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AAO 2007 / ISSUE I AAO NEWS Editors, Communications Division Tanya Lambden, OD Member Services Events Coordinator Stacey Dominiuk,AAO Executive Director Peggy Sloan,AAO Production Pioneer Press Ltd. Editorial Office: Alberta Association of Optometrists 10724 - 113 St., Edmonton, AB T5H 3H8 Telephone: (780) 451-6824 Fax: (780) 452-9918 Email: alberta.association@ optometrists.ab.ca Web: www.optometrists.ab.ca AAO News is published by the Alberta Association of Optometrists. All rights reserved. AAO members may use any or all published material in their own publications if source is listed. IN THIS ISSUE: President’s Message ........................1 2006 - 2007 Council ......................2 Welcome,Welcome ........................2 Premier Sets New Tone ................3 Eye Logic Licencing ........................3 Vision Expo a Sucess ......................4 OD Fees in Alberta ........................5 Billing Corner ..................................6 Member Announcements ..............6 Hard Work Pays off ........................6 Approval Contact Number ..........6 Eye See Eye Learn Journal Article ............................7 Giving Sight Charity ....................8-9 Eye See Eye Learn in Calgary ......9 AAO Membership Benefits ........11 resident’s P essage M ver the past couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to attend a few meetings across the country with other optometric leaders. It’s reassuring to know that our colleagues from across Canada face many of the same issues and challenges that we do and are happy to provide help and support. There are some very passionate, hardworking visionaries and thinkers in our profession and the discussions and sharing of ideas and information are very useful. It’s also fun to socialize with other mem- bers of the Canadian optometric family and the Canadian Association of Optometrists will soon be sending out registration packages for the Biennial CAO Congress to be held in Saskatoon this July. It will be a great event and I hope to see you there. On the political front, our new Premier and his cabinet are settling into their posts and we are hopeful that our contract negotiations will resume shortly. We must continue to educate the government about the sight testing issue. Renovations on the new AAO/ACO building are now being put out for tender. We anticipate that we will be able to move in this summer. Work on our governance model is ongo- ing and we have started a review of the AAO bylaws. Revisions to the bylaws should be ready to present to members at the AGM. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact me or any council member or Peggy at the AAO office. Best regards, Dr. Dan Lowe S eeing is B elieving. . . get a clearer view by visiting our website at www.optomestrists.ab.ca ... October 18-20, 2007 – Westin Hotel in Calgary,AB October 23-25, 2008 – Fantasyland Hotel, Edmonton, AB October 22-24, 2009 – Hyatt Hotel, Calgary,AB MARK YOUR CALENDARS for the Alberta Association of Optomestrists Continuing Education Conferences O

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Renovations on the new AAO/ACO building are now being put out for tender. We anticipate that we will be able to move in this summer. Best regards, Dr. Dan Lowe On the political front, our new Premier and his cabinet are settling into their Editors, Communications Division Tanya Lambden, OD Production Executive Director Stacey Dominiuk, AAO Peggy Sloan, AAO Member Services Events Coordinator Editorial Office: Pioneer Press Ltd. AAO Membership Benefits ........11

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: issue1

AAO 2007 / ISSUE I

AAO NEWS

Editors,Communications DivisionTanya Lambden, OD

Member Services Events CoordinatorStacey Dominiuk,AAO

Executive DirectorPeggy Sloan,AAO

ProductionPioneer Press Ltd.

Editorial Office:Alberta Association ofOptometrists10724 - 113 St., Edmonton,ABT5H 3H8Telephone: (780) 451-6824Fax: (780) 452-9918Email: [email protected]: www.optometrists.ab.ca

AAO News is published by the Alberta Association ofOptometrists. All rights reserved.AAO members may use any or allpublished material in their own publications if source is listed.

