A Plan for the Future

The 2012 North American Meeting in Orlando provided a platform for current and long-time members to reconnect and examine the new opportunities on the horizon. Thanks to the thousands of doctors, staff, vendors, potential new members and 30-plus students who made the trip. We hope that you returned to your practices invigorated with new ideas to incorporate into your practice.

Dr. Bobby Christensen Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning	Dr. Walt West Vice President, Practice Development

Transitions Announces Exclusive Partnership

Coming Soon to Your TV
Vision Source^® and Transitions Optical announced a strategic partnership that includes a role for Vision Source in the Transitions national television advertising campaign. In 2013, many Transitions TV commercials will be tagged or conclude with a reminder that Transitions^® lenses are available at all 2600 Vision Source optometrist locations, with the visionsource.com web site listed to locate providers.

Sherianne James, director, North American marketing, Transitions Optical, said, "By sharing the strength of our recognized brand, and the trust consumers have in Transitions Optical's photochromic lens products, we create a unique, win-win partner arrangement.” Look for more information coming to you about the partnership, including webinars and staff training sessions, contests, marketing tools and the Transitions STAR education program. “Vision Source member practices can keep the advertising going throughout 2013 by fitting and selling one more pair of Transitions lenses per day in your office, said Vision Source Chief Marketing Office Bryan D. Pinciaro.

For more information, watch this YouTube clip or listen to this rebroadcast of a Vision Source Radio Interview with Elliott Reshard, Strategic Account Manager with Transitions Optical.

Welcoming our New District Managers

Vision Source has added a team of district managers to bring value to our existing members and connect with potential new members. The district managers will work with administrators and members to be sure practices are leveraging existing programs and services to benefit their patients and their bottom line.

For Your Staff

New Role Enhances Focus on Education for All Staff

Jill Cox, who brought the VSR into existence and made it flourish, is taking on a new role to bring top education to all Vision Source staff members as director of staff education. Jill will be compiling the industry’s best education programs and creating a central location where Vision Source members and staff can access them. She’ll also be developing a collection of Vision Source-exclusive education and training programs sponsored by Vision Source vendor partners. “Some of the programs we are trying are outside of the box, and no one else is doing them,” she says. “A trained staff increases the value of what we offer to our patients.” More information will be released as it becomes available.

VSR Update

Daphne Reznik has stepped into Jill’s shoes, becoming the VSR Program Manager for U.S. and Canadian VSR programs. Daphne has been working with VSR groups in the eastern U.S. for nearly two years, and previously, she was the Michigan VSR Facilitator for seven years. Joining her is VSR Regional Field Advisor Tami Franklin, who will cover the West and Central regions. Already several new VSR groups have been launched this year: Ft. Myers, Fla.; Shreveport, La.; Coastal North Carolina and South Bay of Northern California. Several others are preparing for their first meetings.

Products and Services Just for Our Members

Vision Source Experience
There are 25 opportunities remaining in the U.S. to be a part of the 2012 Vision Source Experience: Maximize Your Practice, presented by Vision Source Vice President, Practice Development, Dr. Walt West. Each half-day program focuses on four topics: increasing affordability for patients while increasing productivity and profitability; understanding the four annuity diagnoses common to optometric practices; managing recall; and leveraging the Vision Source brand. Feedback has been tremendous for these sessions, which end with an implementation workshop so that doctors and staff leave with an action plan.

Vision Source Radio Vision Source Radio has switched to a weekly schedule. Dr. Walt West says you can still expect the same content-rich practice management tips relative to increasing profitability and managing the practice and occasional guest interviews.

Still Time Left for Sign Branding Co-op

The photos and buzz about the impact that branding has made on many practices spurred interest at the North American Meeting. The Transitions^® announcement was an added incentive for member practices to align publicly with the Vision Source brand. Egan Sign Company, the preferred sign vendor, had more than 300 requests for proposals at its booth in the exhibit area. In his opening comments at the North American Meeting, Vision Source President and CEO Dr. Glenn Ellisor had said he expected about half of Vision Source practices to be using the Vision Source brand by the end of the year, and with these developments, that number will be achieved much earlier.

There’s still time to take advantage of up to $1,500 in co-op reimbursement for an external sign. Visit vsbrandcentral.com to learn more. You can email your questions to [email protected].

Has Your Practice Had its Annual Exam?

The Member Services team can show you the true value of your Vision Source membership. For example, Jennifer Crass recently reviewed key indicators with Dr. Matthew Skrdla of Fort Collins, Colo. During the review, she found the practice was not receiving the appropriate vendor rebate because of a set up error. “I just received a check a few weeks ago for a little over $400 and another one today for a little over $1100! If she had not reviewed our account, I would have left over $1500 on the table last year!”

Call the Member Services team at 281-312-1111 to schedule your review today.