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Fall Education Conference and Annual Meeting
Raritan Valley Community College
Somerville, NJ
Sunday, November 24, 2019, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT
Category: Events

Online Registration is now closed. To REGISTER, please come to the event and register onsite. 
Offering both Spectacle and Contact Lens Credit.   

Annual Meeting and Education Agenda 

 

 8:00  –   9:00  Registration and Light Refreshment
 9:00  – 12:00  Contact Lens Session 
12:00  – 1:00   Lunch and Business Meeting 
 1:00  –  5:00   Spectacle Sessions
Lunch provided for full day Registrants

 

 

Click here to become a Exhibitor or Sponsor

 

Spectacle Credit Sessions

Pam Fritz
President, Ophthalmology Resources

  • What Administrators and Managers Need to Know About Optical Dispensary Management(1 Credit) Practice administration and optical dispensary management follow two different paradigms.  While both share the objective of optimizing patient health care and patient satisfaction, their management models are entirely different.  Learn how to blend these key positions to maximize results to run a successful optical dispensary.  Understand ratios of practice space verses optical; ratios of doctors to opticians; patient flow from practice to optical.  Set benchmarks to control cost of goods of frames and lenses.   Learn how much frame inventory should you carry, what to budget and how to determine frame mix.  Price frame and lenses to be competitive, yet profitable.  How to prevent insurances from draining optical profitability; key management concepts of a thriving optical.  If you are an Admin, Office or Optical Manager this is the pinpointed optical template you need for dispensary success.

  • Detect and Prevent Fraud and Mismanagement of the Optical Dispensary(1 Credit) 
    Prevent abuse or fraud in your optical dispensary before it happens. Learn how to set up internal systems of accounting and financial management with checks and balances; how to control your frame inventory; and spot lens production that can cause loss of revenue. Setting up staff accountability and supervision to prevent excessive discounting, reduce remakes and mitigate loss on insurance claims will be covered. Preventing external theft with product security examples will be shown.
    Objective:  The stark differences between medical and optical dispensary management logistics present a challenge to the practice.  This course teaches how to recognize what needs to be done to prevent optical fraud and abuse and how to implement systems that will effectively protect your optical dispensary. Learn how to protect the fine line between optical revenue profits and losses. 

  • Coding and Billing Post-Cataract Eyewear DME Medicare Claims for the Optical Dispensary (1 Credit) 
    This interactive course gives opticians and billers the step-by-step process of how to submit DME Medicare claims for post-operative cataract eye wear patients' purchase in the optical dispensary.  Included are instructions for the optical to maximize patient reimbursements.  Learn which items are covered, non-covered patient responsibility, use of modifiers and how to minimize claim rejection.  Medicare Advantage programs are discussed.  DME Supplier compliance will be over-viewed.  Objective:  the course gives optical management and billing the tools to code, bill and submit claims for post-operative cataract eye wear.  It provides a DME communications model for opticians with patients and for the optical with billing and claim submission.  Accurate claims, reflected in the EOB's will result in patient satisfaction and Medicare compliance.

Contact Lens Credit Sessions

Bob Alexander
Sales Manager at Hoya Vision

  • Night Vision (1 Credit) 
    This session will provide opticians the knowledge base needed to discuss night vision and dark adaptation with their patients, as well as advise you may share with their patients regarding optimizing and protecting their night vision. We will discuss basic biology of the eye, visual pigment and photoreceptors in the retina responsible for night vision.


William Velardi, OD
Faculty at RVCC

  • What’s Old is New Again - The resurgence of Scleral contact lenses (1 Credit)  Scleral contact lenses are an old idea whose time has come again. Combining yesterday’s theories and practices with today’s fabrication techniques, scleral lenses are not only a niche product but one that can change a patient’s life instantly. This course will be a brief overview of the design, fitting and care of scleral contact lenses. And maybe sway towards trying this old/new technology in your practice.

  • New lenses, new laws and old contact lens related complications (1 Credit)
    The arena of contact lenses is an ever changing one. Everyone in the eye care field needs to stay abreast of these changes weather or not you fit and/or dispense lenses. This class will introduce a few brand new lenses and will briefly review some lenses that have become popular over the past few years. It will also cover changes or “proposed” changes in the federal law, FCLCA. Then there is the ever popular contact lens associated disease processes and some tips about phone triage as it pertains to contact lenses / red eyes


     

 Conference Speakers

Bob Alexander is a Dual Licensed Optician in OH, holds the certifications of Advanced Contact Lens Technician and Master in Ophthalmic Optics, NCLE Technical Level III and ABO Technical Level III speaker. He travels the U.S. and Canada delivering continuing education to state associations and optical societies. Bob is also active with his state association and currently holds the position of Vice President of the Opticians Association of Ohio.

In 2016, he earned the inaugural Lens Consultant of the Year award. In 2018 he began his career with Hoya Vision Care as a Territory Sales Manager and currently holds the position of Senior Manager of Education Resources.

 

 

Pamela B Fritz, President of Ophthalmology Resources, is an optical industry expert who has implemented successful management strategies in hundreds of independent optical dispensaries nationwide. She is a recognized authority in both Medicare and DME Medicare and serves as the optical industry representative on the education panel for MAC Contractor Noridian. Fritz was named, “50 of the most influential women in the optical industry” by Jobson Publishing and received an Achievement Award from The American Academy of Ophthalmology. She speaks at the AAO, the NJAO and most recently the EyeCare Leaders national conference in Colorado.

 

 

 

William Velardi is a Doctor of Optometry who has worked at William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso TX, Hanscom Air Force Base, MA and is currently working on Fort Eustis army post in Newport News, VA, serving active duty soldiers, sailors and marines to prepare them for deployment. He has also been a member of the RVCC faculty for the past 27 years working under Dr. Brian Thomas.Dr. Velardi has been developing and proctoring the ocular anatomy class and Contact Lenses 1 class for the past 12 years. He brings a wealth of information to our contact lenses continuing education sessions.

 
Click here to become a Exhibitor or Sponsor