What's Your Plan

MAY 19, 2014 19,MAY 2014 28 / NO. 6 $15 VOL. VISIONMONDAY.COM IN THE NEW ERA OF MANAGED CARE, WHAT’S YOUR PLAN TO WIN: More Patients More Profits More Time All of the Above More Patients More Profits More Time All of the Above Continued access to patients in the changing landscape of healthcare delivery is a challenge. But amidst this change, Vision Source® is creating new patient and revenue opportunities for our members. The relationships that Vision Source® already has with Medicare Advantage and Accountable Care Organizations are putting patients in the offices of our members today. Those relationships will continue to grow as Vision Source® members lead the way in demonstrating optometry’s eminence in patient-centered health care. MAY 19, 2014 28 / NO. 6 $15 VOL. VISIONMONDAY.COM Deals and Consolidation Reposition Leading Optical Retailers Enriching lives by enabling independent optometrists to reach their full potential. Find out how at VisionSourcePlan.com Reprinted with permission from Vision Monday May 19, 2014 FRONT LINES NEWSMAKER/Vision Source An Eyecare ‘Alliance’ Forges a Higher Profi le BY MARGE AXELRAD / EDITORIAL DIRECTOR NEW YORK—Vision Source, the largest membership alliance of eyecare professionals in the U.S., is asserting its visibility in the optical market, owning up to its franchise structure and the substantial size of its members’ collective revenues while encouraging both current and prospective members to see the value of its many programs, services and infrastructure. As illustrated by VM’s discussions with Jim Green- wood, CEO and other senior execs at the Kingwood, Texas-based company, the group is forging a higher Vision Source’s exec team at the company’s new Kingwood, Texas HQ office/member support center: (L to R) Glenn Ellisor, profile to attract new members into the fold as it is OD, founder and exec chairman; Bryan Pinciaro, SVP and chief marketing officer, Derrick Artis, OD, EVP, operations, also working “outside” the traditional boundaries of and Jim Greenwood, president and CEO. the vision business to develop new business relationships and contracts with health care organizations, viewed in the process: their eagerness to continue to hospital systems and accountable care groups across invest in our network, extensive experience and busi- the country. ness relationships in health care, and their whole Vision Source’s appearance for the first time in hearted endorsement of our mission to bring extraor- VM’s 2014 Top 50 Retailers ranking this month (see dinary value to our members and support private page 43), which places the group in the Top 10 with a practice optometry.” collective $1.96 billion member locations’ revenues Today, optometry remains Vision Source’s core in calendar year 2013, is evidence of a change at the business line, although the company also expanded top management levels of the organization, originally in 2006 into the dental market with the formation of founded in 1991 by Glenn Ellisor, OD, and col- its Smile Source subsidiary and it continues to pursue leagues as a way to provide independent optometrists expansion in that field. Vision Source members can access a range of customizable purchasing power as well as professional and staff In August 2013, Ellisor transitioned from chairman marketing tools which are designed to help them communi- development assistance. and chief executive officer to the newly created posi- cate about their eyecare expertise as well as others which It was in August 2011, in an announcement at the tion of executive chairman of the corporation and enable them to better leverage media choices and impact group’s annual Exchange meeting, that Vision Source Greenwood, who joined Vision Source in January their local markets. Resources include detailed demographic reported it had closed a transaction with Brazos Pri- 2013 in the new role of president and COO, assumed and customer target info to trunk show guidance and vate Equity Partners, LLC, a leading Dallas-based the CEO title. insights about trends in health care reform. private investment firm, which had made a signifi- Ellisor continues to lead the company’s board of cant investment in the group. Financial terms of the directors and remains actively involved in the compa- and is responsible for the execution of major strategic transaction were not disclosed. ny’s strategy development, including being the full- plans, investments and initiatives. At the time, Ellisor told the meeting attendees, time clinical lead of the company and setting the stra- Greenwood brings more than 20 years of health “There were three factors that made them the hands- tegic direction of the optometric alliance. Working care experience and a track record of accomplish- down choice among the 42 investors that we inter- closely with Ellisor, Greenwood leads the senior team Continued on page 14 MAY 19, 2014 FRONT LINES NEWSMAKER/Vision Source Forging a Higher Profi le Continued