In-House Lens Production Provides Freedom

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CV616 ImageCrystal Vision Optical in Saskatchewan Canada, owned by James Hollstein, licensed optician, has been using the Q-2100 Digital Lens System and nanoCLEAR AR since 2006. When asked what he likes best about the technology, he responded “freedom”. “I now have freedom from the big labs for 90% of my lens sales,” he shared. “Most orders are complete same day and my in house lab costs are low enough to compete in any market and still make a profit,” he added.

The onsite lens production also adds a level of service, not readily available at other optical locations in the area. When asked to share a success story, Hollstein detailed, “A man and his wife wanted two pairs of glasses each. They were all progressives. They each wanted sunglasses. They were amazed that all their glasses were ready the next day and they impressed with service we can provide with our Optical Dynamics system.”

Be Our Guest

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Repost The New OD, Optometric Management March, 2015

In today’s evolving healthcare environment, it’s become vital to separate yourself and your parctice from the crowded landscape. Utilizing proven business models from the marketplace is a great place to start.

Consider the elite hotel brands across the globe whose mission has become impeccable customer service. …This high level of doing business can become your way of doing business if you follow these simple principles

  1. The Art of the Greeting – Ensure that your staff members greet patients by saying, “Welcome to (insert practice here). My name is (insert staff member’s name). How may I help you. Reminding patients where they’re receiving excellent patient care helps establish your brand. Bellman
  2. Dress for Success – From the front desk to the technician, and especially in the optical center, it’s important to have a uniform or dress code.
  3. The Attitude – You can’t train happy and nice and good social skills are hard to learn, too. Therefore, it’s imperative to begin with the end result in mind and hire for personality rather than job skills or experience – in certain positions.
  4. Be Our Guest – Develop a culture that promotes the patient as a guest. When you pass a patient in the hallway, say hello or offer a friendly smile and make sure your staff does the same.
  5. Classy Clinics – Closely monitor your physical space. Please your eyes where patients do by sitting in your waiting room, exam rooms and optical and notice everything.
  6. Don’t Tell the Patient, Show Them – When you are staying at a prestigious hotel, you’re taken there by a staff member. Your staff should do the same.

Providing 5-start service is a great way to build patient loyalty and increase referrals.

Proper Mold Handling

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After processing a job, your molds will normally have some monomer residue and flashing stuck to the surface. All excess debris must be removed before the mold can be used again successfully.  Cleaned molds must be stored properly to guarantee mold safety while the mold is not in use. Also, proper mold storage simplifies the picking process when the mold is needed again.

Scrub-A-Dub

Molds must be cleaned after each use. Molds should be left in the soaking bins for at least 5 minutes before cleaning.  Scrub molds thoroughly with the disposable mold scrubber pads.  Pay special attention to edges.  Rinse molds with running water if it is available.  If running water is not available, use a container of tap water. (Remember to change the rinse container water frequently.)  Spray rinsed molds immediately with Q-Spray and wipe them dry.  Never store a wet mold.

TIP: Thoroughly clean and dry all molds. Anything left on a mold can cause an issue the next time it is used. This includes water spots.

The Q-2100 Lens System comes with several hundred digital free form molds.  It is very important that they are stored properly in order to keep them organized.  Each space in the mold storage unit is labeled for one specific mold.  Make sure the mold you place there is the right one.

Pick a clean and dry mold.  Read the mold designation near the edge of the mold and find the proper storage location in the storage unit.  Put the mold back into its wrapper and put it into the allotted space.  Do not put a mold into a space that is already occupied by another mold.  Be careful not to bump molds against anything while storing them.

TIP: Always store molds properly. The protective wrapper prevents scratches and can help identify molds. Return molds to their proper storage locations so you can find them quickly.

 

Instant Replay:

  1. Take mold from soaking bin and scrub
  2. Rinse mold
  3. Spray mold with Q-Spray and dry
  4. Place mold in protective wrapper
  5. Return mold to proper storage location

Westchester Medical 16 Years & Going Strong with In-Office Lens Technology

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“The Optical Dynamics progressive lens, produced with the Q-2100 Digital Lens System, provides consistent and strong optics for 99% of all patients.,” says Ken Usatch, who runs the optical shop at Westchester Medical in White Plains, NY.  He is referring to the Optical Dynamics tabletop lens production system that he strongly recommended to the practice 15 years ago.

“It took me about 18 months to talk this medical clinic into taking on the Optical Dynamics system, but I had seen what it did in another practice in NY.  I highly recommended it, and I can safely say that most opticians have no idea how great this is,” Usatch added.

Optical Dynamics has spent the better part of two decades assisting practices with reducing their lab bill by offering a turnkey, in-office system that saves his practice 40%, according to Usatch.

“The industry has moved to expensive free-form lenses.  I have seen the casting capabilities, and even in the beginning, Optical Dynamics offered lens-making that produced digital quality lenses that had strong wearability, and did what they were supposed to do,” Usatch remembered.

He indicated that he uses a height of 17 ½ “ as a guide for the progressive lens client. He also indicated an upswing in the new product categories of sunSMART and of ultraSUN – which is good for all people. “They don’t have to go into a polarized lenses, and, it can be used as a sports lens as well,” he pointed out.

For the average optical shop, there is a perception that several thousand dollars is a lot of money to invest into a small, tabletop system which is ergonomic, clean, quiet, and self-diagnostic.  “I say it is the best thing that money can buy to make money and provide patient value in this business,” Usatch added.

Create a High-Efficeincy Practice

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In an article in Optometric Management, the editor offers six tips to maximize your patient flow for increase profitability.

Tip 1: When it comes to administration think “e”. By allowing your patients to schedule appointments and  fill out patient forms online, you can free up to 45-minutes a day for your employees and free up time for your patients as well.

Tip 2: Utilize high-tech equipment. The use of high-tech equipment in both diagnostics and production is key to increasing practice profitability. <end article> With the Q-2100 Digital Lens System you can produce free form quality lenses at a fraction of the time and cost as with traditional labs. Dispensing lenses with just-in-time delivery will be noticed by your customers and they will return with repeat business. Everyone wants things quickly and efficiently and this in-office technology allows you meet the expectations of the consumer. <begin article>

Tip 3: Delegate. Don’t try to be the keeper of all the knowledge. Share information and give your employees the opportunity to grown and expand their abilities in the work place.

Tip 4: Provide staff training. Do multiple people know how do do the same job? If not, they should! Cross train your staff in dispensing, lens production and administrative tasks. By cross training your team you will operate at peak efficiency.

Tip 5: Schedule weekly staff meetings. Industry leading consultant Dr. Richard Kattouf recommends you schedule weekly staff meetings at which discussions on how to refine individual responsibilities are discussed to maintain efficiency and enthusiasm.

Tip 6: Value your time and your patient’s. Time is important to everyone. By focusing on efficiency creating choices, you will see an improvement in the time you and your patients spend at the business. Your family will appreciate it and so will your customers.

A Lens Fell into My Post Cure

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Don’t worry, if a lens falls into the post cure oven, follow these simple steps to remove it.

Immediately turn off the machine.

Disconnect all power and data cables from the post cure unit

Remove the fill stand set it aside

Tilt the post cure unit onto its back

Turn the machine around so that the fill stand plate is facing you

Tilt machine toward you and set the machine upside show on the fill stand plate with the drawer facing you

Tilt the unit toward you so that the drawer faces the floor

Open the drawer and gently shake the unit if necessary

The lens should fall out