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Archive for the ‘Optoblog’ Category

Hate Comments #001

David Langford, O.D. on August 21st, 2010 under Optoblog •  3 Comments

I’m instituting a new feature: Hate Comments. You know, the comments that don’t get published because they fail my unapologetically arbitrary moderation process.

It turns out there could be gems of literary wisdom for the ages in some of these unpublished comments. Let’s read the nuggets and gems just pouring out of this deleted comment:

Author : Johnny (IP: 66.142.***.*** , adsl-66-142-***-***.dsl.crchtx.swbell.net)
E-mail : forgetyou19@hotmail.com
URL :
Comment:
first of all, David Langford is a sore loser in optometric field…..”happily rents a place in Wal-Mart” ????……after 8 years of school (maybe more for you, who knows), and works “happily” in the cubicle of Wal-Mart ??!!!…you’re embrassing !!!!……having opticians watching your every move and determining your working hour ??!!!….take title OD off of your last name Langford….biggest loser like you don’t deserve it…..if you can’t encourage people into OD career, then don’t lead them to your sorry ending ways.

Wow. First, I didn’t lose in the optometric field. It was private practice. And if a bright, nice guy like me can fail in opening cold, you young pups coming out of optometry school could also. It should give you pause because while I don’t think I’m any better than you, why would you assume you are better than me? Your O.D. degree doesn’t guarantee anything. And that loss was just a single battle in my life. I’m winning everywhere else (family, church, hobbies, current job, etc), so I don’t think you can fairly call me a loser.

Second, Johnny, look in your local phone book and see how many commercial vs. private practice optometrists there are. Your comments are disparaging almost 1/3 of the optometrists in the nation. Your use of cubicle is interesting because almost 99% of all optometrists work in a room about 11’x13′ (and in the dark half the time). You don’t even know that I set my own hours. What’s embarrassing is your spelling of the word embarrassing.

Let me address who I think Johnny is. His IP address from Southwestern Bell indicates he’s probably in the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, or Texas. So, it’s possible that he could be an optometry student in Houston, Tahlequah, or St. Louis. Judging by the maturity and knowledge revealed by his writings, I would guess that it’s more likely he’s an undergrad, possibly high school student, planning on becoming a private practice optometrist.

Johnny, I would say that you should go for it. Go big or go home. I’m sure you can do it, Johnny, because I have faith in your ability to communicate and win friends and influence people.

To the rest of you undergrads that are asking yourself, “Should I be an optometrist?” Let me ask you some questions:

  1. Do you like sitting in the dark half the day?
  2. Do you like explaining the same thing over and over and over again to everyone you meet?
  3. Do you like to wear slacks and collared shirts all day, everyday?
  4. Do you like to work Saturdays? (More and more private practices are now in addition to commercial.)
  5. Do you want to pay more in school loans than it’s worth to be in said profession?
  6. Do you have a favorite town you want to settle in? Because I’ll bet it’s already saturated with eye doctors.
  7. Do you like having shortened lunch time because the last patient went long?
  8. Do you like getting scowled at whenever you run a few minutes behind?
  9. Do you like knowing you could be sued and maybe your career over if you mess up even once? (Not that you will, but it’s possible.)
  10. Do you like to whine at ODwire.org? (But seriously, check out this link for more considerations in choosing optometry as a career.)
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Insight into Employee OD- commercial setting

David Langford, O.D. on August 3rd, 2010 under Optoblog •  Comments Off on Insight into Employee OD- commercial setting

Here’s an article by Dr. Frank Won about working for another doctor who rents from Lenscrafters. Part 1 and Part 2.

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Annoying Officemate Bug

David Langford, O.D. on July 18th, 2010 under Optoblog •  Comments Off on Annoying Officemate Bug

From the OfficeMate Knowledge Base:

[Q}Can I prevent insurance claim batches from being overwritten?

[A] No, you cannot prevent the claim batches from being overwritten.

If you have multiple users creating insurance claim batch files, or if you otherwise suspect that some batched claims are not being sent to your clearinghouse, send the .ge files in the EMC folder that correspond to the date(s) the batches were created. The .ge file names start with the creation date in the MMDDYY format…

I can’t believe how stupid this is. Even though I usually only want to submit batches once at the end of the day, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed to submit more often. Usually I need to catch up in the morning from the day before when I needed to go home pronto, so I get it done to make sure I catch the 2 PM deadline. Then I need to run it at the end of the day as well.

Here’s what I do. After creating a batch in Officemate, I immediately go to the EMC folder and rename the .cnx file to YYYY-MM-DD-Blahblah.cnx. Then if I have a moment, I upload it to Apex Edi’s website. If I don’t have a minute, I save it for later, and it’s no problem if I create another batch because the file has already been renamed.

After uploading to Apex Edi, I archive all the files in a folder I created in the EMC folder so that I know which files have already been submitted.

Nanny Utah Government at it Again

David Langford, O.D. on June 30th, 2010 under Optoblog •  1 Comment

I'm here from the government, and I'm here to help.

