Dr. Rhue (l) and Dr. Tabiza launched Techifeye in advance of Vision Expo West.
 
LAS VEGAS—When Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, and her drcontactlens.com business partner, Jennifer Tabiza, OD, were preparing for the presentations they’ll be making at their booth during Vision Expo West this week, an idea came to mind that they thought would help various entrepreneurial companies trying to make headway in the optical and eyecare sectors. They discussed how challenging it can be for smaller technology companies that deliver great services to get the attention of doctors and key decision-makers in a practice. Moving quickly, the two women worked over the course of a month to create a process to make it easier for companies like theirs to get attention at an event as large as Vision Expo West.

The result of their brainstorming is Techifeye, a network of 13 technology companies that are cross-promoting the services of each participant at the Expo West event here this week.

“Jen and I went to school together at Nova Southeastern University, and we're both optometrists and we went into private practice,” Rhue told VMAIL recently. “I practice in South Florida and she practices in Los Angeles. [What we found] is that there is just no easy way for patients to order their contact lenses. So we created Drcontactlens [in 2017].”

She added, “Now that we’re on this side of it and launching a technology company for optometrists we want them to take action and to take action faster. So instead of complaining about online orders or … that patients are walking [out] with their prescriptions, fight back. But it’s going to cost you. You have to invest in your practice.”
 
Here's how Dr. Rhue envisions Techifeye working: After a doctor meets with one or more of the companies in the organization, the doctor's practice will develop a list of technologies and new services to incorporate and a plan for implementation. In month one, perhaps, the practice takes steps to update its website.

In month two, the practice adds the contact lens reordering platform. By creating a plan and alerting staff that there will be a series of changes that implement new technologies, it will make the staff's lives easier and make the office processes go more smoothly, she explained.

Plans for Vision Expo West

The doctors, and the companies exhibiting at Vision Expo West that are part of the new Techifeye network, have a comprehensive launch plan laid out for the event, and they are hoping all of the participating companies will see the benefit of collaborating to create greater exposure.

“Doctors walk into the exhibit hall at major shows, and they often don’t have a plan of action,” Dr Rhue said. “So we helped create one.”

In the registration materials for Thursday’s event or at the booth of any of the 11 companies that are exhibiting, attendees can pick up a map that points out the Techifeye companies. “The difference between entering the exhibit hall with no plan and entering with this plan for implementation is that this map gives doctors a mission and puts them in the right mindset and head space to listen to what these companies offer,” she said.

Plus, attendees who go to each of the 11 booths and get their map stamped are entered to win a $500 gift certificate. “All of us have the same message: you have to invest in technology, and we’re here to help you move forward,” Rhue said.

The list of participating companies follows. Two additional ones are part of the network but will not be exhibiting at Vision Expo West.

The Techifeye member company representatives were on board with these ideas. “We have a louder voice and a stronger message if we coordinate the message,” Dr. Rhue said. “Our goal is to encourage doctors to come through the exhibit halls, with eyes and minds open to see and hear what these companies offer and understand the return on investment and the savings—both financial and in terms of staff time and patient engagement." 

Techifeye Companies

Dr. Contact Lens
“It is great to see industry leaders come together under one umbrella to help promote technology that is helping bring practices and their patients closer together all while saving valuable staff time. We are excited to be a founding member and help the disruptees, the ODs, become the disruptors” – Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO co-founder Dr. Contact Lens

OMG! and Contentlinq
“It’s remarkable that there are so many excellent tech companies in the eyecare space. By combining our resources and problem-solving abilities, we can help ECPs drive capture and multiple pair sales rates unlike any other time in history” – Bill Gerber, CEO

Simplifeye
“We’re dedicated to improving practice workflows through technology and streamlined processes, and Techifeye helps us advance that mission,” said Ryan Hungate, CEO of Simplifeye, a technology platform that optimizes operations for patient acquisition, scheduling, payment processing, and reactivation.” – Beth Gaddis, director of Content Marketing

Optify
“We are thrilled to collaborate with such an amazing group of innovators to stand side-by-side in support of using technology to maximize practice revenue and optimizing the patient experience, in-store and online.” – Dave Barton, CEO & co-founder
 
Anagram
“Eyecare is an industry full of organizations driven by innovative people and technologies. Techifeye represents a tremendous opportunity for each of us to learn from and leverage our expertise to improve the lives of eyecare professionals and the patients they care for.” – Steve Alexander, head of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships
 
Weave
“We are very excited to be a part of Techifeye. At the heart of Weave’s mission is empowering small businesses to be successful and make life easy. We are proud to be part of a community that shares that same vision in helping to bring useful technology and expertise  to the industries we serve.” -Adam Young, director of Business Development
 
Roya
“Roya.com, the leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) marketing platform for eyecare professionals, is proud to be a founding member of Techifeye. The innovative approach in bringing tech-enabled efficiencies to the vision practices across the nation makes Roya the perfect partner in delivering best in class data-enabled marketing solutions.” -Mo Ranji, founder and CEO
 
PracticePal
“We are excited about the opportunity to work with Techifeye and their amazing host of solutions. Our vision for PracticePal is to fill in some much needed gaps in the industry and our combined products enable offices to save time and money while focusing on what matters most…the patient.” – Nathan McClain, OD and founder
 
Twelve84
“It can be frustrating for practices to know exactly what will help them thrive in an industry that has so many moving parts and challenges. With this best-in-class group of technology-focused companies, it’s a path of least resistance for key decision makers to narrow down quickly what areas need focus and immediately save thousands of dollars with a better ROI.” – Natasha Vora, founder and CEO
 
Sunbit
“At Sunbit, we pride ourselves on leveraging AI and machine learning to improve patient lives while enhancing optical practices’ productivity. We are excited to join forces with other technology-forward companies to celebrate the profound impact technology has on improving capture rate, increasing average transaction size, and elevating patient satisfaction levels.” -Arad Levertov, CEO, Sunbit
 
Also listed as a founding member are Dry Eye Rescue and Neurolens.

Women In Optometry also spoke with Techifye's doctors and participants in a recent story titled Message From New Tech Network: Your Practice Needs Technology. Maybe Mine, Maybe Theirs, which can be found at www.womeninoptometry.com/newsmakers.