A L LD O C S

ASSOCIATION OFLEASEHOLDINGLENSCRAFTERSDOCTORS

ALLDocsALLDocsThe

NewsletterRx Therapeutics for Practice Growth

Fourth Quarter 2007 INSIDE:2008 MembershipApplication

specifically instruct their staff to rein-force the message about OPTI-FREE® Re-pleniSH® MPDS. Their messages are sim-ple and straightforward, emphasizingthat this solution comes with the doc-tor’s prescription. The staff at the officeof Kevin Snipes, O.D., Louisville, KY,says, “The doctors highly recommendOPTI-FREE® RepleniSH®.” The staff at theoffice of Steven Pinard, O.D., MaysLanding, NJ, echoes an unambiguousrecommendation, saying, “OPTI-FREE®

RepleniSH® is the most biocompatiblesolution on the market, and it’s whatthe doctor recommends for your lenses.”

Some O.D.s encourage their staff toemphasize the efficacy of OPTI-FREE®

RepleniSH® with silicone hydrogel lensmaterials. At the office of Perry Krieger,O.D., Cedar Falls, IA, for example, staffsays, “We are prescribing this as your solu-tion. It is the most biocompatible with the

new-material lenses, so they feel com-fortable throughout the day.”

The staff members at the office ofKevin Glancy, O.D., Champaign, IL,say something similar to patients aboutOPTI-FREE® RepleniSH®. “This works withthe newest lenses. We discourage youfrom using generic solutions.” ■

Survey: ALLDocs O.D.s Actively Prescribe Solutions

The ALLDocs annual meeting inOctober in Scottsdale, AZ, drewthe largest attendance in the

group’s history and rave reviews.Among comments to the meeting or-ganizers was this one from Chad

Krietlow,O.D., Blaine,MN. He says, “Iattended theALLDocs meet-ing for the firsttime this yearand just want-ed to say that Iam not plan-ning on miss-ing another

one! Thanks for the efforts you put inall year to make this happen. I reallyappreciate it after being there firsthandto see it!”

Mike Hooks, O.D., Birmingham,AL, says, “What a first class meeting.

The ALLDocsmeeting andGive the Giftof Sight areamong thehighlights ofmy associa-tion withLensCrafters.”

Themeeting featured continuing education,time with the vendors and time for so-cializing and entertainment, includinga performance by ALLDocs membersRobert Goldberg, O.D., New YorkCity, who sang opera, and Alan Hy-mowitz, O.D., Atlanta, GA, who ac-companied him on the piano. ■

(l-r) Drs. Robert Goldbergand Alan Hymowitz

(l-r) Presenter Dr. JohnMcGreal and Alcon’s EdZajac

(l-r) Drs. Joe Watson, Minneapolis; VinceFacchiano, Belvedere, IL; and Richard Hults,Twinsburg, OH

In a recent ALLDocs survey sent tomembers, all who responded say it iseither important (81 percent) or some-

what important (19 percent) that O.D.srecommend contact lens solutions.

The vast majority (93 percent) alsomakes a point of telling patients thatthey should stay with the brand of multi-purpose solution the O.D. is recommend-ing. And to ensure that contact lenses arebeing thoroughly cleaned and disinfec-ted, the majority also recommends thatpatients gently rub their contact lensesbefore putting them in the case.

Recent news about contact lens solu-tion recalls and publicized cases of Acan-thomoeba keratitis also have changed theway O.D.s discuss contact lens care withpatients. The respondents all say theynow talk about contact lens solutionsmore than they did two years ago.

Nearly half of the respondents

SAVE THE DATE!ALLDocs 2008

October 19-23, 2008The Breakers • Palm Beach, FL

Lecturers,Vendors and Entertainment ShineScottsdale annual meeting a success

Larr

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oyse

ALLDocsALLDocsThe

Newsletter2

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

Arizona Meeting

Organizing meetings can be ex-hausting, but after this year’s

ALLDocs meeting in Scottsdale, I feltinvigorated. It was a great meeting,and we were able to accomplish ourgoal of building on our theme of medical billingand coding. Not only did the program cover thenuts and bolts of coding, we also provided courseson the medical care required to support those codes.

We also had three software vendors there tohelp us jumpstart the conversation on electronic medical records.Equipment companies helped by showing O.D.s how their diagnosticand other instrumentation can support the practice of the future.

Special thanks go to the board members who worked tirelessly tomake this meeting a success. Richard Hults, O.D., handled the negoti-ations with the hotel and created much of the program. Bill Fox, O.D.,handles our treasury—a thankless job. Jack McIntyre, O.D., and DaleStein, O.D., helped develop the program by coordinating some of thespeakers and sessions. Doug Kiefer, O.D., has undertaken the com-puter demands for the organization. And Steve Rosen, O.D., tooktime out of his schedule to shoot photos for this issue of ALLDocs. Moreof his photos and others are posted on the alldocsod.com web site.

For those who came, thank you for making it a vibrant and excit-ing meeting. For those who weren’t able to make it, we encourageyou to talk with someone who did. You’ll hear them say that ALLDocs

annual meetings arecan’t-miss events.