IN THIS ISSUE:

President’s Message ........................1

2006 - 2007 Council ......................2

Welcome,Welcome ........................2

Premier Sets New Tone ................3

Eye Logic Licencing ........................3

Vision Expo a Sucess ......................4

OD Fees in Alberta ........................5

Billing Corner ..................................6

Member Announcements ..............6

Hard Work Pays off ........................6

Approval Contact Number ..........6

Eye See Eye Learn Journal Article ............................7

Giving Sight Charity ....................8-9

Eye See Eye Learn in Calgary ......9

AAO Membership Benefits ........11

resident’sPessageM

ver the past couple of months, I’vehad the opportunity to attend a fewmeetings across the country with otheroptometric leaders. It’s reassuring toknow that our colleagues from acrossCanada face many of the same issues andchallenges that we do and are happy toprovide help and support. There aresome very passionate, hardworkingvisionaries and thinkers in our professionand the discussions and sharing of ideasand information are very useful.

It’s also fun to socialize with other mem-bers of the Canadian optometric familyand the Canadian Association ofOptometrists will soon be sending outregistration packages for the BiennialCAO Congress to be held in Saskatoonthis July. It will be a great event and Ihope to see you there.

On the political front, our new Premierand his cabinet are settling into their

posts and weare hopefulthat our contract negotiations willresume shortly. We must continue toeducate the government about the sighttesting issue.

Renovations on the new AAO/ACObuilding are now being put out for tender.We anticipate that we will be able tomove in this summer.

Work on our governance model is ongo-ing and we have started a review of theAAO bylaws. Revisions to the bylawsshould be ready to present to membersat the AGM. If you have any commentsor suggestions, please contact me or anycouncil member or Peggy at the AAOoffice.

Best regards,Dr. Dan Lowe

Seeing is Believing. . . get a clearer view by visiting our website at www.optomestrists.ab.ca . . .

October 18-20, 2007 – Westin Hotel in Calgary,AB

October 23-25, 2008 – Fantasyland Hotel, Edmonton,AB

October 22-24, 2009 – Hyatt Hotel, Calgary,AB

MARK YOUR CALENDARSfor the Alberta Association of Optomestrists

Continuing Education Conferences

O

Page 2: issue1

2 AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

Welcome. . . andWelcome Back!The Alberta Association of Optometristswould like to welcome the following newmembers to our Association:

Dr. William BerchaDr. Nana BoadiDr. Kris DuguayDr. Shauna Harbison Dr. Aaron HeslaDr. Y-Nhi HuynhDr. Christopher JohnsonDr. Shelin KahalfanDr. Adrienne LeVasseurDr. Amy NordstromDr. Joanna Phillips Dr. Carol TamDr. Nohad Teliani

We also welcome back Dr. Cher Tsang,Dr. Margaret Chen, Dr. Gary Packand Dr. Sonja Heffernan who havereinstated membership in the Association.

Alberta Association of Optometrists2006 - 2007 Council

Dr. Dan Lowe, President, Inter-professional Relations

Dr. Steve Larsen, Past President, Leadership & Awards

Dr. Neepun Sharma, President Elect, Planning Session

Dr. Jason Pearce, Secretary/Treasurer, Director, Executive & Administration

Dr. Allan Jones, CAO Councilor

Dr. Femida Visnani, Director, Member Benefits

Dr. Aaron Patel, Director, Conference & Special Projects

Dr. Tanya Lambden, Director, Communications & Public Relations

Dr. Denis Meyer, Director, Government Relations/Insured Services

Page 3: issue1

EYELOGIC –LicencingRequired

3

Premier Stelmach Sets New Tone

Peggy Sloan,Executive Director

While the transition from Ralph Kleinto Ed Stelmach has been quite seam-less in a way – it has been cautious, andwe have already seen the resignation ofboth Ralph Klein and Shirley McClellan.

It’s up to the new Premier to create avisible separation between Klein’s wayof doing things and his own —- and hestarted with the creation of his cabinet.Very few urban representatives —- anda large rural presence, made up mostlyof those who supported his leadership.He radically trimmed the size of cabi-net (down six positions).

There is a new political environmentunder the Dome; an election looming;and many new faces.

It is more important than ever that the

AAO Keyman Program thrive.

We now have many MLA’s notmatched - and there is a good possibili-ty that the majority of the caucus isuneducated about are issues and eyehealth delivery.

We have work to do! I will be pre-senting ESEL Orientation Sessions inCalgary in late February —- and planto piggy back a one hourGovernment Relations Seminaron the same evening. This Orientationand GR Seminar will be given CECredits – so plan to attend!

