| Viewpoint from the Co-Editor |

Summertime: an opportunity to bone up on practice strategies

Balance your vacation by living easy and picking up a few tips.

Jane Shuman, COT, COE, OCS, Co-Editor

Summertime and the living is easy are words of a George Gershwin song written generations ago. Life, it seems, is busier now than it was in the mid-1930s, when the oft-interpreted tune first appeared in a popular musical. Nonetheless, we still spend our summer vacation season living easy. Although, for some of us, ‘living easy’ simply means taking an opportunity to catch up on our reading and implementing changes in our workflow! Some may read fluffy novels or thrilling science fiction at the beach while others take the opportunity to read materials that require more concentration, such as management or self help books.

Whatever your preference, we hope you will add this edition of Ophthalmic Professional to your list. Many of the articles will help keep you in touch with your profession and plan your strategies for the coming months.

Summer is often a great time to improve your skills. If fundus photography and OCT remain a mystery to you, Tim Bennett has provided us with a primer on imaging the back of the eye. Paul M. Larson of Corcoran Consulting Group helps us understand how to code for visual fields. Hiring for success is the subject of this month’s management article. We have even included an explanation of the employee benefits frequently provided by an employer group.

Meaningful Use remains confusing for many of our readers. Tech expert Darla Shewmaker has compiled a list of resources to help those in need of MU or EHR answers. Summer is also a pivotal time of year to learn about the environmental factors that cause dry eye, as Senior Associate Editor Bill Kekevian explains. And if you’re looking for additional summer reading, practice administrator Bonnie Parker delivers a recommendation.

Whatever your plans are this summer, Co-Editor Bruce Maller and I hope you live easy and stay safe. OP

Ms. Shuman, president of Eyetechs, is a nationally recognized authority on clinical flow, scheduling and technician education. She’s worked for more than 15 years as an ophthalmic technician and clinical manager.