Infoclip.ca recently interviewed the new President for this three part series about his vision of Optometry in Ontario and how the Association can best serve its members. Here are part one and part two of our three-part interview.

Infoclip: How are relations between optometry and the “other two Os”: ophthalmology and opticianry? Where do you see that relationship going over the next few of years?

J.G.: I think it’s become a very collaborative relationship. For the last several years, ophthalmology and optometry have been participating in the Eye Health Council of Ontario, EHCO, and that’s led to some very good evidence-based guidelines on the collaborative treatment and management of patients with diabetes, glaucoma and AMD. The EHCO table has been very useful in allowing a regular dialogue, and earlier this year we also invited opticianry to participate in that forum, so we look forward to building a relationship with them. We have representatives from their Association and from their College, and there’s also an academic member.

Infoclip: Dispensing accounts for a significant portion of revenue for independent Optometrists. What do you see as the future for Optometrists in a competitive market, and what role does the Association play in helping Optometrists in that facet of their practice?

J.G.: There’s always going to be competitive threats of that nature. It doesn’t matter what profession or business you’re in, they exist and in many cases they increase over time. What the Association is trying to do to help our members with that is to provide them with the education to ensure their practices can meet those challenges so they remain strong and independent. Part of our membership proposition is that we help them with some of the background business that helps them deliver care.

Infoclip: Driving up to two or three times a week between Bancroft is a significant commitment, what motivated you personally to undertake the challenge of being president of the OAO?

J.G.: I see the profession as at a juncture in its evolution. We have a lot of the challenges on the remuneration front. The costs of business are going up, costs of health care are going up. There are questions about the equity of access to care for patients with eye problems. The government budget is very tight. My colleagues, the Optometrists in the province, are very well positioned to do more for patients. I would like to help guide them in achieving that, and to ensure that our profession is better integrated within the primary care for Ontarians.

Infoclip.ca recently interviewed the new President for this three part series about his vision of Optometry in Ontario and how the Association can best serve its members. Click here for part one of our three part interview.

Infoclip:  Which member programs do you think are the most valuable?

J.G.: The one that is really valuable for our members is our insurance program. For many years, we’ve provided a professional liablity insurance. A couple of years ago, we undertook a large review of that to ensure it really was the best professional liability insurance program in the country. Now I can confidently say that it definitely is, it provides the best protection out of any insurance plan for optometrists in Canada. New graduates can join the plan for $50 the first year. It covers Optometrists for College complaints and they have access to 24/7 legal advice. They can call us up and ask an attorney a question on any topic.

This year we’re going to be looking at the office comprehensive insurance plan. We’ve identified some gaps in coverage that a lot of members currently have and later on this year, we’ll be rolling that out.

Infoclip: Around 75% of potential OAO members are currently members of the Association. Does that number concern you? Are there plans to attract the remaining 25%?

J.G.: It’s definitely a concern. When we go to government or any other stakeholder, our credibility is partially based on the number or percentage of optometrists we represent. Whatever extent we can grow, that is definitely a good thing. The success of our work really does depend on it, both from a credibility standpoint and for having the resources to do the work. What we’re trying to do is demonstrate the value of being a member. We want to show potential members who have not signed up yet that they’re missing out on a lot of benefits and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be a member.

Infoclip: Do you know who non-members tend to be? Is there an age, gender or regional gap?

J.G.: When we look at who’s a member vs who’s not a member, it is largely younger graduates. In the past, most Optometrists in Ontario were graduates of the University of Waterloo. We now have a larger diversity in where our optometrists are coming from. It becomes a little harder to meet with them during their educational years. We’re planning to reach out to other institutions to meet people who are planning to come back to Ontario at an earlier age. It also comes back to building out a range of member benefits.

Infoclip: Is it a concern that the gender make-up of the board of directors of the OAO does not reflect the number of women Optometrists in the industry?

J.G.: It’s definitely a concern that we’ve had. Members take note, students take note when we go to speak to them. At this point in time, at least half the profession is female in Ontario, and I believe about 70% of new grads are female. If we’re going to truly reflect our membership, we’re going to have to do something about that. If that inspires more female Optometrists to run for the board, I think that would be very good.

 

In part 3, we ask about the state of relations with other Vision Care Stakeholders.

On November 7, 2016, Dr. Jeffrey Guthrie of Bancroft, Ontario, took on the role of President of the Ontario Association of Optometrists for a two-year term ending Nov. 1, 2018. Dr. Guthrie hails from Sarnia, Ontario, and he received his B.Sc. from the University of Waterloo. He traveled to the United States for his Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Illinois, and has ocular disease training at University of Chicago Hospitals, Veterans Hospitals of Detroit and West Palm Beach Florida.

Dr. Guthrie practiced in Victoria, B.C., for one year before returning to Ontario, where he practiced in various clinical settings for three years before joining Bancroft Eye Care. Dr. Guthrie commutes 3 hours each way from his Bancroft office to downtown Toronto – sometimes two times per week.

Infoclip.ca recently interviewed the new President for this three part series about his vision of Optometry in Ontario and how the Association can best serve its members.

Infoclip: As a Canadian with a US education, how do you think your background has provided a unique perspective for your leadership of optometry in Ontario?

Jeffrey Guthrie: One of the challenges we have in Ontario relates to the remuneration of Optometrists, especially when dealing with OHIP. The experience of having trained in the United States and having been in US practice settings is you have a much different perspective on how insurance works and what is medically necessary.

Here in Ontario our concept of what Optometrists do is wrapped up in the idea of the comprehensive eye exam. In the United States, they often take a much more problem-focused approach, which is coming to Ontario. By understanding this, we can work with the Ministry of Health to better orient how optometry services are funded.

But there are also challenges to that concept of prevention that are starting to crop up. There’s the example of the PSA tests for screening prostate cancer, and the controversy about the utility of that. When it comes to eye care, the regular eye exam is still quite important. It is a low cost screening tool.

Infoclip: Can you be more specific, how will your Assocation deal with the issue of compensation for your members?

J.G.: What we’ve been trying to do as an Association is to demonstrate to government where Optometrists can add value to the system. Taking care of more patients that have eye disease or are at high risk, such as patients with diabetes, is an area where optometry can provide more value to the government and there could be recognition of that value.

Infoclip: Most would advocate that prevention is better than problem-solving. What would be the place in the model for preventative care?

J.G.: This is something that is talked about a lot right now in the medical community. I would agree prevention is key, especially to a lot of eye problems. You want to try and intervene in most eye diseases early before a major loss of vision occurs. A perfect example is glaucoma; if you catch it too late and there is already vision loss you can’t bring that back.

Infoclip: How has  the program to invite MPP’s into optometrists offices been well received? Will that be continuing?

J.G.: We started that last year with Optometry Day and we expanded into Optometry Week this year. It’s been really very helpful in bringing the MPP’s up to speed on what it is optometrists do day-to-day and how they help their patients in every community of the province, and where the opportunities are. I see that definitely growing, we’ve had a lot of great feedback both from the members that have participated and from the MPP’s that have come out to our practices.

 

In Part 2 of the interview, we ask about member benefits and the challenges the OAO faces in attracting new members.