| Issue 14 | January 10, 2014 |
In This Edition
Issue 14
The Gazette
Archives
Contact Vision Source® at 888-558-2020 or [email protected]
Top Story
Happy New Year!
Looking back at the successes of the past year, we are excited for the future ahead for all of us.
You may recall that during the fourth quarter of 2013, we stressed the importance of participating in the Annual Member Satisfaction Survey. We were extremely pleased by the large number of members who participated, providing exceptional feedback and ideas. In fact, the amount of participation nearly doubled from 2012 to 2013. We truly appreciate your taking the time to complete the survey and will strive to deliver exactly what you want for 2014. The best summary of your requests for 2014 is the following:
You want The Exchange to offer more practice management and managed care topics, there is a desire to hold quarterly local meetings and an expressed need for more online marketing assistance. In response, The Exchange agenda has been tailored to focus on practice management while reducing the number of vendor presentations and adding eight hours of free CE for members.
Your local meetings will be held as you, your colleagues and administrator see fit, however, program updates and important news from the Member Support Center will be provided on a quarterly basis. And this year, we will focus our monthly marketing webinars on the topics that you want more assistance with such as social media tips, best practices and how to build your strategy, and we will offer the next step of help on how to best leverage your new member websites.
We will continue to forge and deepen relationships with national and regional ACO entities and provide leadership as the healthcare delivery landscape continues to evolve. The Exchange meeting will illustrate the opportunity that large, organized groups of independent optometrists can make a difference and solve some of the most pressing problems associated with population health management. This was one of the most requested items by the membership for 2014. For those members who are seeking help to prepare their practice for sale, we have asked our in house expert Dr. Walt West to step in and assist members with practice transition. These are just a few of the ways we are going to change what we do at the Vision Source® Member Support Center (formerly called the corporate/home office) to serve you better.
You continue to identify lowest cost of goods in the industry as a valuable benefit of Vision Source® membership. In this regard there will be several new programs launched at The Exchange in Boston (April 9-12, 2014) offering even greater savings for your practice.
Once again, thank you for your participation and the insight that you have given us. Our plans are designed to serve your needs and make the Vision Source® network more beneficial to you. We are very excited about all that 2014 has to offer as we see this as a transformational year to serve you with the best programs, pricing and innovative tools to keep your practices thriving.
Wishing you and your families our best!
Be well,
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Jim Greenwood |
Glenn Ellisor, OD |
Breaking News
Registration Now Open for The 2014 Exchange
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Make plans now to attend The Exchange in Boston, April 9-12, 2014. Network with your Vision Source® colleagues, exchange new ideas and best practices, and enjoy one-of-a-kind show specials in the exhibit hall. Plus, the 2014 Exchange will feature the following:
- 8 hours of FREE CE. Click here for course descriptions.
- 2 dynamic keynote speakers
- New, upbeat format
Register now at vstheexchange.com.
Webinar: Are The Yellow Pages Really Dead?
Wondering how your practice gets "found" these days? Join us for a webinar on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6:30 p.m. CST presented by The Company of Others (formerly Connect FKM). The Company of Others (TCOO) offers a unique perspective on the topic as they provide both traditional print Yellow Pages services as well as online marketing through pay-per-click programs or internet Yellow Pages. TCOO currently serves about 500 Vision Source® offices as well as several regional marketing co-ops. Click here for information on attending.
February is AMD Awareness Month
February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month. To help you educate your patients on what is now the leading cause of blindness for people 60 years and older, we've prepared the following:
- 8 1/2 x 11 Flyer (.pdf file)
- 8 1/2 x 11 Flyer (.doc file) – Click just below the logo to reveal a text box where you can add your practice information.
- Facebook image (.jpg file)
- News Release (.doc file)
Words from our Sponsors
In this section, you will find the latest offers and promotions from Vision Source® vendors. For more details, visit the vendor book at visionsource.com.
Safilo Becomes Exclusive Elite Vendor
Vision Source® is excited to announce that Safilo is now the exclusive frame vendor in the Elite category! We know that this enhanced partnership with Safilo will drive more profitability to your practice, so we encourage you to take advantage of the expanded vendor program that Safilo is offering to Vision Source® doctors. Here are examples of the new incentives:
- Lower minimums to qualify for rebates
- Larger category of brands available for discount
- Growth incentives
Details can be found on Safilo's vendor page. Join us in welcoming Safilo to this new level of support!
New Look, Better Deals At The Company Store
Vision Source® has engaged Xact Xpressions to supply our Company Store with all the products you've come to expect, plus hundreds of exciting additions and better values. Here are just a few of the enhancements you'll find:
- Lower per piece cost
- Free shipping
- No sales tax (outside Texas)
Click here for more information and to browse its selection or you can access the new Company Store through the Member Portal.
New Process for Verizon Discounts
In order to better serve you, Verizon Wireless has developed a new process for Vision Source® members and their employees to register and validate for their Verizon discounts. Please visit Verizon Wireless' vendor page at visionsource.com to access step-by-step instructions to ensure that you are receiving these savings.
New Year, New Vendor Arrangements
Here are changes to Vision Source® vendor offerings, either with new vendors or enhanced support to existing arrangements.
FRAMES
DeRigo is a worldwide leader in the design, production and distribution of quality eyewear designed in Italy. DeRigo features its own brands—Lozza and Police—and licensed brands—Carolina Herrera NY, CH, Chopard, Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada, Furla, Givenchy, and Lanvin.
Charmant has increased its support of the Vision Source® vendor program by moving up to Vendor level (previously, it was a supplier). The worldwide leader in the titanium frame industry, Charmant is dedicated to bringing quality, innovation and value to eyewear.
