Upholding Shared Values of Respect and Compassion: Week of October 27, 2023

 

Dear Students, Faculty Residents, Staff, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning on a beautiful morning from Elkins Park. Unfortunately, we wake up to the news of another mass shooting, this time in Maine, where 18 lives were taken and 13 people injured in a senseless act of violence. Please keep those affected by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers

Here are some positive things that I hope you will find of interest:

LOOKING OUT FOR KIDS: Our annual Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity fundraiser is just around the corner. Tickets are still available for the event at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, at The Switch House at The Battery in Philadelphia. You can purchase your tickets here.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WHITE CANE: White Cane Day, celebrated every year on Oct. 15, strives to bring awareness to the achievements of individuals with visual impairments and a tool often used to support their independence. For those with a visual impairment, including individuals with low vision to blindness, the white cane can support safe and independent travel. The importance and effective use of the white cane is just one aspect of independent travel students in Salus University’s Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) programs are taught. Read more here.

ACADEMY IN THE ‘BIG EASY’: Every fall, Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University faculty, residents, students and staff descend upon a different city for a robust lineup of lectures, events, poster presentations, workshops and much more at the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) conference. This year, New Orleans aka the “Big Easy,” known for its specialty cuisines, jazz music and historic architecture, was the host city. Click here to read more about the conference.

OULU STUDENTS IN THE HOUSE: Master’s students from Oulu University of Applied Sciences are finishing up a productive two weeks on campus in specialized training in primary eye care emphasizing the diagnosis and management of eye disease. Led by Dr. Robert Andersson, MSc ‘10, FAAO, students have had the opportunity to examine paid volunteers in controlled patient care, lectures/labs in ophthalmic laser, contact lens, and traumatic brain injury. They have been exposed to eye disease and conditions not common in their native Finland. Stay tuned for a podcast on our website to hear from the students about their expanded view of eye conditions that we experience on this side of the globe. We captured a photo of a couple of our Finnish students attached below.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Over the past few weeks many of us have been watching and discussing the terrible situation in Israel and Gaza. Rightfully so, these events elicit strong opinions and sentiments and hold significant importance on the much broader global stage.

I would like to remind members of the Salus community, no matter how you feel about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza, we uphold our shared values of respect, compassion and open dialog, especially when discussing matters as sensitive as this. Differing viewpoints are inevitable, but they should be expressed and received in a manner that does not degrade, demean or discriminate against any individual or group based on their beliefs, ethnicity or nationality. Be respectful in all of your interactions.

I recognize that the situation in Israel and Gaza is particularly fraught and emotionally difficult for those with family and friends caught in the conflict. Resources for emotional and psychological support are available for students through the Center for Personnel and Professional Development (CPPD) and for faculty and staff through your health plans.

Personal and institutional integrity depends on our shared commitment to, and consistent practice of respect, compassion and skillful dialogue. What we say, do and how we conduct ourselves, all affect our ability to build trustful relationships.

Our Salus credo states, “We believe all of our endeavors should have an enduring impact beyond the confines of the University.” Think about the enduring impact you’re creating in how you listen and engage with everyone you encounter.

As you prepare for the weekend, get outside and enjoy this nice October weather – we won’t have these temperatures for much longer. I want you all back here feeling SALUS STRONG on Monday! I’ve attached a photo I took of our beautiful campus last night. The almost full moon really looks magical! Enjoy the weekend.

-Mike

Remembering Our Veterans: November 11, 2022

 

Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Greetings from our Elkins Park Campus where our students, faculty and staff are busy with classes, labs and clinics. Our Chestnut Hill satellite clinic has a new façade that looks professional and inviting. The private practice pilot that we’ve initiated there is off to a strong start thanks to the great work of our faculty and staff! In addition to what’s happening on campus, here are other items of interest:

LOFK IS HERE! Join us for our Looking Out For Kids charity fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 12th at the National Constitution Center. If you haven’t purchased tickets, please consider going to our website here to help us provide healthcare for children in need.

AAO CONFERENCE FOLLOW-UP: The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University was front and center at the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) “Academy 2022” centennial celebration recently in San Diego. Fifteen Salus faculty and six residents presented posters, four faculty gained AAO fellowship, 14 faculty gave presentations, two faculty gave symposium lectures and two faculty delivered Grand Rounds. Read more about the conference here.