CAO continues to ensure Health Canadais fulfilling its responsibility for public pro-tection.As a result of the PVWC efforts,along with provincial pressure, the follow-ing was released by Eyelogic recently.

“Eyelogic Canadian SalesTemporarily Halted ByHealth Canada

Eyelogic Systems Inc. hasbeen notified by HealthCanada that the Eyelogic sys-tem, used for automatedsight testing, is a Class IImedical device and thus hasbeen instructed not to sellthe system in Canada untilthe Class II certification hasbeen obtained. “

Previously, the company was of theunderstanding that the Eyelogic Systemwas a Class I medical device.The compa-ny is in communication with HealthCanada to explore the rationale for thisnew classification.The Class II notificationis an industry wide change and it is thecompany’s understanding that all com-petitors will ultimately have to complywith this classification.

The company’s intention is to complywith all regulations and is co-operatingwith Health Canada to resolve this issueas soon as possible.The company hashired industry experts to assist with theClass II certification process and expectsthat this issue will be resolved by year-end.

Also, Health Canada informed the company that an establishment license is required to carry on the business ofimporting, sales and distribution of oph-thalmic equipment.The company hasmade application for the establishmentlicense and expects approval in the nearfuture.”

CAO and AAO continue to monitor thisissue. It is apparent that Eyelogic plans tocomply, however, the process has slowedsales and hopefully caused some opticiansto rethink their participation.

Government Relation Sessions

Doctors and Staff are Encouraged to Attend

LETHBRIDGE Wednesday, February 21st – Luncheon Meeting

2 CE Credits Doctors and Staff Welcome Lethbridge Lodge (Room TBA)12 Noon to 2:00 p.m.

CALGARY Tuesday, February 20th – Working Supper

2 CE Credits 5:00 – 6:00pm – Eye See…Eye Learn Orientation6:00 – 7:00 pm – Government

RelationsOR

CALGARY Wednesday, February 21st – Working Supper

2 CE Credits 5:00 – 6:00 pm – Eye See…Eye Learn Orientation6:00 – 7:00 pm – Government

Relations

RSVP to the AAO so numbers can be confirmedFor Food and Refreshments – 1-800-272-8843

AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

Page 4: issue1

Vision Expo 2006 A Resounding Success!

4 AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

In an effort to educate the East Indiancommunity as to the importance of reg-ular eye care, a group of optometrists inCalgary recently put on an informationsession on eye disease. Over 250 peo-ple in the audience turned out to hearDr.Amin Kherani (retinal surgeon) speakon the topic of “Aging and Eye Disease.”

There were various interactive boothsset up with information on retinal dis-ease, cataracts, glaucoma, amblyopia andmuch more. A great deal of planning andhard work went into these booths, andthey were met with great interest byaudience members. Dr. Sadru Kurji,Dr. Alisha Adatia, Dr. NabilaNasser, and Dr. Riaz Ahmed wereanswering questions and providing infor-mation to those in attendance. This wasour second annual expo, and we hope toexpand this to include another venueand hopefully put on a presentation atleast biannually. There are over 10,000members of this particular ethnic com-munity living in Calgary.

As in many new immigrant communities,the East Indian community has manymembers with limited awareness ofservices that are provided in westernnations such as Canada. Most Asian

countries do not have “optometrists,”and for this reason many immigrants areunaware of our role in primary eye care.To many of these people, an “eye exam”is simply a prescription for eyeglassesthat may be performed by any retailoptician. We strongly encourage

optometrists of any minority communityto put together similar events to helpincrease awareness of the services thatwe provide.

-Dr. Riaz AhmedMission Eye Care, Calgary

Left to right in the picture:Dr. Admin Kherani (Retinal Surgeon), Dr. Riaz Ahmed,

Dr. Alisha Adatia, Dr. Sadru Kurji and Dr. Nabila Nasser

Page 5: issue1

Alberta’s “Insured” OD Fees Among the Top in Canada

5AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

Page 6: issue1

6 AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

A referral may be accepted from anyphysician to perform a consultation butto receive remuneration as a consulta-tion from Alberta Health and Wellness,the following criteria must be met:

The request for the consultant’s opinionmust come in either verbal or writtenform (both must be documented) from:a physician, midwife, podiatrist, dentist,optometrist, or nurse practitioner (seeGeneral Rule 4.4.3)

To claim a comprehensive consultation,the physician must record a completehistory, perform a complete physicalexamination as appropriate to the physi-cian’s specialty, prepare an appropriaterecord, provide advice to the patient andprovide a written opinion with recom-

mendations as to the treatment to the referring physician, midwife, podiatrist,dentist, optometrist or nurse practition-er.The service may include the orderingof appropriate diagnostic tests and pro-cedures as well as discussion with thepatient and/or the referring physician,midwife, podiatrist, dentist, optometristor nurse practitioner.

