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Trailblazer hands baton to the next generation
Dr. Byron steps down after nearly 20 years of service to OSN.
We at Ocular Surgery News would like to take this opportunity to thank Herve M. Byron, MD, FACS, for his outstanding service as the Practice Management Section Editor since 1992. Herve joined the Editorial Board of OSN in 1984. The Ophthalmic Practice Management section, under his editorship, was launched in 1992. When it was renamed the Practice Management section in 1996 and the Editorial Board was revised, he stayed on as Section Editor. As both the founding editor of this section and a teacher in the field, Herve has dedicated himself to bringing the practicing ophthalmologist information that is timely and valuable in the day-to-day management of an ophthalmic practice. Herve was a pioneer in IOL implantation, performing the first combined penetrating keratoplasty, cataract removal and lens implantation in the United States. He managed a large and successful practice for years and has freely shared the insights he gained over nearly a half century of ophthalmology. He is also an expert in wellness, nutrition and holistic medicine. He has shared his knowledge in this area as well, to the benefit of many practitioners. Herve remains active and dynamic and will continue to contribute to OSN as an Editor Emeritus. We look forward to his collaboration with our new editor, John B. Pinto. Richard L. Lindstrom, MD |
In the 1960s, the subject of practice management was virtually unknown. Ophthalmologists were so busy they didn’t consider the business side of practice.
One ophthalmologist, Malcolm A. McCannel, MD, knew that practice management was an essential component of a successful practice. He presented the first courses in this subject at the American Academy of Ophthalmology for several years and should be considered practice management’s grandfather. After the completion of my residency in 1960, I attended each of his courses. In the late 1970s, I began to teach these courses. Everything I spoke or wrote about stemmed from my exposure to this gifted and outstanding teacher and clinician.
For the next 30 years, I was privileged to teach the subject to my colleagues at the annual meetings of AAO, CLAO, ASCRS and the Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting. I was given the opportunity to edit the first Ophthalmology Management publication. I helped develop “Future Focus,” a practical course in all aspects of the business side of practice, which was presented at residency programs all over the country for several years. My last and most gratifying assignment had been to edit the Practice Management section of Ocular Surgery News.
During those 30 years, I have met practically every person involved in practice management. I have observed different techniques of teaching, different methods of consulting and different styles of writing. Each individual emphasized one of those approaches to achieve success. Not one of them has mastered all three approaches as has John B. Pinto. His lectures are incredibly well-organized, comprehensive and precise, regardless of the subject.
He not only visits the offices of ophthalmologists who employ his services, he is the only consultant who takes them out of their office environment to truly get inside their heads and ascertain what makes them tick. This personal involvement allows John to help his clients both professionally and personally, an absolute must in this era of severe stress.
John’s true forte is his stunning writing ability. He combines pragmatism, perspicacity and philosophy in an erudite style second to none. He is the most prolific writer in the industry. His “Little Green Book of Ophthalmology” is a classic that should be read not only by every ophthalmologist but every clinician. As I wrote in the foreword of the second edition, “He is the superstar of ophthalmic consultants and unquestionably walks to his unique, majestic, drumbeat.”
Ocular Surgery News could not have picked a more accomplished, deserving consultant to take its Practice Management section to new heights and add to the value of the publication for all its readers. It is with profound pride and affection that I hand over the baton to my uniquely qualified colleague, John B. Pinto.