By Staff
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 12:24 AM
DALLAS—
AEG Vision, an owner and operator of more than 150 leading optometry practices, has successfully reopened all locations after temporarily closing during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Staff
Thursday, July 2, 2020 12:21 AM
BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—Keplr Vision, a management organization that offers a comprehensive operational and support platform for optometric practices, announced on Wednesday a series of transactions involving eyecare practices in the Pacific Northwest. Among the transactions are the acquisition of the practices operated by optometric industry leaders Dr. Bradley Smith and Dr. David Wolf.
By Staff
Wednesday, July 1, 2020 12:24 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (APS) on Tuesday raised concerns about the final Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Contact Lens Rule, which was issued last week, as
VMAIL reported. The Alliance, in its statement, said the FTC’s final contact lens rule “fails to adequately address the dangerous practice of utilizing computer-generated voice calls to verify contact lens prescriptions and places significant burdens on doctors,” among other shortcomings cited by the Alliance for Patient Safety.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 12:27 AM
ST. LOUIS—
EyeCare Partners (ECP), one of the leading optical retail groups in the U.S., has acquired
Arizona Eye Institute & Cosmetic Laser Center (Arizona Eye), a leading ophthalmology group based in the northwest Phoenix market. The deal, in which Physician Growth Partners (PGP) acted as adviser to Arizona Eye, was completed earlier this month, according to EyeCare Partners. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. EyeCare Partners is backed by the global investment firm Partners Group.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 12:21 AM
DALLAS—
Eyemart Express is celebrating its 30th anniversary by recommitting to its founding mission, “Improving Lives by Helping People See Better,” and will engage with associates and customers to mark this milestone through several other programs, according to a recent announcement. These programs include offering customer giveaways, inviting store associates to participate in “Pay It Forward” programs, seeking to improve lives with charitable giving, and the launch of a commemorative eyewear collection, among other promotions.
By Staff
Monday, June 29, 2020 12:24 AM
BALTIMORE—In celebration of Healthy Vision Month in July,
Versant Health has launched a new resource center providing tools that enable people to take command of their vision health. This is an important, “but often overlooked, indicator of overall health and wellness,” Versant Health said.
By Staff
Friday, June 26, 2020 12:15 AM
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—
Transitions Optical has launched a new online training resource, the Transitions Certification Program. This new Transitions Certification Program offers two ways to participate: one for individual eyecare professionals (ECPs) to become a Transitions Specialist and another for eyecare practices to become a Transitions Certified Provider, according to an announcement this week. ECPs can become a Transitions Specialist by completing the required online training and passing a quiz. Once completed, they will receive a certificate, a lapel pin and a social post they can use.
By Staff
Thursday, June 25, 2020 12:30 AM
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The
Federal Trade Commission voted 5-0 yesterday to approve a
Final Rule amending the agency’s Contact Lens Rule, which facilitates shopping for contact lenses by requiring prescribers to automatically provide a copy of a patient’s prescription to the patient and to verify or provide prescriptions to third-party sellers. The Final Rule, known as 16 CFR Part 315, requires prescribers to request that their patients confirm that they have received their prescription, and allows flexibility in the way the prescription and confirmation are provided, the FTC said in a statement.
By Staff
Thursday, June 25, 2020 12:24 AM
TAMPA and BOCA RATON, Fla.—
Healthy Eyes Advantage (HEA) and leading HIPAA compliance solution provider
Abyde have announced a partnership that will provide access for HEA’s 10,000-plus independent ECP members to Abyde’s complete HIPAA program.
By Staff
Thursday, June 25, 2020 12:21 AM
MANALAPAN, N.J.—Registration is now open for the
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) international online conference at the
nora2020.com site. The conference will be available live online on Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13. All presentations will be available on demand through Oct. 31, 2020.
By Staff
Wednesday, June 24, 2020 12:24 AM
ST. LOUIS—Facing the challenging times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the American Optometric Association this week said it was able to make a “historic response” and conduct the election for its 2020-2021 board of trustees via a virtual ballot.
By Staff
Monday, June 22, 2020 12:41 AM
Optometrists had already begun exploring telemedicine when a pandemic and stay-at-home orders resulted in an explosion in its use. Download this
Special Report from Review of Optometric Business to find out what platforms and technologies are available to start telemedicine in your optometry practice now and keep it going not just to meet safe distancing guidelines but also to improve patient service while adding a new revenue stream going forward.
By Andrew Karp and Mark Tosh
Monday, June 22, 2020 12:40 AM
Many optometrists began using ocular telehealth this spring, when the spread of COVID-19 and subsequent shutdowns of optometric practices and optical retail stores cut them off from seeing patients in person. We spoke with several optometrists who are new to telehealth about what their experience has been like. They report that remote consultations via a mobile app have proved to be an effective means of providing at least a basic level of care.
By Andrew Karp and Mark Tosh
Monday, June 22, 2020 12:39 AM
NEW YORK—With interest in telehealth on the rise across eyecare, several ECP alliances and buying groups have taken steps to help their independent OD members gain access to telehealth technologies and/or training resources. Among the groups providing such services to members are Healthy Eyes Advantage (HEA), Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA), ABB Optical Group and the California Optometric Association (COA), among others.