Eyecare Plus practitioners have been encouraged to embrace new opportunities to build business at the group’s annual High-Performance Boot Camp and Annual General Meeting on the northern beaches of Sydney.
Members travelled from several states to attend and witness inspiring addresses from keynote speakers including Liz Ellis OAM, former Australian netball captain, and a highly informative session about Medicare billing run by Simon Hanna from Optometry Australia.
Mr Lewis said Supply Plus had received positive reviews from suppliers who expressed willingness to support Eyecare Plus as the program is rolled out
Marketing and Distribution
Marketing consultant Damian Morgan inspired optometry practice owners to develop attention grabbing local marketing strategies for the new year, with support of Eyecare Plus head office and by taking advantage of Eyecare Plus’ CanStar Blue ranking for the most satisfied patients in Australia.
Eyecare Plus CEO Simon Lewis added to the discussion on marketing providing insights into the organisation’s work to build its online profile with a new streamlined and faster loading website, and Facebook and Instagram campaigns, all supported by search engine optimisation strategies that include geo targeting, Google adwords, and digital advertising.
Mr Lewis spoke about forthcoming brand promotions and marketing campaigns, both implemented and under development, to support the group’s optometrists. These include cross promotions with community groups like NSW Seniors. He also discussed initiatives to support the patient journey currently being piloted.
Optometrists heard about Supply Plus, a virtual warehousing system that is set to revolutionise the way Eyecare Plus optometry practices manage stock and orders. All Eyecare Plus frame partners will now have their product held in a virtual warehouse where they can be searched by brand, colour and size. Optometrists will hold inventory as display stock and order frames with lenses from the warehouse. Suppliers will receive frame orders and send them to the nominated lens laboratory for fitting and forwarding to the practice. Frames fitted with lenses will be supplied within Eyecare Plus’ normal delivery time.
Mr Lewis said Supply Plus had received positive reviews from suppliers who expressed willingness to support Eyecare Plus as the program is rolled out.
Lids by Design
Britain Todd, founder of Contour RX in the USA, travelled to Australia to speak to Eyecare Plus about Lids by Design, “a safe non-invasive solution for common eye conditions and an ocular aesthetic”.
Lids by Design, are adhesive lid contouring strips, which are now available to Eyecare Plus practices, and can be used by optometrists to lift heavy hooded eyelids, enabling a more thorough eye examination.
Ms Todd said she developed the adhesive correcting strips to meet her own needs – a loss of collagen and elasticity had caused her upper eyelids to become hooded, which were causing headaches and making her look tired and prematurely aged. Ms Todd noted that conditions like bell’s palsy and stroke can be other causes for hooded lids.
Available in different sizes and presented to practices in a full kit, the strips instantly recontour the shape of the eyelids to reduce headaches and improve vision, depending on the extent of hooding. The strips can also be used for cosmetic enhancement and to correct asymmetric eyelids.
Board Changes at AGM
At the Eyecare Plus AGM, there was a change to the Board, with much-respected Sydney optometrist SooJin Nam retiring, and Melbourne based optometrist Liz Muller elected by the members to replace her.
Ms Muller is the only Victorian based director and Chairman Justin Durkin welcomed her election.
“Liz will be a very welcome addition to the Board; she is very successful in private practice, and it’s great to once again have a Victorian voice on the Board”, said Mr Durkin, who also paid tribute to retiring director, SooJin Nam.
“Soo has made an invaluable contribution to Eyecare Plus, and we thank her greatly for her service. She will continue to play an important role at Eyecare Plus, and will remain involved in our leaders’ programs into the future.”
The weekend included a very popular trivia night and a ‘boot camp’ beach walk for members.
“The Boot Camp is a such a great event for our members; an opportunity to come together and share trade secrets, and learn from each other in a con-competitive environment. It’s one of the most valued elements of Eyecare Plus membership”, said Justin Durkin.