Your ALLDocs boardis already looking for-ward to our 2008 meet-ing in Florida. Feel free tocontact me with sugges-tions for the program. ■

Kerry Gelb, O.D.drkmg@comcast.net

Dr. Gelb

A L LD O C S

ASSOCIATION OFLEASEHOLDINGLENSCRAFTERSDOCTORS

Terry Huseman, O.D., DesMoines, IA, hadn’t been to an ALL-Docs meeting in about five years.

“I used to enjoy them, but things cameup,” he says. However, after attendingthe 2007 meeting, Dr. Huseman decidedhe would make sure he won’t miss any

others. At the meeting, he says, “I toldDr. [Richard] Hults [meeting coordi-nator] that I was disappointed…disap-pointed I had missed five. The meetingshave taken a large step forward in theamount of information presented.”

Dr. Huseman says that as a result of the meeting, his practice will be movingmore steadily into the medical model.“We’ve always done some, but we’ll stepfurther in,” he says. He’s planning a visitto the office of colleague Randy North,O.D., Burnsville, MN, to see how med-ical coding is handled in that office.“The most valuable part of the ALL-Docs meeting is the opportunity tolearn from colleagues,” he says.

He has also called other Lens-Crafters leaseholders in the state whowere unable to make this year’s meet-ing. His message: do everything youcan to attend next year’s meeting. ■

(l-r) Dr. Terry Huseman, his wife Donnaand Dr. Ty Miller, Massillon, OH

No More LapsesALLDocs meetings a new priority

Thanks to the SponsorsTitle Sponsors: Alcon and CooperVisionGold Sponsors: AMO, Bausch & Lomb,CIBA Vision and VistakonBronze Sponsors: ABB◆CON-CISE, ArtOptical, Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals,Essilor USA, Crowell Systems, Crystal PM,Eyemaginations, Liquid Software, MSS, Optos,Paragon/X-Cel, Topcon, ZeaVision and Zeiss

(l-r) Drs. Karen Rosen, St. Louis; Bob Mulgrew,Tucson, AZ; and Doug Kiefer, Ft. Collins, CO

For more information from the 2007annual meeting in Scottsdale, visit alldocsod.com. Presentations and lec-tures, as well as more photos, are avail-able on the web site, which is sponsoredfor ALLDocs by Alcon and CooperVision.

Check the Web Site

3ALLDocsALLDocsThe

Newsletter

By Tom Nicholson

Before I start with the introduction into one of Cooper-Vision’s new and exciting initiatives, I’d like to intro-

duce myself. I am delighted to have met many ALLDocsO.D.s at the Scottsdale annualmeeting, where you had a ter-rific ceremony for Bob Scott,whose shoes I’ll now try to fill.

I’ve been in the contact lens industry for 20 years.Prior to joining CooperVision, I worked for Ocular Sci-ences and Bausch & Lomb. For all that time, I’ve beenimpressed with the caliber of LensCrafters leaseholdingO.D.s and their thriving contact lens practices. With myexperience in the industry, an MBA from PepperdineUniversity and my NCLE license, I am excited about theopportunities we’ll have to learn from each other.

CooperVision, which has long built its reputationon establishing excellent business relationships withO.D.s, is now offering a new, free education resourcefor you and your practices. The CooperVision OnlineLearning Center provides high-quality contact lenstraining and support in the most convenient format:online and at your convenience. Some of the advan-tages of this method of staff and practitioner learningare that the practice and student can track theirprogress; classes support new product introductions

like Biofinity™ and the material technology track; andnew classes such as the new to eye care track directlyimpact office efficiency and ultimately profitability.

Courses address a broad range of topics, fromcontact lens basics to developments in multifocal and

toric multifocal designs.The site currently offers

16 courses organized intosix tracks:

◆ Contact Lens Fundamentals◆ Intermediate Contact Lens◆ Advanced Soft Contact Lens Studies◆ Multifocal Technology◆ Material Technology◆ Toric TechnologyCourses within a given curriculum can be taken

in any order the user wants to—and at any timethat’s convenient.

The CooperVision Online Learning Center alsooffers links to accredited prepaid courses availablefrom the Contact Lens Society of America and theAmerican Optometric Association.

Practices with a CooperVision businessaccount can enroll easily on line at the web sitelearning.coopervision.com.

Feel free to contact me via email (tnicholson@CooperVision.com) or call me at 317.417.0677. ■

CooperVision Offers Online Learning Center

GUEST COLUMN FROM COOPERVISION

In a recent ALLDocs survey, mostO.D.s report that they had found asimple way to present the advantages

of OPTI-FREE® RepleniSH® to their pa-tients. Here are some of the responsesfrom O.D.s who shared their best mes-sage regarding OPTI-FREE® RepleniSH®.