PRACTICE SUPPORT
Careerbuilder, through careerbuilder.com, is the largest online job site in the U.S., with more than 21 million unique job seekers to the website each month. Vision Source® members have the ability to purchase Careerbuilder postings at greatly discounted rates, plus other add-ons to enhance your job postings.
Vision Source® also announces two new suppliers:
Bruder Healthcare provides moist heat compress treatments for dry eye syndrome, and other therapeutic products.
Klassic Design Eyewear (owned by Vision Source® member Randy Peters, OD) is a supplier of frames.
Around Vision Source®
Marketing
Innovative Marketing
Randy Sones, Vision Source® vice president, marketing and advertising, and his team were recognized for their innovative marketing as recipients of three awards in 2013.
Contact Lens Spectrum and Signet Research, Inc., as well as Eyecare Business and Signet Research, Inc., each presented Vision Source® with a Certificate of Marketing Effectiveness for its superior print advertising effectiveness as evidenced 
by direct reader responses to the Signet Research AdProbe™ study in their February and April 2013 issues, respectively.
Contemporary Graphic Solutions also awarded Vision Source® with a plaque for 2013 Innovations in Marketing Excellence.
Congratulations to Randy and his team for their dedication to helping our members brand their practices.
New Website Satisfaction Survey
Around 185 people responded to the five-question survey provided by Avelient, the new website vendor for Vision Source®. 
The results are in, and 90 percent of members answered that the intake process was either extremely or very easy. And 94 percent of members answered that they are extremely or very likely to recommend this process to other practices. In addition, all members who responded said that the Avelient account representatives were either extremely of very professional, and 98 percent thought that the representatives were highly knowledgeable, were able to answer their questions and assist them through the process thoroughly.
Seasonal Promotions Added to Marketing Tool Kit
The online Vision Source® Marketing Tool Kit now has season promotional packages for each quarter of the year.
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- Q1: New Year, New Benefits – Encourage patients to use those recharged HSA accounts for eye health care.
- Q2: Allergy Relief – Let patients know you offer real relief from allergy symptoms.
- Q3: Back to School – Reinforce the importance of an annual eye exam for school children
- Q4: Use It, Don't Lose It – Remind patients to use their benefits before they expire.
Each package contains a counter card for your reception desk, a large wall poster and postcards. They're available now through the FedEx Office link on the Member Portal.
Gold Standard Service
Vision Source® practice Lifetime Eyecare in Orlando, Fla., shared two ways that It delivers a high level of service to patients. You can share your gold standard moments with us here.
"As a practice, we try to provide the best to our patients by making them feel comfortable and at ease every time they visit our office. We provide them with bottled water, coffee and even magazines in their native language. We always show respect by using Mr., Mrs. or Ma'am or Sir which shows our professionalism.
We also like to add a personal touch to our thank you cards. We hand-write our thank-you cards. Patients always appreciate a thank-you card in the mail. We also send our patients Starbucks gift cards telling them to enjoy a cup of coffee on us when they give us a great review on Google. Patients love this!"
Member Services
Meet the Team
Vision Source® has hired some new key personnel.
Marc Bryant joined the Vision Source® team as a Senior Business Analyst in IT Services on Nov. 1. Prior to joining, Marc spent the last 15 years in software design and IT services as a project and team leader. Marc lives with his son in Kingwood, Texas.
Laurice Calvo joined the Vision Source® team as the Social Media and Public Relations Assistant Manager. She graduated from Pace University last year with a B.A in communication studies and marketing. Prior to joining, she has interned with various companies such as CBS News, Zenith Optimedia, FOJP Service Corporation, Connectivity Data Systems and Rosen Seymour Shapps Martin in their Communications or Marketing departments.
Amy Graham has joined Vision Source® as the Executive Assistant to CFO Doug Rice and SVP and CMO Bryan Pinciaro. A long-time patient of Dr. Glenn Ellisor's, she is a results-oriented professional with 20+ years of experience in commercial and residential real estate finance, with excellence in process automation and policy integration. She loves to be challenged and found she was very inventive with the desire and ability to automate processes and find ways of doing more in less time with more efficiency. This has led to her being "The Problem Solver."
Gregg Gronemann has joined the Vision Source® Member Support Center as Director of Business Development Operations. He is responsible for all systems and processes that the Business Development team uses to engage potential members. Prior to joining Vision Source®, Gregg served in executive capacities with Sonitrol, a commercial security firm, and IKON Office Solutions. "Gregg's experience and unique talents are going to be a great asset to our members," says Senior Vice President of Business Development Bret Davis.
Gary Gunn has joined the Vision Source® team as the Accounting Manager. He is responsible for A/R, A/P and the duties of the Staff Accountant. He brings 15 years of accounting experience to help Vision Source® grow in the future. He enjoys spending time with his twin daughters and participating in all sports in his spare time.
Carvin Joshua is the new Member Services Manager at Smile Source®. He is a dynamic and multitalented individual who brings excellence and results into any activity in which he engages. He graduated from the highly ranked Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston with a B.B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Besides business, his other passions include music and public speaking. He frequently performs music and speaks in prisons, churches, and schools to inspire others to live prosperous lives.
Melanie Moorshead is now the Senior Administrative Coordinator, working with the entire operations teams. She joined the Vision Source® Member Support Center originally in October as the Business Development/Marketing Coordinator. Melanie has more than 25 years of experience as a health care administrative professional and will be coordinating a number of new initiatives. Melanie has a passion for football. She and her husband have three sons, all of whom play at various levels from youth league to college.
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