O&P PERSPECTIVE: Check out this podcast with Amber Lewis ‘25OP, a first-year student in the inaugural Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program at the University. She gives us insight on the program and why she chose Salus O&P. Click here for details.

SALUS SOIREE: This year’s Salus Soiree is scheduled from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. Semi-formal attire is requested. All students and guests must be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination or provide a negative test taken within 72 hours of the event. Contact the Student Council for details and tickets.

30 YEARS AND COUNTING!: Congratulations to our Orientation & Mobility and Blind and Visually Impaired (VRT) programs celebrating 30 years of approval from the Department of Education! We are so proud to be home to these nationally distinguished programs!

SELF-CARE BAG: Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) counselors Janeyshka Ortiz-Flores and Andrew Jaskot will see you outside the cafe from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14. Stop by their table to say hello and collect a self-care bag.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Yesterday marked the 247th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Here in Philadelphia, on November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing the Continental Marines. Since that time, Marines have distinguished themselves defending our freedoms around the world. During my 33-year Navy career, I had the privilege of serving with the Marine Corps for almost a third of that time.

Today, we recognize all veterans as we celebrate Veterans Day. World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. Fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany, went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” Originally designated Armistice Day by President Wilson, November 11 commemorates the armistice that began that day. In 1954 Congress changed the name to Veterans Day to recognize all veterans. 

While on active duty, we observed Navy and Marine Corps birthdays and Veterans Day by participating in cake-cutting ceremonies and attending a few veteran’s events. As a retired Navy veteran, I think of these days a bit differently. I appreciate how lucky we all are to have men and women who place their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we have, such as election day last Tuesday. They do this while being held to the highest of standards, professionally, ethically, and morally. Core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment have been the moral and ethical compass that have guided the men and women in uniform for 247 years.

As healthcare professionals, we have much in common with all who serve in our armed forces. We, too, commit our time and energies to serve others. Most importantly, as healthcare professionals, we are also guided by an ethical and moral compass – one that emulates that of our Navy and Marine Corps – Honor, Courage and Commitment.

As we celebrate Veterans Day, think about how we can leverage our own commitment to conduct ourselves with honor, to exercise the courage to denounce actions that are counter to our democratic values, and to do what’s right for our patients, clients, and those around us.

-Mike

The Imperative of Exercising Your Right to Vote: Week of October 28, 2022

 

Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Greetings from sunny San Diego where I have been attending the annual meetings of the Armed Forces Optometric Society and American Academy of Optometry. It’s been great seeing colleagues and friends and watching our faculty shine in the lecture halls of the convention center. In addition to what’s been happening here, things on campus have been buzzing:

ARCHER TO HOST LOFK EVENT: We are thrilled that Johnny Archer, reporter and anchor for NBC10, will host for our annual “Looking Out for Kids” charity fundraiser November 12, 2022, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Archer attended Downingtown High School and Delaware County Community College. He received his bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media from Temple University. Read more here.

VISIONING THE FUTURE: Congratulations to PCO student Makayla Cain, PBHS ‘21, ‘26OD, who participated in our Post-Baccalaureate in Health Science and Summer Enrichment Programs (SEP)! She was recently accepted into the National Optometric Association’s (NOA) Visioning the Future program which advances the professional and career development of African American students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Click here to read more.

DIWALI CELEBRATION: Salus University marked the start of Diwali, known as the five-day Festival of Lights, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains globally, with an on-campus celebration Oct. 24, 2002. Students, faculty and staff gathered on the Elkins Park campus, to celebrate Diwali, which translated means "rows of lighted lamps." Salus MSCO student, Pragna Saripudi ‘23OD, shared her culture and experience by making a presentation on Diwali.

