EYE ON OOSS

OOSS University: Completing the Value Circle

BY KENT JACKSON, PhD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OOSS

With the launch of OOSS University in August of this year, we took a giant step toward making highly relevant educational resources, content, and networking opportunities accessible to OOSS member centers, including clinical and business staff. The first email introducing OOSS University attracted nearly 1,600 views and more than 200 video visitors to this new learning platform, indicating a high measure of interest among members, prospective members, and partners. Now, our members are beginning to use the tools and resources on the site, and we are closely monitoring their progress.

The big idea of OOSS University was born during the OOSS board’s last tri-annual strategic planning process in 2013. Conceived as a one-stop online center, OOSS University provides a single site where member centers, both owners and staff, can access a range of information, including analytic tools, such as benchmarking and salary surveys, and topical surveys that address very specific subjects of importance to the ophthalmic ASC community. OOSS University also supports our advocacy mission by providing members with tools they can use to access and interact with policy makers at the state and federal levels. And finally, OOSS University provides the perfect platform for job postings and career resources for member centers and medical and business professionals interested in the ophthalmic ASC.

OOSS University offers substantial benefits to an ophthalmic-driven ASC that, if well utilized, may be worth two or three times the cost of annual membership. We know that our member centers are perpetually challenged by the changing landscape of reimbursement, quality reporting, and conditions for coverage — all high-dollar considerations. OOSS University is designed to connect members with experts and other members, and to share informational resources that can help them stay current, compliant, and ahead of the game. In addition, because we know our members invest heavily in the hiring, training, and development of new physicians and staff, OOSS University includes a Career Center for job postings and job seekers, and an array of online courses and learning resources to orient and educate physicians and staff.

A New Stage

The introduction of OOSS University represents the next exciting stage in the evolution of the organization. OOSS was founded by the innovators in the industry who were most keenly focused on advocacy and who artfully articulated the premise and promise of the ophthalmic ASC, as Mike Romansky has done so well throughout the past 30+ years.

As more centers came on board, OOSS added the objectivity and comparability of good analytics to strengthen the advocacy message. Next came OOSS benchmarking and topical surveys to guide performance improvement and innovation. (Albert Castillo, our member services consultant, leads our analytics efforts while running his own center and affiliated practices, and is a trusted advisor to our members on ASC metrics.)

Today, OOSS University enables us to expand our conversations to reach those centers for whom the complementary benefits of advocacy, analytics, and education complete the value circle — and provide more than enough rationale to make OOSS membership a necessity. ■

» To learn more about OOSS University, visit OOSS.org or contact Kent Jackson at kjackson@ooss.org.