from page 12 health systems and medical insurance, Greenwood ment at Concentra, a $1 billion physician practice believes that Vision Source “is positioning itself to management company, where he worked in close change the perception of optometry in the medical/ Walter West, OD, Vision Source’s VP Practice Development, partnership with clinical leaders during a time of health care community, taking it one market and one is a familiar face to Vision Source members for his training rapid transformational change. organization at a time.” To date, Vision Source and education series and ‘road trips’ around the country. “It’s a time when the vision care area is facing a optometrists have become a part of organized collab- Vision Source’s Managed Vision Care Profit Analysis Tool is number of business challenges. I hear from young orative care teams through more than 35 signed part- one of many developed in that arena, delivered in person, doctors all the time about those,” said Greenwood, nerships with health care delivery system groups in online and via videos in the group’s intranet system. “whether it’s new technologies or health care reform, Arizona, Florida, Missouri and Texas. but I also hear how much they value the mentorship Updated marketing initiatives for members, in uct messages. And a new and exciting program is one and expertise of seasoned veteran doctors and appre- exchange for their franchise royalty, as well as a range we do in partnership with another company, which ciate being part of a strong group. It’s great to be inde- of continuing education, online resources and a wider facilitates members targeting new patients in their geo- pendent, but independents, via Vision Source, can roster of vendor partner product purchasing arrange- graphic area, a program based on Census data, these depend on one another in many ways.” ments are part of the investments being made by the can identify marketing targets as well as new location/ Vision Source, management at HQ plus a team of group, including its new HQ resource “membership real estate opportunities,” Pinciaro said. nearly 200 individuals, including regional directors, dis- support” center being built in Kingwood. Derrick Artis, OD, Vision Source’s EVP, opera- trict managers and administrators (member optome- Bryan Pinciaro, EVP and chief marketing officer, tions, added, “There have been changes here at trists) assist with member satisfaction and engagement. lists a range of member resources and programs, many Vision Source, but the mission of the company Vision Source hosts approximately 1,300 meetings of which have been coalesced in the past year or two, remains the same as it’s been for 24 years. Our mis- held during the year, including local member meet- to facilitate business improvement and/or Vision sion statement is ‘enriching lives by enabling inde- ings, Vision Source Facilitator meetings, Vision Source Source branding. Some 1,200 of the group’s almost pendent ODs to reach their full potential.’” Experience meetings, large practice meetings and 2,800 locations and current total of 3,500 members are Said Artis, “ From a high level, we remain all about meetings held for administrators and members at now branded with the Vision Source logo. supporting independent optometry, but it’s important national, regional and local industry conventions. “Vision Source members use VS BrandCentral.com, for folks to realize that patients are really the new cur- Noted Greenwood, “This is a group which helps our intranet, which has all of our brand standards and a rency in today’s market. Our core philosophy is to small business people compete with large retailers. range of communications from marketing tools to provide doctors with the best pricing from the best And, as I’ve learned in my 15 months or so in the social media assistance and digital program help. vendors in the industry and we do bring our mem- vision field, the clinical capabilities of independent Members utilize marketing toolkits to market their bers incredible programs and, when they feel it’s optometrists present a huge opportunity, it’s almost a practice to any patient type or patient base in their local clinically appropriate, we ask them to support our ‘secret’ that the greater medical community is not markets from messages which reach the parent/kids’ elite vendors first. We are also debuting new private aware of the value optometry provides to help diag- market to multicultural patient tools,” he explained. label initiatives—an example is our new private label nose a wide variety of health conditions. And with our “Starting this year, we built seasonal packages— contact lens program with Sauflon, Fresh Day.” resource teams and vendor partners, we can better including, for example, an allergy package or year ends He concluded, “As the industry changes—whether help our members’ accomplish much in that regard to benefits communications.

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