Eyetrepreneur

40 Episodes
Subscribe

By: Perry Brill and Dr. Raymond Brill

Eye care professionals and wizards of the eye industry discuss business, innovation, tech, marketing, glasses, contact lenses, clinical info, and hot topics to make businesses thrive in the opportunistic market we operate in. Learn new skills and adopt new ideas to implement in your workplace today to stay 5 years ahead of the competition.

Medical Insurance Verification Training | Process and Systems
#171
01/28/2023

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT MEDICAL INSURANCE:

What a copay, deductible, co-insurance and out-of-pocket maximums areExamples of how to read insurance cardsExamples of how to calculate what a patient owes at a visitAsking for payment from patientsCollecting insurance info ahead of visit tips

HOW TO BULK VERIFY INSURANCE AND AVOID PAYER WEBSITES:

EHRs have really bad insurance searchability features. Even those with integrations, it's a click heavy unorganized timely process. You will learn how to verify the whole patient schedule with a few steps.

IT'S ALL A LITTLE OVERWHELMING. NEED PRO HELP? HIRE...


Vision Plan Basic Training: Guide for Beginners
#170
01/13/2023

The hardest thing to train is vision plans. It's a foreign language. This episode guides you on how to speak to patients in simple terms, lookup benefits, interpret and price, and tips and tricks to have office efficiency.

This was originally a webinar so watch the YouTube replay here for  best experience. 

Training resources created for this event:

Optical Sales Quote SheetVSP Benefit Step-by-Step InterpretationEyeMed Step-by-Step InterpretationEyeMed Progressive and anti-reflective tier classifications 

Eye Help You ---email perry@eyehelpyou.co


Dry Eye Hive | Ep. 4 | Marketing
#169
01/07/2023

We discuss digital, print and internal marketing to attract dry eye sufferers to our clinics. Everything from IG reel videos to paid Google AdWords and direct mail. You can't always rely on the butts in the chair to feed your dry eye business. 

Join the live show on Wednesdays at 8:30pm ET. Register here: https://dryeyehive.com/ 

YouTube replays

Sponsors: Dry Eye Rescue and Zocular

Focused bi-weekly topic:

Clinical and business 90 mins of Q&A with peers Webcams encouraged! No slidedecks No KOL bias Education from those in the trenches


Hire a remote receptionist | 2-location Costco owner
#168
01/03/2023

How to implement a remote receptionist. Dr Dawn Kaplan, a 2-location Costco owner, describes her experience having staffing issues and then hiring remotely. 

She hired Lorenta, an experienced optician from South Africa to answer calls for both of her locations. 

Learn why hiring through Eye Help You can alleviate many of your short staffing issues. Hiring remote doesn't have to be scary when you hire people that actually have worked in the optometric field before. 

View resumes of people available for hire. 

 

 


Outsourcing vision plan claims (exams, glasses, cls)
#167
12/30/2022

Learn how an optician in South Africa remotely helps a 4+ location office in Florida sumbit ALL their vision plan claims for exams, Rx glasses, contacts, and more.

Nightly, she logs into VSP, Eyemed, etc to submit the claims and communicate back to the office if she has any questions. It frees up opticians in office to cater towards patient facing care. 

Remote Vision Billing Assisstance

perry@eyehelpyou.co


Perry's eyecare personal journey
#166
12/19/2022

Perry takes the hot seat as Helen Whitaker interviews him about his definition of success, freedom, and business growth. You'll get to hear a more candid side of Perry of his past and current eyecare career from unhappiness to debt to traveling happiness. 

Interested in mobile optical? Checkout Secure Vision's curriculum 

Learn about vision plan remote billing assistance 


Dry Eye Hive | Ep. 3 | Live with Patients!
#165
12/17/2022

The general public/patients join us this time on Dry Eye Hive from around the world.

Listen to patient cases and hear their dry eye journey. We give actionable feedback to patients and guide them towards wellness.

Dry Eye Hive is a  live dry eye show where "dry eye docs talk shop." Come to engage in a casual townhall style talk show every other Tuesday at 8:30pm ET. Learn from doctors in the trenches making it happen in their offices. 

Sponsors:

 Dry Eye Rescue

Zocular

Eye Help You...


Blue light lenses. Bullshit or true?
#164
12/04/2022

David Salk, the owner of Blue Logic Lenses and e-clips, walks us through the science and technical parts of blue light as an optician with 50+ years of experience. 