To claim a repeat consultation, anotherrequest must be initiated by andreceived from the referring physician,midwife, podiatrist, dentist, optometristor nurse practitioner for another consul-tation. If the consultant requests that thepatient return for a follow up in a speci-fied period of time, that follow-up visitshould be billed as a visit and not a consultation.”

BILLING CORNER – ConsultationsArticle from AMA Bulletin – December 2006

A HUGE Congratulations goes outto Lisa Thomas of Dr. DavidThomas’s office. Lisa recently com-pleted her 2005-2006 OptometricAssistant Course and received thehighest overall score of those whoparticipated. In addition to her schol-arship, she also received an awardplaque from the CAO to proudly dis-play in the office. Great work Lisa!

Hard WorkPays Off

Please be advised, due to the high vol-ume of telephone calls from serviceproviders, effective October 18, 2006all requests for client eligibility, priorapprovals and payment inquiries mustbe faxed into the regional office at :(780) 495-4139.Messages left on the optical phone linewill be retrieved hourly and respondedto accordingly. No information will begiven over the phone pertaining to theabove requests.This change in process has promptedseveral calls from members frustratedwith the unacceptable wait time foreye exam approval. The new rules areparticularly inappropriate forMembers who provide “walk in” servic-es and your concerns are being commu-nicated to Health Canada. We have encouraged them to examinethe automated process used by AlbertaBlue Cross and utilize new technologyrather than taking a step backwards!

Health Canada

MemberAnnouncementsCongratulations Congratulations to Drs Morley andChristina Bayer who proudly wel-comed their first baby into the worldon November 14, 2006 at 1:30am.Jaydon Bryce Bayer weighed ahealthy 6lbs 10oz. Mom, Dad and Babyare doing great!

In MemoryIt is with great sadness that weacknowledge the recent passing ofOphthalmologist, Dr. Ronald Casey onJanuary 17, 2007. Several optometriccolleagues attended the services forDr. Casey to pay their last respects. Dr.Casey will be sadly missed, and heleaves a large void in Ophthalmologyservices to the Northern Alberta area.

Page 7: issue1

David Howell, The Edmonton JournalPublished: Sunday, January 21, 2007

EDMONTON - While her classmatesare learning all about their eyes, five-year-old Emma Callbeck proudly reportsshe knows hers are healthy.

"I can already see crystal clear," saidEmma, whose parents have had her hazeleyes checked twice by an optometristsince she turned three.

"He gave me some pictures, he let mehave his glasses and I got to read somewords -- that's all I remember," Emmasaid.

Emma is in Miranda Hummel's Frenchimmersion kindergarten class at BishopSavaryn school, 16215 109th St.

Hummel's class recently worked onactivities that are part of an eye-healthawareness program called Eye See . . .Eye Learn.

The children made eye-shaped masksand played with Fribbit the frog, the pro-gram's green mascot.They learned abouttheir pupils, irises, eyelids and eyelashes.

"I learned that your eyes are importantso you can see what's going on," saidfive-year-old Belle Orrell.

The students took home a letterencouraging parents to have their chil-dren's eyes tested. It also explains thatany kindergarten student who is foundto need glasses will get a pair free.

The program was developed by theAlberta Association of Optometristswith help from Alberta Children'sServices,Alberta Education and opticalindustry sponsors.

Forty-five of 62 Alberta school districts,including Edmonton Catholic andEdmonton Public, have endorsed Eye See. . . Eye Learn since it was introduced atElk Island public schools in 2003-04.

