Jack Canfield, the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, is famous for his rags-to-riches story of how he contacted five people a day to promote his book. The key to his success was his commitment to action. He offers the following tips for businesses:

Octopus continues its quest for the most reliable and accurate visual fields examination with the new Octopus 900.  The Octopus 900 is a full-field projection perimeter.

The Octopus 900 is available in two models:  The 900 Basic and the 900 Pro.

All the features found on the 900 Pro, such as blue/yellow testing and automatic eye tracking, can be added to the 900 Basic with the appropriate downloaded dongle codes.

While the primary workload at Bell involves sales, installation, and warranty work for new instrumentation, we still run a full time repair shop with all the tools and parts needed to keep your older instruments in top condition and accurate calibration.

For example, we will completely overhaul your Reichert Ultramatic Phoroptor for $620.  Many people don’t realize the fact that this is less than 15% of it’s current list price.  We also provide a free loaner.  If this service is performed once every 3 or 4 years, the top performance of this instrument can be extended indefinitely.

Last week the Office of Economic Development announced that the US has been in a recession for over a year. Although most people have felt some effect from the economy, hearing an official announcement underscores the importance of making every asset in your practice effective.

Perhaps it’s a good opportunity to take stock of exam equipment to make sure that it’s as productive as possible. Programmable patient chairs and room light control systems shave minutes from precious examination time. State of the art imaging and diagnostic instruments pave the way for exceptional patient care, while forging the way to the future of electronic medical record keeping.

Reliability is also critical. Equipment that works flawlessly saves down time and prevents lost income. During an economic downturn, it’s tempting to save money on less expensive equipment, but, in the long run, the bargain brands can cost much more. Invest in proven brands like Haag-Streit, Reliance, Canon, and Topcon. These instruments will serve your practice through this recession and far into the future. In many instances, for the life of your practice.

Bell Ophthalmic experts can assess your practice and recommend equipment to fit your needs. We offer complete installation and our factory trained technicians can service and maintain any equipment in your office.

Section 179 of the IRS Tax Code allows a small business or professional practice to deduct the full purchase price of financed or leased equipment in the current tax year. Qualifying equipment must be within the specified dollar limits of Section 179, and the equipment must be placed into service in the same tax year that the deduction is taken. For tax year 2008, this means the equipment must be put into service before 12/31/2008. For further information, visit www.section179.org and ask your tax advisor how Section 179 can best fit your business needs.

Intelligent strategies for the purchase of new equipment, in many ways, allow you and your staff to become more efficient and productive.