Blue light lenses have been around a decade now. It started with Crizal Prevencia and now everyone has a coating, lens material, tint, etc.

Many internet retailers are completely dedicated to selling blue light like Felix Gray with a healthy business. 

Schedule medical insurance verficiation consult with Eye Help You remote staffing service

 


Optician leadership in private practices
#163
11/28/2022

Opticians can make or break a private practices dispensary. Smart, happy and business minded opticians create profitability. Navindi, an optician in the DC area, shares how she stays disciplined and works with her colleagues in office to create the ideal optical environment for her team and patients.

Highlights:

Performance reviewsDelegationReduction of errorsProfitabilityPeer-to-peer coaching

Join our FB group

Get info about Routine Vision Billing Assistance

 

 


Dry Eye Hive | Ep. 2 | "Eyesthetics"
#162
11/22/2022

We talk about "Eyesthetics" with guest appearances from Drs. Kerry Salsberg, Jordan Friedman, Michelle Baron.  

Dry Eye Hive is a  live dry eye show where "dry eye docs talk shop." Come to engage in a casual townhall style talk show every other Tuesday at 8:30pm ET. Learn from doctors in the trenches making it happen in their offices. 

Sponsors:

 Dry Eye Rescue

Zocular

Eye Help You



 


Dry Eye Hive | Ep. 1
#161
11/20/2022

Episode 1 of 6 of Dry Eye Hive, the talk show for dry eye docs airing live bi-weekly Tuesdays at 8:30pm ET. 

It's straight Q&A with doctors in the trenches. None of the KOL stuff. It's free of sponsor pitches, regulation, and is downright informational with no slidedecks.

Signup here: https://dryeyehive.com/

Here's what you can expect:

Focused bi-weekly topicClinical and business10-min opening monologue90 mins of Q&A with peersWebcams encouraged!No slidedecksNo KOL biasEducation from those in the trenches

Support our sponsors: Zocular and Dry Eye Rescue and Eye H...


Dry Eye Docs Talk Shop - 6 week series
#160
10/27/2022

Imagine what can happen when dry eye docs all huddle on a Zoom call and just talk shop. That's what we're doing on Nov. 1 at 8:30 PM and continuing over a 6-week period bi-weekly.

No big agenda; talk about what's going on in your practice clincally and the business side to keep patients returning and referring others.

Come video ready. There's no big presentation, just conversation and mentorship Q&A style.

Register for Dry Eye Hive


Creating a 6-figure mobile optical business
#159
10/17/2022

Helen Whitaker of Secure Vision Mobile Optical Academy shares how she went from working at Costco in Canada as an optician to builing a thriving mobile business. Now, she teaches opticians how THEY CAN DO IT! 

 

Benefits of mobile optical? 

Low startup costs Minimal inventory  No rent Work when you want Every appointment is a guaranteed sale Opportunity for 6-figure income with hard work
 

 Checkout the online course how to get started with your mobile optical.

Join Eyetrepreneur FB group

Remote staffing for your office


Frame rep job role and income
#158
10/08/2022

Frame reppin' is not a luxurious job. It's hard work. Some reps make 6-figures and others just have a day job with modest income.

Topics:

how they produce incomebeing an employee vs 1099 workerexchange policiesdownside of travelingyears to build a territoryhow to break into the biznightmares

Eye Help You remote staffing

Facebook group

Practice management newsletter

 


Inventory management of eyewear | Optical Obsessed LIVE
#157
10/07/2022

Nothing is worse than frame inventory out off control. Lost dollars, pressure from boss to sell, backroom stacked. Discussion of best strategies for purchasing, stocking, re-stocking, doing inventory, and sell through.

Join Optical Obsessed LIVE

Learn about remote staffing through Eye Help You

 


 


Different way to sell a practice
#156
10/03/2022

There's other ways beyond private equity and doctor-to-doctor sales to harvest a business you have grown.

Amplify EyeCare is revolutionizing eyecare by purchasing practices and developing a nationwide network of medical & specialty eyecare practices, amplified with investments in training, management, marketing, & technology.

Eye Help You remote staffing service

Signup for Eyetrepreneur newsletter

Learn more at https://amplifyeyecare.com

avner@amplifyeyecare.com for inquiries


Mystery Shop Calling Practices LIVE
#153
09/12/2022

Perry mystery shop calls 10+ offices.