CPPD UPDATE: A few items from the Center for Personal and Professional Development to consider: CPPD's Jana Walker will offer a six-week trauma informed yoga class over Zoom beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. All levels are welcome. Contact CPPD for Zoom meeting and pass code; Dr. Cristina Laracuente's schedule will change effective Nov. 1, 2022. She will be available in person on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and virtually on Thursdays from 1 to 8 p.m. Updated hours for the entire CPPD team can always be found here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Whenever I visit San Diego, I am reminded of the time when I served as Director of the Navy Medical Service Corps (MSC), leading allied health sciences and hospital administration specialties. During that time, two of our MSC officers were killed in the line of duty while serving in Afghanistan. One of those officers, Lieutenant Florence Choe, sought career advice from me during a brief meeting. I suggested it would be beneficial to her career to deploy, which she did. Lieutenant Choe and her fellow Navy officer were killed in a “blue on blue” attack when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them while they were jogging during that deployment. She was laid to rest at Fort Rosecrans Military Cemetery, overlooking the Pacific (see below). The loss remains fresh in my mind and is deeply poignant.

Standing graveside on Wednesday, I couldn’t help but think about the ultimate sacrifice that she and so many have made to preserve democracy here and abroad. The freedoms we take for granted have been paid for multiple times over with the lives of generations of Americans.

As we approach Election Day on November 8th, prepare to exercise a core tenet of our democracy: vote for candidates who closely align with your values and beliefs. To ignore this responsibility minimizes the sacrifices of Lieutenant Choe and all who gave their lives so we and others can be free.

As you prepare to vote, please think about the issues that directly impact our freedoms including: the freedom for all to vote, supports the elimination of racism, and respects everyone’s individual rights. All these issues impact our shared commitment to serve our patients and equal access to high quality healthcare and healthcare choices.

As you prepare for the weekend and Election Day the following week, please keep those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country in your thoughts and prayers. Stay safe, get your Covid booster and flu vaccine, if you already haven’t and remain SALUS STRONG!

-Mike

Greetings from Florida: Week of October 25th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Greetings from a steamy, warm Orlando, where many of us have been attending the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry and the World Council of Optometry.  This is always a great meeting with fantastic continuing education and opportunities to discuss new and innovative ways of moving the profession forward.  What makes me most proud about this meeting is the fact that so many of our PCO faculty and alumni have been providing continuing education lectures and are contributing to both the  Academy's and the World Council of Optometry’s strategic direction.  It’s so gratifying to see PCO leading the way and setting the bar unbelievably high at every lecture they give.  That’s what happens when we have the most talented faculty and alumni in the country!  For those of you who are in Orlando for the meeting, please try to stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall as well as join us for our Alumni and Friends Centennial Tour Reception tonight at 7:30 in the Orchid Room of the Hyatt Regency, honoring PCO’s 100-year legacy and contributions to the profession.

Back on campus, this morning, be sure to tune in to see our very own Brandy Scombordi, pediatric optometrist at The Eye Institute (TEI) and Chaitali Baviskar, assistant vice president of clinical operations, on NBC10 for an interview about next weekend’s Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity fundraiser. Thank you both for going and spreading awareness for LOFK - watch the interview live at 10:30 today! For more information on LOFK, visit salus.edu/lofk 

On Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., please stop by the Hafter Center for the official ribbon cutting reveal of our new Sensory Garden. Intended to be a teaching tool for each of the seven programs in the College of Education and Rehabilitation, the Sensory Garden is already a beautiful new edition to our campus, and I can’t wait to see it utilized by students, faculty, staff and the local community very soon. Learn more about the garden at salus.edu/sensorygarden

Next Friday, we will be hosting representatives from Cedar Crest College (CCC) in celebration of our newest articulation agreements. The four new agreements will include the Doctor of Audiology degree program; the Doctor of Optometry degree program; the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies master's programs; and the Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Master of Medical Science degree program. We’re very excited about this new partnership and I look forward to hosting the signing next Friday. For more information, visit salus.edu/ccc.

Next Saturday we are holding our thirteenth Looking Out For Kids Charity fundraiser at the City Line Hilton.  If you have not already gotten your tickets, there’s still time.  Looking Out For Kids wouldn’t be around today if wasn’t for the work of Dr. Sue Oleszewski, who founded this great charity in 2007.  Dr. Oleszewski will be on hand to present Mr. Alan Lindy with this year’s Lighthouse award.  Just click here to get tickets.

World Occupational Therapy Day is this coming Sunday, October 27^th.  When you see any of our OT students, faculty or staff, please wish them a Happy World OT Day!  There might even some folks outside the cafeteria area where you can get more information!

It's going to be another nice Fall weekend, so if you get a chance, get out and check out the fall colors – we’re just about at peak time right now.  Be safe, have fun and look out for one another! 

