VM REPORTS: Optometric Business Innovators Lessons Learned From Optometry’s Innovators By Marge Axelrad, Deirdre Carroll, Mary Kane, Andrew Karp, Roger Mummert, John Sailer, Margery Weinstein, Catherine Wolinski Monday, June 18, 2012 12:00 AM RELATED CONTENT The Selection Process for the 2012 Innovators MARKETING DIGITAL MEDIA BUSINESS MANAGEMENT OPTICAL DISPENSING THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE INFLUENCERS CONTACT LENS DISPENSING 2012 Alphabetical List of Honorees 2011 Alphabetical List of Honorees View a pdf of this year's Optometric Business Innovators 2012 View a pdf of last year's Optometric Business Innovators 2011 The profession of optometry seems to foster innovation. Perhaps because it is a field that’s constantly in flux, its practitioners are always being challenged to come up with new ways to solve problems. Faced with the sluggish economy, a changing regulatory climate, shifting patient expectations and new forms of competition, today’s optometrists are getting more creative in their approach to both clinical and business matters. Whether it’s improving their diagnostic skills, implementing new technologies in the exam room or office, employing the latest management techniques or raising the level of patient care, forward-thinking ODs are pushing ahead with fresh ideas. They are the focus of our second annual Optometric Business Innovators report, a special collaborative project between Vision Monday and Review of Optometric Business. With help from our Professional Advisory panel, which is comprised of ODs from the private and corporate arenas and professional OD business consultants—plus input from our readers—we once again selected some of the best and brightest talents in the profession. We got this diverse group of men and women to tell us the secrets of their success in Marketing, Digital Media, Business Management, Optical Dispensing, Contact Lens Dispensing and The Patient Experience. We also identified a select group of Influencers who have taken lessons and ideas from their own practices and translated their business-savvy ideas into larger groups, organizations and projects which influence many optometrists. Whether you’re a recent optometry school graduate or a veteran OD with years of experience, you’re sure to find the profiles of our Optometric Business Innovators to be interesting and informative. Together, they paint a picture of a dynamic profession that is growing and evolving. ■ –The Editors of VM andReview of Optometric Business: Marge Axelrad, Deirdre Carroll, Mary Kane, Andrew Karp, Roger Mummert, John Sailer, Margery Weinstein, Catherine Wolinski