Undetected vision problems, such asnearsightedness, farsightedness, astigma-tism and amblyopia -- commonly knownas lazy eye -- can impair a child's ability

to learn. Many children who are not see-ing well are mistakenly thought to havelearning disabilities or behaviour prob-lems.

Optometrists recommend children havetheir first eye exam at six months, thenagain annually starting at age three.

But while Alberta Health covers the costup to age 18, fewer than 20 per cent ofAlberta children have had comprehen-sive eye exams by the time they startschool. It's estimated that one in fourchildren start Grade 1 with an uncor-rected or undiagnosed eye health orvision problem.

Christine Russo, an optometrist whoworks in Morinville, has dealt with a lotof kindergarten students through theEye See . . . Eye Learn program. She hasfitted several kids with free glasses.

Russo said it's essential to diagnoseproblems early, especially amblyopia,which is best treated before a childreaches age seven.

"If we can pick up that lazy eye and getthat child into glasses or patching, thenwe can completely correct it," Russosaid.

"The child might still need glasses, but atleast that eye can see. If we see them atage 10, there's not a lot you can do.Youcan't get that eye to 20/20 no matterwhat prescription you give them." Abouta year ago, Russo examined a boy whowas rambunctious and having difficultypaying attention.The eye test revealedhe had "a very, very high amount of far-sightedness," Russo said.

"I gave him the glasses and the next timeI saw him, he was a completely differentchild -- focused and able to pay attentionand he did so much better at reading thepictures on the wall.

"His mom said he was a completely dif-ferent child now that he had glasses,"Russo said.

[email protected]© The Edmonton Journal 2007

7AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

Bishop Savaryn kindergarten classmates Jordan Mansell, 5, left, andTiffany Mellor, 5, work on their Fribbit eyes as part of Eye See ... EyeLearn activities at the school.

Photograph by : Ed Kaiser,The Journal

Eye See... Eye Learn helps detect vision problemsUndiagnosed conditions can affect ability to learn

Page 8: issue1

Many thanks to Alberta’s optometristsfor their ongoing support forOptometry Giving Sight, CAO’sInternational Charity of Choice. 85% ofall donated funds automatically go tosupport programs targeting the preven-tion of blindness due to uncorrectedrefractive error. Over 250 million peoplein the world are blind or visuallyimpaired simply because they cannotobtain the glasses they need.And thevast majority of these people are in thedeveloping world, where not being ableto see has a huge impact on life quality.

Many of you have already “Ticked Yes toOGS” with your latest AAO dues invoiceand I expect once again that Alberta will

be held up as a shining example to otherprovinces. In addition, a number ofAlberta optometrists have volunteeredto participate in our Practice Giving pilotprogram. But many more are needed.

How does it work? Essentially, thePractice Giving program will involve youand/or your staff offering your patientsthe opportunity to support blindnessprevention around the world by con-tributing a loonie or a toonie toOptometry Giving Sight, either directlyor by having it added to their bill.Support materials provided make theprocess easy and fun.

Many practitioners have already decided

to “match” in some way what theyreceive from patients – either a dollarfor dollar match, or limited to a monthlymaximum or a monthly guarantee.Thechoice, of course, is yours. Matching pro-vides a tremendously positive rapportwith your patient base and demonstratesconfidence in the program.

As Ken Hrubeniuk, OfficeManager for Prairie VisionCentre in Wainwright, Albertacomments, “It has been excitingto see how easy it has been tocollect money for this programfrom our patients. Yesterday wehad a single patient donation of$50!”

Participation in OptometryGiving Sight’s Practice Givingprogram not only raises fundsfor a great cause and impressespatients, but it also provides anopportunity for great practicepublicity.

Several doctors in our Practice Givingprogram, sent articles to their localpapers around the October 12th WorldSight Day and received some great freecoverage in return. Dr. Bruce Johnsonplaced the following article and ad withthe Wetaskiwin Times Advisor and hesays it, “struck a chord with someonewho must have been looking for a goodcause because they came in and made alarge ($1000-$1200) donation the day

8 AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

Alberta’s Optometry Giving Sights,Practice Giving Program, GeneratesGreat Practice Publicity

~ Continued on next page.

July 18-21, 2007 – CAO Congress Saskatoon, SK

October 18-20, 2007 – AAOAnnual Conference and AGM

Westin Hotel, Calgary, AB

Mark YourCalendars...