Mike 

Greetings from San Antonio: Week of November 9, 2018

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Board Members and Friends,

Greetings from San Antonio where I’m attending the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, along with many of our PCO faculty and students.  It’s been a great meeting with several of our faculty and students attaining professional recognition in the form of academy diplomate status and practice excellence recognition.  Congratulations to Dr. Bisant Labib, Co-Chief of Suite 3, who earned her Diplomate in Comprehensive Eye Care and to Susan Barnes and Kathrine Boas, both from the PCO class of 2019, for receiving a VSP Practice Excellence Award.  We’re extremely proud of all of you!  Also, several of our faculty and students are presenting lectures and posters throughout the meeting. PCO is making a huge splash in San Antonio!!!

Just a reminder that Dr. Trego and PCO will be hosting an Alumni and Friends reception in the Grand Hyatt, Texas Ballroom F, 4th Floor later today at 6:30 p.m.  We hope everyone who’s in San Antonio for the Academy meeting can join us!

Congratulations to Radhika Aravamudhan who has just been named the Dean of the Osborne College of Audiology!

Rachel Ditoro, MSPAS, PA-C, associate professor, College of Health Sciences, presented three talks to Physician Assistant Program educators at the annual Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) Forum in Anaheim, CA: “Competency-based Medical Education (CBME): Beginning with the End in Mind” parts one and two, which provided an overview of CBME, its core components, and its utilization in PA education.  Ditoro also co-presented a third talk, “Early Remediation Using a Competency-based Education Model” with Donna Agnew, MSPAS,PA-C,DFAAPA, interim dean, College of Health Sciences, addressing targeted remediation for identified deficits.  It’s great to see our folks lecturing on the national stage.

Congratulations to our Looking Out For Kids charity fundraiser team for orchestrating what has been our best event to date last Saturday night.  We had over 300 people in attendance including Senator Vincent Hughes and our Lighthouse Award recipient, Donna Frisby-Greenwood.

Special thanks to Kate Braemer and the team in Institutional Advancement and Alumni Relations for putting all this together. Special thanks to Rosemary Connors from NBC10 who served as our co-host and to all of our sponsors, including National Vision, Lindy Property Management Co., Conicelli Toyota, Fox Rothschild, E.B. Reilly, MyEyeDr, Office Depot, T3 Construction, U.S. Vision and many others.  Also, special thanks to our Board of Trustee members for your attendance as well to all those who contributed time, wine, money and artwork to the silent auction.  It looked like everyone had a great time! For more info, check out our website.

The Keneseth Israel Reform Congregation is holding a concert featuring the Main Line Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Don Liuzzi, 68-member musicians, a guest narrator, and soloists on Sunday at 7:15 p.m. Salus students, faculty and staff have been invited to attend this great event.  Admission is $10 and tickets will be available at the door.

It looks like it’s going to be a nice cool weekend in Philadelphia! Get out the hot chocolate and settle in with your books if you’re studying, or try to get outside and enjoy what’s left of the fall leaves.  There will be snow on the ground before we know it!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Mike

Greetings from AAO Conference: Week of October 13th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Greetings from Chicago where many of us have been attending the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry and Armed Forces Optometric Association. It’s been just a wonderful and PACKED week!

Monday we celebrated commencement for 71 students from Physician Assistant Studies, Audiology, Public Health, Speech-Language Pathology and Clinical Optometry with an Advanced Studies Certificate programs. This was the first time we’ve held our fall commencement exercise at the Kimmel Center and it was fantastic. Our guest speaker and honorary degree recipient, Dr. Rachel Levine, the Physician General of Pennsylvania and Acting Secretary of Health, gave an inspirational and informative talk. As an openly transgender women, she focused her message on transitions and how they impacted her life. She emphasized the importance of diversity and acceptance in all aspects of life. Dr. Levine left the students with some advice for the future telling our graduates, “have big goals for your career and be open to finding yourself not necessarily where you intended to go, but where you were meant to be.” She concluded by saying, “Try to keep your idealism. Life might take you on many different turns and many unexpected paths, but I am confident the education you received here will prepare you for all those roads.”  I think her words would apply to any of us. Dr. Levine clearly left a very positive impression on all of us.

