I continue to get good, thoughtful feedback on the pros and cons of ‘rating’ patients. 

How do you define a true problem patient?

The next time your receptionist says, "Guess who’s in the waiting room complaining about their glasses?”

If the correct name rolls off your tongue without thinking, they might be a problem patient!

Instead of giving advice today, I'm going to ask for your feedback on a controversial technique employed by some optometrists — rating patients based on how much they spend.

The concept is straightforward. Patients who

Dear Dr. Hayes,

I am a young female OD who opened cold in the Spring of 2008 in a major West Coast city. I am proud to say that, in spite of the recession, I am doing well.

I was profitable in 2008 with a collected gross revenue of $250,000. I am now on track to gross over $400,000 in 2009. I have a low-overhead practice and plan to net

Dear Jerry,

I started cold over twenty years ago and am now the proud owner of a two OD practice that did $1.2 Million in collected gross revenue in 2008.

Our combined net, my take home of $160,000, plus

Dr. Hayes,  

I am writing in reference to your blog of May 5 titled ‘Allocating Expenses When You Purchase A Practice’. 

I think there are two aspects to Goodwill when one OD is purchasing a practice from another OD.

One is the tax consideration, which you covered quite well in your May 5 blog. 

The other, and equally important, is

Inside Advice From A CPA 

I left off my last blog by saying that most ODs do not realize the importance of assigning dollar values for equipment, inventory and goodwill when they negotiate the purchase and sale of a practice. 

For expert advice, I collaborated on this blog with my tax resource,

Hello Dr. Hayes,

I am enjoying your blog. 

I am currently negotiating to purchase a practice and will likely move it to a new building once the sale is completed. I am trying to determine my budget using your recommended expense categories. 

OD Practice Owners Continue With Their Can Do Attitude

Let me open by thanking all of you who responded to our Sixty Second Survey. To see the complete results, click here.

How Did Practice Revenues Compare For Q1 2009 Versus 2008?

Despite being in the middle of a 6% contraction in the US economy and the worst recession since the 1930’s, nearly 60% of the readers responding to our survey report that

I love the Susan Boyle story.

A frumpy looking middle aged woman steps nervously on the stage for her Britain’s Got Talent audition and Simon the judge asks her a question.

Her awkward answer draws snickers from the audience while she appears to be totally out of her element. 

At this point, you can believe that Simon already has his finger on the X button and the boo birds are getting ready to chirp.

It’s safe to say that many people watching live were embarrassed for her. Read More | Click To Discuss