“I think it’s the most biocompati-ble solution to use with all contacts in-cluding silicone hydrogel lenses. I alsolike the long-lasting comfort it pro-vides.” —Robert Duvall, O.D., Bowl-ing Green, KY

“OPTI-FREE® adds comfort to yourcontact lens wear.” —Jim Lett, O.D.,Chattanooga, TN

“I use this solution myself.”—David Tabeling, O.D., Cincinnati,OH

“This solution is approved to workwith your new higher oxygen contactlenses. It retains moisture on lenses forup to 14 hours.” —Karl Stoler, O.D.,Mentor, OH

“In the past, the solution choicewas not as critical as it is with thenewer contact lens materials. I onlyprescribe OPTI-FREE® RepleniSH® inmy office now.” —Kevin Snipes,O.D., Louisville, KY

“I talk about biocompatibility of

the solution with thematerial of the lenswith all my patients.” —Steven Pinard,O.D., Mays Landing,NJ

“This solution has beenfound to work very well with all softlenses on the market, including sili-cone hydrogels.” —Chad M. Kriet-low, O.D., Blaine, MN

“It has a proven track record andis ideally suited for today’s silicone hy-drogel lenses.” —Torrey Carlson,O.D., Johnson City, Knoxville andKingsport, TN ■

What O.D.s Are Telling Their Patients

By John Rumpakis, O.D., M.B.A.

For the past several years in this column, I have cov-ered integrating medical eye care in the areas of ocu-

lar allergy, dry eye and glaucoma. But I really haven’ttaken a retrospective look at what incorporating thecare for these conditions does to your bottom line.

Simply look at the standard of care for treatingvery commonplace ocular conditions as they existbased upon epidemiological incidence rates withinthe population. If we coded them correctly according tofederal rules and guidelines, then took the government-stated reimbursements for these services, the increasein net income would be significant as compared to me-dian practice statistics. According to the AOA publicationCaring for the Eyes of America, 2006, the median grossincome per O.D. is approximately $384,000, and themedian net income per O.D. is about $120,000. Thesenumbers are for a full-service practice, one that incorpo-rates traditional refractive eye care, contact lens care,medical eye care and optical. Why do I raise this is-sue? Some may say that by incorporating these con-cepts that we are driving the cost of health care high-er. However, I think it is very important to realize thatwe must follow the rules and guidelines provided tous by the federal government and medical carriers.These models reflect following those guidelines.

Ocular allergy as it exists based upon popula-tion statistics affects somewhere between 30 percentand 40 percent of the population. By applying thestandard of care to this disease state, government-based reimbursement guidelines suggest that thiscould generate substantially higher revenue to yourpractice each year. (See chart below.)

Dry eye affects 25 percent of the population. Byapplying the standard of care to this disease state,

government-based reimbursementguidelines suggest that this couldgenerate somewhere in the neigh-borhood of $175,000 to $225,000to your practice.

Looking just at allergy and dryeye, both easy to diagnose andeven easier to treat with state-of-the-art products such as PATADAY™ and SYSTANE©, youcould add conservatively $250,000 to your bottom line—more than double the median net income per O.D.figure we discussed before. More importantly, this is inaddition to the strong base of refractive eye care youalready are providing to your patients.

If you want to incorporate glaucoma into themix of a total patient care model, coding guidelineswould suggest that these services are worth another$30,000 to $75,000 per year depending on your mixof diagnostic testing and treatment care. A typicalglaucoma patient, who follows a standard follow-upregimen over the course of the first year, could repre-sent up to approximately $1,000 in revenue for thefirst year of care. The second and subsequent years,O.D.s could expect glaucoma patients to generateabout $500 to $600 each in professional service fees.

Bottom line: Be proactive. Letting patients knowthat you provide this care after they have an issue isan opportunity lost. They will seek the care they need,if not from you, then the ER or an urgent care facility,often at a much higher cost. With 2008 coming fast,make your New Year’s resolution today. Commit your-self to providing the highest level of care that reflectsyour training and your expertise by taking care of theentire patient—not just refractively and not just med-ically. Implement a total patient care model into yourpractice today. Best wishes for continued success. ■

Putting It All Together

IMPLEMENTING THE MEDICAL MODEL

Dr. Rumpakis

ALLDocsALLDocsThe

Newsletter4

Average reimbursement for allergic-related visits/visit $59.50Average number of visits for allergic patient

in addition to annual exam and refraction 2Annual allergic-related revenue/patient $119.00Total incremental revenue/year due to

ocular allergy $153,093.50Five-year income model of total allergy-relatedincome (assuming a 65 percent attrition rate)

Year one $153,093.50Year two $206,676.23

Year three $252,221.54Year four $290,935.06Year five $323,841.55

Allergy Annuity Model Dry Eye Annuity ModelAverage reimbursement for dry eye-related visits/visit $59.50

Typical number of visits for non-punctal occlusion patient 3

Typical revenue from Medicarepunctal occlusion patient $698.75

Typical revenue from non-Medicarepunctal occlusion patient $1,122.87

Percentage of patients undergoing punctal occlusion 5%Percentage of Medicare patients (35%) $9,476.80

Percentage of non-Medicare patients (65%) $28,282.29Incremental annual dry-eye related revenue $169,179.71

Sources: Alcon, Practice Resource Management Sources: Alcon, Practice Resource Management