How's the front desk at your office? Are they answering optical questions appropriately to drive sales and traffic? Or, do they say "I don't know" or wrong unenthusiastic answers?

On the calls, he ask questions like:

Can I get my PD?Do you carry frames for big watermelon heads?What's the cost of a progressive?Do you carry XYZ brand?What's the price of an eye exam?How fast can I get my glasses made?What do you do for myopia control?

Optical Obsessed LIVE - Sign Up...


Vision Therapy From Home
#152
09/05/2022

Perry chats with Edwards Marques, CEO of Vision Science Labs.

The online platform was designed to enable all eyecare professionals to provide Vision Therapy for treating minor to severe binocular vision conditions. The digital tools allow clinicians to assign as lists of activities for home and in-office treatment while managing, monitoring, and reporting patient progress.

 

Vision Science Labs

Join every Wednesday at 8pm ET for optical education on Optical Obsessed LIVE stream.

Learn about Eye Help You, Perry's remote staffing business. 


Office Hours #1: Fallon Wants to Proactively Change Office But Doesn't Have a Clear Path
#151
06/23/2022

Fallon walked into what she  feels is a storm waiting to strike with no proper training, no one to push the office to succeed. She is determined to navigate this on her own and wants to better herself in every way.

Main issues described in Fallon's words:

 I would like to learn how to properly prioritize every patient is one coming into our office and avoid the constant missed or same day canceled slots that I feel could be avoided.I want everyone being checked in consistently and properly billed.How to manage my time on no...


Sticker shock, overselling and unhappy patients | Optical Obsessed Live
#150
06/13/2022

Dealing with refunds and unhappy patientsWhen you forget lens-add ons; how to handleNot overselling Sticker shock, how to addressChoosing tints

Attend the show live every Wednesday at 8PM ET. Register here.

View YouTube recordings with video.

Link to pricing guide for frame tags


39dollarglasses.com | How an OD started e-commerce in 2000
#149
06/10/2022

Launched in 2000, 39DollarGlasses.com was developed by Dr. Marc Weinstein and Dr. Lee Marlow who wanted to create an inexpensive method for people to acquire high-quality, finished prescription eyeglasses. 

Sleeping glasses mentioned

Eye Help You (remote staffing)


Closing the sale, outside Rxs, and dealing with insurance shoppers| Optical Obsessed LIVE
#148
06/04/2022

This is episode # 1 of a weekly live talk show video series called Optical Obsessed LIVE. All of these episodes are optical focused on business, technical skills, product sourcing, customer service, and other hacks. 

In this episode: 
-Dealing with the typical insurance shopper

-Getting men into colorful frames

-Learn to not be afraid to close a sale

-Greet outside Rxs immediately or risk losing the sale

-Fixing nosepad irritation

 

Attend the show live every Wednesday at 8PM ET. Register here. 


Level Up Operations, Tech, and Marketing in Your Optometry Practice with Perry Brill
#147
05/25/2022

Where are the bottlenecks in your optometry practice? How do you uncork them?

Perry is a guest on The Optometry Money Podcast.

Perry Brill talks about this and much more. Perry has several years of experience managing the operations of a successful private optometry practice, to go along with years of experience and great insights on eye care technology and marketing. Perry dives into practice operations and bottlenecks, what the future holds for eye care technology and marketing, and what areas practice owners can consider outsourcing.

Check out www.optometrywealth.com to get...


WALDO Contacts | DTC Brand Enters ECP Channel
#146
05/23/2022

WALDO contacts is a UK-based company that has entered the USA market. They are known for their Direct-to-Consumer model but are making strides to become engrained with optometrists with a revenue-sharing platform. 

Whether the patient buys online, or in-office the doctor gets credit for the sale. Buying from the big-4 contact lens companies is one form of purchasing and we as a profession should be open to exploring others.

www.hiwaldo.com

Got feedback? Email perry@eyetrepreneur.com


A Tale of an Optometry Tech Founder | Scott Jens, OD
#145
05/22/2022

Scott Jens shares his journey from student, optometrist, and finally a technology founder of RevolutionEHR. 

