EYECARE: Optometry Docs of Distinction The Fine Art of Practice Management By Marge Axelrad, Deirdre Carroll, Mary Kane, Andrew Karp, Roger Mummert, John Sailer, Margery Weinstein, Catherine Wolinski Monday, June 16, 2014 12:01 AM RELATED CONTENT THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CONTACT LENS DISPENSING OPTICAL DISPENSING DIGITAL MEDIA AND MARKETING INFLUENCERS Alphabetical Lists of Optometric Business Innovators Honorees from 2011 to 2014. View a PDF of this year's Optometric Business Innovators 2014 View a PDF of last year's Optometric Business Innovators 2013 View a PDF of Optometric Business Innovators 2012 Successful optometrists, whether they are in private practice or are employed by a retail chain or corporation, know that the business of optometry is just as important as the clinical aspects of their profession. In fact, leading ODs agree that the business and clinical components of optometry should form a well-integrated approach in which top quality patient care is supported by smart business decisions that promote practice growth. The 25 Optometric Business Innovators profiled here understand the need to balance the commercial with the clinical, and each has found ways to achieve it in their own career. Although each come from different backgrounds and experiences, all of them have used their knowledge, creativity and business savvy to propel them into the front ranks of their profession. These “Docs of Distinction” are the focus of our fourth annual Optometric Business Innovators report, a special collaborative project between Vision Monday and Review of Optometric Business. Drawing upon input from our readers, the editorial staffs of Review of Optometric Business and Vision Monday, and suggestions from our Professional Advisory panel, we once again chose some of the most outstanding talents in optometry. We got this diverse group of practitioners and executives to reveal their Rx for success in Business Management, Contact Lens Dispensing, Optical Dispensing, Digital Media and Marketing, and in creating The Patient Experience. We also identified specific Influencers who have shared insights and experience from their own practices with larger groups, organizations and projects which influence many optometrists. We hope the profiles of our Optometric Business Innovators will inspire you to further develop and enrich your own practices with fresh ideas. ■ ■ ■ –The Editors of VM and Review of Optometric Business: Marge Axelrad, Deirdre Carroll, Mary Kane, Andrew Karp, Roger Mummert, John Sailer, Margery Weinstein, Catherine Wolinski