EYE ON OOSS

OOSS as a Modern-day Guild

BY KENT JACKSON, PhD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OOSS

“They would organize to teach one another of their experiences, popularize their methods, educate the King’s councilors, and stand fast against the Sheriffs of the Forest. The alliance became known as The Worshipful Guild of Outpatient Ophthalmic Chiurgeons.”

In the preface to a seminal volume titled “The ABCs of ASCs,” authored and edited by Paul N. Arnold, MD, FACS, and published by the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA) in 2004, David McIntyre, MD, FACS, wrote the perfect parable describing the origin and assent of the ophthalmic ASC movement.

“The initial motivation of the founders of the Guild [OOSS],” McIntyre wrote, “was the pursuit of increased safety and enhanced patient care.”

That’s still true today. Patient safety is at the forefront of what we do. And to that end, OOSS has submitted comments to CMS pertaining to office-based cataract surgery. It’s not the office setting, per se, that is of much concern — we know that our members are committed to innovation — rather it is the issue of patient safety in an office setting that is less regulated than an ambulatory surgery center or hospital. William Fishkind, MD, puts the issue in perspective in his editorial:

“Rather than considering the nominal savings and substantial risks associated with paying for cataract surgeries in minimally regulated office environments, the ultimate objectives of CMS would be better served by working collaboratively with the ASC community to address overreaching ASC regulation that contributes nothing to patient safety but certainly adds cost.”

This is exactly how OOSS approaches its “guild-like” commitment to advocate on behalf of the ASC community. Improving the safety and quality of patient care is embedded in every OOSS event, educational program, and publication. Improved patient safety is a consideration in every survey, study, and performance metric developed by and for the members of OOSS.

OOSS came to be as an early alliance of innovators and pioneers of the ophthalmic ASC movement. That spirit of innovation and early adoption is still at the core of what OOSS is about and is reflected throughout the membership.

As the Executive Director of OOSS, nary a surgeon but certainly a lifelong practitioner of enterprise development, I’m continually and pleasantly reminded of just how value driven the members of OOSS are — in their daily work as ASC professionals, and as engaged and highly responsible leaders of an impressive and very niche sector of health care.

While writing this column, OOSS members and partners are working on yet another very specific study to gather evidence regarding sterilization techniques used for ophthalmic instruments. Led by a collaborative team of respected surgeons, medical researchers, and OR nurses, the study is designed to establish lab-tested and validated relationships between common sterilization techniques currently employed and measurably low infection rates reported in ophthalmic ASCs. Sounds just like Dr. McIntyre’s Worshipful Guild of Outpatient Ophthalmic Chiurgeons at work again. Watch for more to come.

As with any market niche, especially one as uniquely entrepreneurial, professional, and quality driven as the ophthalmic ASC community, there must be people who lead the way. Leaders tend to forge alliances because they can readily imagine and formulate a compelling vision. They openly and willingly learn from others, and they happily share their insights and experience. By this definition, OOSS and the members and partners of OOSS are leaders.

There is no other organization, no other network, focused exclusively on the unique interests and aspirations of the ophthalmic ASC. To be a leader in the ophthalmic ASC community is to be a member or partner of OOSS. ■

Author’s Note: “The ABCs of ASCs” by Paul Arnold, MD, FACS, which was published by ASOA in 2004, is no longer available. OOSS is in conversation with ASOA to determine if an electronic archival version can be made available to members of OOSS and ASOA.