How technology aids in better life satisfactionWhy rapid technology adoption is more key than ever for private practice to stand out against private equity, online, etc.Why collaboration amongst vendors is keyHow a curious ECP can explore technology ventures----a few guiding steps ---many have ideas but need to help with the executionMarketing for B2B companies is more important than gorilla sales

Check out Scott's podcast, Sandbox Stories.

Contact Perry at perry@eyetrepreneur.com

 

 


Human Resources using Professional Employer Organizations
#144
12/31/2021

Managing employees can be a pain. The payroll, the compliance, hiring, firing, and all the crazy benefit packages we must offer to stay competitive in private practice. Not to mention, everyone wants health insurance but costs are outrageous for non-corporate employers.

You'll learn how to save money and time on human resources in your office and be less reliant on yourself or an office manager to keep everything running: payroll, health insurance, professional insurance, unemployment, IRA, 401K, workers comp, background checks and everything else.

https://eyedealsolutions.com/

john@eyedealsolutions.com

 


Pre-Shop Eyewear Technology
#141
12/15/2021

Every business allows customers to pre-shop online except optometry. We tend to hide our merchandise  in our offices/stores rather than use our websites to allow patients to see our real-time inventory. Optify is the company that allows your patients to select frames before coming into your office. This gets them excited to buy and saves your staff 15 minutes per patient.

Watch your capture rate increase when your patients can pre-shop online even weeks before an exam.

Email jenn@optifyonline.com

Get 15-min Optify demo

Learn about Opti-Xpres online forms


See to Learn (FREE exams for kids!)
#140
11/29/2021

See To Learn was developed by the Eye Care Council as a preventive program to help make sure every child’s early education is unaffected by vision problems. Through See To Learn, parents can schedule a FREE vision assessment for their 3-year-old child in a participating optometrist's office.

seetolearn.com

Schedule Opti-Xpres Demo

Join our FB Group


Ideas 41-50, practice improvement tips
#143
11/27/2021

Ideas 41-50 on improving your practice with actions now.

Be adamant about collecting patient emails.Utilize MailChimp or other email apps to do monthly mail blasts. Put your credit cards on autopay Don't offer half down payment on eyewear initially. Avoid staff overtime abuse. Overtime is okay if there's a reason for it, but not just to milk the clock.Throw away those crusty old magazines nobody readsKeep your pharmaceutical samples stocked. Don't waste money on branded company pens. Clean the nasty forehead grease and makeup offInvite your friends to this group for more tips!

Text 913-349-5436...


Corporate OD tips to open a private practice
#142
11/26/2021

Interview of Perry by Dr. Maria Sampalis of Corporate Optometry Facebook group.

Many young ODs start in corporate optometry and learn so much, some will continue to grow within a sublease opportunity while others use it as a starting point to open a private practice. Listen in to learn how to start a successful optical, how to purchase frames and make lens selections in your practice to maximize profits without seeing so many patients per day!

Get Opti-Xpres online forms

Text Perry at 913-349-5436 for anything eyecare. 


Stop Doing Bookkeeping Yourself
#139
11/08/2021

Optometrist Wade Weisz, former private practice owner, started For Eyes Bookkeeping to help optometrists relieve themselves of the dreaded task. Learn why outsourcing can be cheaper, get a better ROI,  and set up your business of for success with clean financial reporting. 

It’s time to stop relying on an overworked staff member, an ill-trained part-timer, an expensive full-time employee, or, worst of all — yourself — for these important duties. Your resources are better spent seeing patients, growing your practice, and making the right business decisions.

 

Contact wade@foreyesbookkeeping.com

Learn about Opti-Xpre...


Real Estate: Lease, build or buy your practice location?
#138
10/18/2021

Dr. Brill leased his 1st office space in 1983. He eventually expanded the footprint and then started building his real-estate dream in 2003.

When a professional practice is combined with earning income from tenants, long-term wealth can be built. Learn how he went through the decision-making process to build a building, how he got a loan, the troubles he encountered with bad tenants, and other risky decisions.

PracticePal: Relieve Vision Plan Problems

Opti-Xpres: Online forms custom for YOU

Get our email newsletter!

 


Corporate Optometry Facts, Fiction, & Knowledge
#137
10/11/2021

Interview with Dr. Maria Sampalis who's an influential corporate optometry leader. She famously created the Corporate Optometry Facebook group to give these docs and staff members a voice.  