Page 9: issue1

9AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

24 Wetaskiwin Times Advertiser, Monday, October 23, 2006

October Is Eye Health Month

Find sight throughout globe

Adding a few extra dollars to your eyecare billcan help stamp out blindness.

Drs. Johnson, Oliver and Martin are respond-ing to a challenge from Optometry Giving Sightto implement a simple fundraising program tohelp eliminate one of the leading causes ofblindness worldwide — refractive error.

“The injustice of being blind in our worldtoday simply due to a lack of glasses is totallyunacceptable,” said Dr. Bruce Johnson.

“This is optometry’s opportunity to make adifference and to stand as a united profession tohelp give sight, and hope, to millions in need.”

The fundraising effort started on World SightDay, Oct. 12. When patients add a few dollarsto their invoice, the clinic will match patientdonations.

“Our practice is excited to be part ofOptometry Giving Sight. ”

The doctors and staff love the program andreally appreciate the opportunity to becomeinvolved in a global effort to give sight.”

According to the International Centre forEyecare Education, at least 250 million peoplearound the world are blind or visually impairedbecause they don’t have access to an eye examand a pair of glasses.

Optometry Giving Sight, through a globalfundraising campaign helps create local capaci-ty to deliver sustainable, affordable eyecare ser-vices in countries where none exist.

Optometry Giving Sight is a joint initiative ofthe World Optometry Foundation, theInternational Centre for Eyecare Education andthe International Agency for the Prevention ofBlindness. It was established in 2003.

World Sight Day is an annual event focusingon the problem of global blindness. For infor-mation on Optometry Giving Sight [email protected]

NICK [email protected]

Optometrists match donations

Dr. Bruce Johnson, with his partners, will match donations frompatients for the Optometry Giving Sight campaign.

Eye See . . . Eye Learn will havereached more than 45,000 parents bythe end of March, when Calgary Publicand Catholic districts come on boardin February, 11,000 parent packageswill be distributed in Calgary alone.

Calgary OD’s and OD locations whoare participating with Eye See. . .EyeLearn – will be listed as a convenienceto parents – make sure your name isthere! Orientation sessions for doc-tors and staff are scheduled forFebruary 20th and 21st in Calgary.Theclinical Eye See. . . Eye Learn kits willbe distributed at these meetings.

The AAO is meeting in February withAlberta Children’s Services to discussthe maintenance of the kindergartenprogram, along with it’s expansion topre-kindergarten children.

We are so grateful for the tirelessefforts of the coordinators, ourExecutive Director and many AAOstaff hours that have been dedicatedto the success of the program.

We’ve reached an agreement withCAO and you may see Eye See. . . EyeLearn and Fribbit outside Alberta’sborders. CAO plans to utilize facets ofour program in their Children’s VisionInitiative.

Eye See... Eye Learn Reaches Calgarythe newspaper came out. It was an

anonymous donation.”Dr. Johnson, Oliver and Martin’s practiceraised a total of $1411.53 from theirpatients between World Sight Day,October 12th and the end of October.And then they made the decision tomatch this dollar for dollar, to bring thetotal donation level to $2823.06.

Optometry Giving Sight can supply youwith regular articles for your local papersand also for your practice newsletters.It’s a great way to show support foroptometry’s charity and build your prac-tice’s image in the community.

To find out more about how toparticipate in Practice Giving,call me at 1-800-585-8265 or670-2619 in Calgary, or [email protected] create hope and opportunity for millions in need.

Jane Ebbern, Country Manager – Canada,Optometry Giving Sight

....Continued from previous page

Page 10: issue1

10 AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

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HYDRACLEAR™ Plus is our brand name for the next generation of our proprietary technology that allows us to combine a higher volume of a moisture-rich wetting agent as a partof a new, state-of-the-art formulation to create a more wettable, ultra smooth contact lens, especially for people with eyes that feel dry.