I'm here from the government, and I'm here to help.

I got a letter in the mail from the Utah state government telling me that if I didn’t register on their website, they wouldn’t allow me to practice anymore.

What the…?!!??!!

Seriously, that is what they said. Here is a copy of the letter.

So now all providers who happen to be allowed to prescribe certain medications must a) have internet access and b) register on government website with a dual pronged registration: username/password and then get a pin number. By they way, they didn’t have my DEA number in their database for some reason, so I had to call them to get set up for the pin number.

So all this regulation and time wasted, threatening me with my livelihood if I don’t comply, just for a website that allows me to check if a patient on certain medications is getting them from doctors other than me. Apparently they can make me register, but as far as I know they can’t make me ever check the website again. And what if I didn’t have internet? I guess it has become Utah state law that doctors must have access to the internet.

I would expect nanny legislation like this from California, New York, or Illinois, but…Utah??!!?? Aren’t we supposed to be a red state?

Dear Utah Government,
I would appreciate it if in the future when you want to make a cool feature to your website that you make it voluntary instead of forcing it down my throat.
Sincerely,
Optoblog

Sheldon’s Grandpa goes to the Eye Doctor

David Langford, O.D. on June 21st, 2010 under Optoblog •  Comments Off on Sheldon’s Grandpa goes to the Eye Doctor

See it and read it here.

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By the way, got a drop for my eye?

David Langford, O.D. on May 23rd, 2010 under Optoblog •  Comments Off on By the way, got a drop for my eye?

What do you do when people ask you outside the exam room: “What drop should I buy to help my red eye(s)?”

I break it down on my practice website.

Optometry Video

David Langford, O.D. on May 12th, 2010 under Optoblog •  Comments Off on Optometry Video

Apparently there was a video contest, and Marc Schmitt at PUCO submitted a great entry. I recognized three professors in it: Dr. Hannu Laukkanen, Dr. Dennis Smith, and Dr. Lorne Yudcovitch.

H/T to Dr. Maino.

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Walmart Health & Wellness Meeting 2010 Updates for 2010-05-06

David Langford, O.D. on May 6th, 2010 under Optoblog, Tweets •  Comments Off on Walmart Health & Wellness Meeting 2010 Updates for 2010-05-06

  • WM employee discount for associates in VCs is so competetive that it begs the question why is there even vision insurance? #WMHW2010 #
  • Of 77 clinics in WM, most are afilliated with a local hospital or healthcare system. My ? is does WM care if panel excludes ODs? #WMHW2010 #
  • Why aren't all VC managers opticians? Good question. We'll probably work towards that while still respecting those who aren't. #WMHW2010 #
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Walmart Health & Wellness Meeting 2010 Updates for 2010-05-05

David Langford, O.D. on May 5th, 2010 under Optoblog, Tweets •  Comments Off on Walmart Health & Wellness Meeting 2010 Updates for 2010-05-05

  • Breakfast was a really long line, but I still got my waffle. Good thing about WM conf is tons of food. #WMHW2010 #
  • WM wants to be the leader in providing affordable healthcare to EVERY American. #WMHW2010 #
  • Save money. Live better. is not just a tag line. It's a summary of a Sam Walton quote and an obligation to our customers. #WMHW2010 #
  • 2500 vision centers in USA. 3700 pharmacies. 77 Clinics. 3 labs in USA, 2 in Mexico. #WMHW2010 #
  • Top V.C.s yearly gross 1.2 to 1.8 Meeelion dollars. #WMHW2010 #
  • IF we're supposed to get adv. Insruments and EMR, then we need a floor plan to accomodate it. #WMHW2010 #
  • Staff training in talent, spoptical skills needs to step up. not just sales training. #WMHW2010 #
  • 38 /58 /88 priced glasses are here to stay. There will be a back to school rollback for a daily contact brand. #WMHW2010 #
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Walmart Health & Wellness Meeting 2010 Updates for 2010-05-04

David Langford, O.D. on May 4th, 2010 under Optoblog, Tweets •  Comments Off on Walmart Health & Wellness Meeting 2010 Updates for 2010-05-04

  • Eating mexican food at WM optical lab's multipurpose room in Fayetteville. #WMHW2010 #
  • The WM lab in Fayetteville is huge. I think they converted an old supercenter building. Over 10000 orders a day! #WMHW2010 #
  • I just spoke with Dr. MA #WMHW2010 #
  • I just met Dr. Mark Travis, former big wig at WM HQ and now a VP at 1800CONTACTS. He says anytime you want a tour in Draper, UT it can … #
  • Check out 1800CONACTS new drama commercial on YouTube. #WMHW2010 #
  • I think doctors and insurance/.gov needs an open, honest discusion re exam fee for ins. vs private pay. it does cost us more to bill in … #
  • Billing ins. Overhead is more than pvt pay but not double. we should be allowed to charge a little more to ins. #WMHW2010 #
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