Given the choice of commercial or private, all things the same with salary and everything else, why should any OD choose corporate?Do corporate docs feel this is another form of private practice?Does practicing in a corporate setting change the morals of the optometrists in terms of how they provide care (customer vs patient)?Can someone who has worked in a commercial setting for 10 years make the transition from a tr...


Ideas 31-40, practice improvement tips
#136
10/06/2021

Ideas 31-40 actionable items to improve your practice today:

Clean the outside windows to your office. It's a direct reflection of cleanliness. Hire someone; your time is more valuable in the lane.Employ a shredding service for PHI documents. They come monthly for a reasonable fee.Utilize an app like Dext to take pics of business receipts for purchases to store for tax purposes, audits, good bookkeeping, etc. It reads the text and categorizes purchases.Utilize a service like Compliancy Group for HIPAA compliance. I know, feels like a waste of money for this shit, but HIPAA has...


Ideas 21-30, practice improvement tips
#135
10/02/2021

Ideas 21-30 actionable items to improve your practice today:

Dust your dusty optical shelves and rods. Patients notice.Don't bank on your old ass OCT or other equipment to last forever. Replace before you are in deep shit.Time your computers to timeout and lock. It's a privacy hazard leaving computers open to the public.Does your lab suck and frustrate you? Switch, don't be lazy. They likely won't even notice if they are shitty.Comanage your multifocal cataract referrals. The dollars add up.Comanage your LASIK referrals...many pay $800+Help staff or co-workers get their 1st credit...


Subscription Wholesale Eyewear for Your Practice
#134
09/28/2021

Learn how a monthly payment of $179 can get you access to 80 quality frames in your office and complete Rx pairs easily made. 

Eyewear package pricing creates affordability and pricing transparency in your office. Not everybody cares to spend $300 - $800 and be confused by add-on pricing.

Optical-X has developed a wholesale subscription eyewear program where you have ZERO inventory  costs. This allows you to maintain office cash flow and provide patients with competitive pricing for private-pay patients, those tempted to shop online or hit up your nearest chain eyecare retailer.

info@optical-x.com

...


Ideas 11-20, practice improvement tips
#133
09/26/2021

Ideas 11-20, actionable items to improve your practice today. Perry's off-the-cuff recommendations. 

Update your outside building signage. LED sign makes the difference. Old signs = old crappy businessFire your complaining staff member...they suck the energy out of everyone.Consult ABB Contact Lens Monitor publication to determine if your CL prices are too low.Clean your carpet at least bi-annually! Hire a pro.Outsource your insurance billing....for $40,000+ dollars a company can do it better and cheaper.Consider selling to private equity if your practice is $850,000 + in gross charges...don't be stupid, at least check the value before saying N...


Ideas 1-10, practice improvement ASAP
#132
09/21/2021

10 actionable items to improve your practice today. Perry's off-the-cuff recommendations. 

Clear the clutter off the front desk (looks matter)Consider charging $25 for frame/lens warranties to cover staff labor and shipping. 100 warranties a year could be $2500 in recovered revenue.Drink more water. We're all dehydrated.Assess if your EHR data is backed up to 2 different off-site locations.Drop your lowest paying medical plan if your schedule is fullGet all opticians business cards and work emailsLearn how to use a scribe in the exam roomBring in a frame line that's $100 more expensive than your most expensive line. Don't prejudge y...


SpiltMilk Eyewear: Hot New Humorous Brand
#130
08/10/2021

There's lots of funky eyewear in the market. SpiltMilk is a new NYC brand that brings humor and laughter to eyewear design. Hear the story from start to finish of how the brand was created. Eyewear is very serious and this company just makes you laugh.

Co-founder Judge Khanna gives you all the secrets about how he budded into the competitive market and why you should consider selling this indie line.

Contact SpiltMilk Eyewear

Get FREE Vernon Gantry Frame

Opti-Xpres Digital Solutions


2 NYC Docs Make $19 Wholesale Frames
#131
08/04/2021

Vernon Gantry  was created 5 years ago by NYC doctors Scott Tisdale and Pauline Leong, both of who co-own a private practice together in Long Island City. Warby Parker infiltrated the NYC market hard at one time and they went on a mission to create a safety net around their optical sales.

Learn about $19 wholesale frames you can sell in your office for 5-10x markup and why wholesale brands may be ripping you off.

By eliminating the sales reps, licensing fees and advertising costs that are often employed by traditional eyewear companies, they are able t...