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Page 11: issue1

11AAO News / 2007 / Issue I

The Alberta Association of Optometrists(AAO) is your Professional Association.Weoffer a wide range of services to members,and want to make sure these services areuseful and of value to you.Your Director ofMembers Benefits is Dr. Femida Visnani. Ourgoal is to serve you and meet yourneeds…..so we must know what thoseneeds are. Please feel free to call theAssociation Office for ANYTHING related toyour practice….if we don’t know the answer,we will try and direct you to the appropriatesource.

Your AAO Membershipincludes:

A Voice in Legislative Affairs: TheAAO is the designated body representing optometry and meets with the provincial gov-ernment on your behalf for a variety of rea-sons.The AAO is your voice when we meetwith Alberta Health and Welfare to negotiatefees, and discuss optometric billing codes andprocedures.The AAO continues to fight onyour behalf for ‘adequate’ funding for cover-age of clinical conditions.We monitor provin-cial legislation, attend workshops, and ensurethat optometry’s needs and concerns areconsidered by government.The AAO orches-trates a Political Action Plan which involvesmembers in the process and ensures our visi-bility at Premiers Dinners, MLA Banquets,Political Fund Raisers,Conferences etc.

Recommended Schedule ofProfessional Fees: The AAO prepares acomprehensive guide recommending fees forall services performed for optometricpatients, which is made available to you andthird party vision care administrators.

Public Information Materials andAids: Information Pamphlets, brochures,posters, tear sheets and stickers are producedby the AAO and made available to members.Some of this promotional material is madeavailable for purchase, and some is distributedfree of charge.AAO members have access totwo display booths, which can be used atTrade and Career Fairs. Provincial ad andmedia campaigns are orchestrated throughthe Association office to promote optometry

and raise awareness throughout the province.Non-members cannot purchase AAO products.

Professional Communication: AAOmembers receive a bi-monthly newslettercontaining updates and pertinent information.In addition, the Association produces theOptomart, which is a classified ad publication,free to AAO members.The AAO staff aretrained to answer member inquiries and pro-vide support to individual members and/orregional societies. Both can be viewed online

at www.optomtetrists.ab.ca

Group Plans offering special rates, and negotiated by the AAO include disability andlife insurance, credit card rates,AlbertaMobility, courier services, Quikcard,Telephone-On-Hold Messaging, and ournewest addition “Maxopia.” Maxopia offersexcellent discounts to AAO members foroffice supplies and equipment.AAO membersdon’t pay a sign up fee! The Association isconstantly on the lookout for group benefitplans which would be of interest to the mem-bership.

Regional Meetings and Workshopsare organized and facilitated by theAssociation annually.These offer continuingeducation credits and social interaction withfellow AAO members, and provide a forumfor information exchange between the elect-ed Council and the field practitioner.

AAO Annual General Meeting,Continuing Education Conferenceand Optifair are organized each year andAAO members attend at a much reducedrate. Our Optifair is one of the most success-ful in Canada, attracting large numbers of sup-

pliers and doctors.

AAO Vision Care Programs are avail-able to members only. Our industrial safety eyewear program is the flag ship for Canada,and provides substantial non dues revenues.Participating doctors’ names are circulated toclient companies, thus increasing their visibility within their practicing community.

Member Manuals are provided by theAAO to be used as a reference tool.Theycontain information on provincial and federalthird party programs, members benefits,copies of our Bylaws, plus the currentRecommended Fee Schedule.

New Benefit: Power Point Presentations –covering subjects such as Glaucoma, Diabetes,Children’s Vision, etc. available online toMembers Only!

Membership with the CanadianAssociation of Optometrists is onlyopen to members of the provincial associa-tion.The CAO represents the national interests ofoptometrists in Canada, and works on yourbehalf with government, industry, vision carepatients, the public and other health profes-sionals.A significant benefit provided by the CAO has been the effective publicawareness campaign, administered by NPEC.In addition CAO supplies your annualOptometrist’s Desk Reference.The last section of the ODR is an excellent policy reference and should be kept within easy

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP IN AAO(Non Members cannot purchase AAO products or services)

The Association is always looking for

ways to enhance our value to the

membership, and our services are

not limited to those mentioned

above. In addition, we regularly gather

information via surveys, which is then

analyzed and shared with the

membership.We act as a communica-

tions clearing house where possible,

and pride ourselves on being able and

willing to assist the membership

wherever possible.

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12 AAO News / 2007 / Issue I