Team Works

3^rd Quarter 2005

Steady progress is its own reward.  For Robert N. Spivack, O.D., that’s true whether he’s peddling a bicycle or operating two Sterling Optical franchise locations.  The common theme: set a goal and work toward it at a reasonable pace.

In the past year, Dr. Spivack has ridden in three fundraising bikes rides for cancer and multiple sclerosis research.

Dr. Spivack became a Sterling franchisee 15 years ago in Turnersville, NJ, and added the Deptford, NJ, office eight years ago.  One of the biggest challenges is staff management, he said, but weekly staff meetings at each location help keep communication lines open and staff working together.  The staff comes together at 9:15 A.M. before the office opens.  Dr. Spivack has his list of topics to cover, which include new contact lenses or new vendors, rebates and store promotions and HIPAA changes.  “We’ll even talk about what happened with Mrs. Jones’s glasses and why she wasn’t happy,” he said.                                                 Dr. Spivack         

Teamwork is important in this practice because of the heavy volume and the concentration on contact lenses.  Dr. Spivack estimated that about half of his patients are contact lens wearers; between 50 and 60 percent are in silicone hydrogel lenses, usually on a daily or occasional overnight wear basis.  “With the exception of color cosmetic, toric and multifocal lens wearers, nearly all my patients are moving into silicone hydrogel lenses,” he said.  “I explained to patients that these new silicone hydrogel lenses allow for greater wearing flexibility, allowing the lens to fit their lifestyle rather than having them change their lifestyle to fit the contact lens schedule.”

With a daily wear or overnight continuous wear schedule, he recommends the proper solution, such as CIBA Vision’s Clear Care.  He uses an analogy patients understand:  Just as cottons and silks aren’t washed in the same way, not all contact lenses are cleaned in the same way.

Note: Dr. Spivack was a recipient of the 2005 Innovation in Contact Lens Care Award.  The award is presented to individuals for outstanding professionalism.