has moved its service to Amazon Elastic Cloud Compute (Amazon EC2) and will now provide a patient portal through Amazon Web Services, allowing patients to securely access their electronic eye health information on demand. Practice Director will also be using Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) to deploy software updates to clients by allowing Practice Director users to pull software updates down over the Web at their convenience.
| Test Your Mettle! |
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| Whether you're new to your profession or have been in practice for 20 years, remembering everything you've learned is one tough assignment. To help you clear any cobwebs, Test Your Mettle features one question each month for optometrists from a previous Varilux Optometry Super Bowl and one for opticians from a National Federation of Opticianry Schools College Bowl. Thanks to Essilor and NFOS for providing this month's questions and answers. OPTOMETRY Q.With your static retinoscopy at 67 cm using the plane mirror, your patient has against the rule astigmatism of 1.75 diopters. What is the net finding if the horizontal meridian neutralizes with a −1.75 sphere? OPTICIANRY Q. If the Rx is −2.50 +1.50 X 135, what is the amount of cylinder power exhibited at axis 090? For the answers, go to end |
VSP Names New President
VSP Global has announced the appointment of Jim McGrann to the role of president of VSP Vision Care, effective January 1. He will replace Gary Brooks, who has retired after 33 years with VSP.
McGrann was the senior vice president and chief information officer at Marchon before joining VSP in 2008. McGrann was also CEO of Eyefinity and most recently served as chief technology officer for VSP Global, a role that he will continue to fill in the interim.
| Safilo to Acquire Polaroid Eyewear from Stylemark |
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| Safilo Group announced that it has signed an agreement with the StyleMark Group for the acquisition of the Polaroid Eyewear business to expand its house brand portfolio. Safilo will acquire Polaroid Eyewear for a consideration of $87.5 million. The Polaroid brand is expected to record 2011 sales of approximately $63 million and generate an expected EBITDA of around $8.75 million. The close of sale is expected for the first quarter of 2012. Following the signing of the agreement, Safilo Group and it's main shareholder, Multibrands Italy, B.V., controlled by HAL Holding N.V., have entered into a loan agreement and an investment and underwriting agreement, under which Multibrands will grant financial support to partially fund the Polaroid acquisition. Last month, during Safilo's Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting, the company's board of directors unanimously approved the capital increase, against payment, reserved for Multibrands Italy B.V. |
ABO-NCLE National Opticians Conference Moves to D.C.
This year, the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO-NCLE) will host the 5th Annual National Opticians Conference in Washington, D.C., from Nov. 1 to 4, 2012, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel.
Attendees will experience the latest in technology, techniques, and optical frame fashion in the Optical Exhibit Showcase. The four-day event will also include ophthalmic dispensing and contact lens-related education in both didactic and hands-on forums, presented by the industry's top speakers and educators.
INFO: abo-ncle.org
| ODLean MARKS TWO YEARS |
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| February marks the second anniversary of the ODLean program from The Vision Care Institute, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson Company. The ODLean program features a team of process experts dedicated to helping optometrists hone their practices and realize tangible overall growth and success by helping to uncover constraints and develop practice-specific, customized, implementable solutions. Using real life, real time, and real practice information, ODLean consultants look at an individual practice and break down all patient interaction in an effort to minimize non-value added time—meaning patients don't wait—and optimize profit. The result is a streamlined patient experience. There are different program levels: Capacity ODLean, smoothing patient flow and optimizing the experience through analysis and a detailed implementation plan; Demand ODLean, increasing patient traffic based on key demographics in target areas; and Balanced ODLean, striking a balance between practice capacity and patient demand. All levels offer the potential to yield greater business and significantly increase cash flow. INFO: 904-443-1081, thevisioncareinstitute.com/odlean |
STAR Gazers
1. Tennis star and “The Biggest Loser” trainer Anna Kournikova was spotted wearing Carrera sunglasses in model Champion by Safilo.
2. Golfer Fred Couples in Kaenon Polarized style Klay Matte Black G12 sunglasses. Couples won the AT&T Championship with the first sevenstroke victory on the 2011 Champions Tour.
3. New Orleans Saints quarterback and Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees sports Nike Vintage 77 shades by Marchon.
4. Actress Jenny McCarthy donned Alexander Daas style “Wisdom X” glasses while presenting Adele with the Favorite Pop/Rock Album award at the American Music Awards.
5. Actor David Boreanaz in Tommy Bahama shades in style TB6010 by Altair Eyewear. Catch Boreanaz as Seely Booth in the FOX hit TV crime drama, “Bones.”
| Test Your Mettle ANSWERS |
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| Thanks to Essilor and the NFOS for providing this month's questions and answers. Optometry Answer: −1.50 −1.75 X 090 Opticianry Answer: +0.75 (50% of total cylinder power) |
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