In the College of Education and Rehabilitation, once again our Occupational Therapy (OT) team are showcasing at state meetings. They most recently attended the Pennsylvania Occupational Association’s conference where a number of students and faculty presented posters and gave presentations. This weekend, they are headed for the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association (NJOTA) conference. Several faculty members will be presenting and student/mentor posters will be posted.  Andrea Tyszka, associate professor, will be presenting and will be receiving the award for The Certificate of Appreciation: Contribution to the Community through OT Practice Award for NJOTA this year. Dr. Fern Silverman, director of the OT doctoral program, and Dr. Lauren Sponseller, director of the OT department, will be presenting independent lectures, while Dr Sponseller, Dr. Brooke Kruemmling, assistant provost, and Brianna Brim, MOT, OTR/L, CPAMS, instructor and academic fieldwork coordinator, will all be presenting with students. Additionally, several of our students will be presenting posters with their mentors. They are:

• Zac Saunders  ’17OT/Dr. Barbara Schwartz-Bechet, interim dean, College of Education and Rehabilitation
• Ciara Bell OT ’17/ Dr. Barbara Schwartz-Bechet, interim dean, College of Education and Rehabilitation
• Rebecca Miller ’17OT/Brianna Brim, MOT, OTR/L, CPAMS, instructor and academic fieldwork coordinator
• Nina Goldfedder OT ’17/ Ciara Bell OT ’17/Brianna Brim, MOT, OTR/L, CPAMS, instructor and academic fieldwork coordinator

While at the American Academy of Optometry meeting, several of our faculty members and former students received high honors and 10 faculty members successfully challenged the Fellows exam and became Fellows of the Academy.

Dr. Mitchell Scheiman dean of Research and Biomedicine program director,  was the Glenn A. Fry lecturer this year. This is the second highest honor the Academy awards. Dr. Scheiman was recognized for and lectured on his groundbreaking work in convergence insufficiency. Dr. Lorraine Lombardi, interim dean for the College of Health Sciences, received the Michael G. Harris Family Award for Excellence in Optometric Education for her more than 40 years of sustained excellence in optometric education. Dr. Luigi Bilotto, a 1994 resident and adjunct professor, received the AAO-Essilor Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Optometry.

The following PCO faculty received their Academy Fellowship:

• Dr. Kriti Bhagat, assistant professor
• Dr. Byung Josh Kim, assistant professor
• Dr. Harpreet Minhas, instructor
• Dr. Siva Meiyeppen, instructor
• Dr. Laine Higa, assistant professor
• Dr. Jamie Neiman, assistant professor
• Dr. Mary Jo Thomas, instructor
• Dr. Andrew Meagher, instructor
• Dr. Kelsey Moody, instructor
• Dr. Ashley Maglione, instructor

I want to congratulate all of our awardees and new Fellows. These accomplishments represent years of hard work and a dedication to excellence that is the hallmark of our remarkable faculty - in all programs!

Finally, I’d like to remind everyone about Looking Out For Kids on November 11th. We hope many of you can attend this important fundraising event.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Be safe and have some fun.

Mike

More than Meets the Eye

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged – so it’s time! 

I just got back from Atlanta where I attended the Southern Educational Congress of Optometry (known to most optometrists as SECO) where I had the honor and privilege of delivering the opening lecture of the conference – and it was A BLAST! I was part of a special session entitled, “More than Meets the Eye” where I was asked to provide my view on the future of optometry as well as optometric education. I was followed by amazing lectures from Drs. Mike Gallaway, Clark Chang, both Salus affiliates, Vicky Vandervort from Omaha, NE, and Christina Master from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I had the opportunity to help set the tone and introduce the topics the other four doctors presented which included convergence insufficiency, visual training, closed head trauma and keratoconus. It was extremely well-received.

Here’s a link to an article that appeared in Primary Care Optometry News.

The best part of all is that I had people coming up to me throughout the meeting thanking me for being such a great spokesman for Salus/PCO and optometry. They were fired up about increasing our scope of practice, especially as we as confront a nationwide shortage of primary care providers through 2025. I think what’s most important about this talk is that it helps to set the stage for Salus/PCO to once again take the lead on moving the optometric profession forward while at the same time putting some pressure on our national organizations to begin marketing our great optometric profession to qualified applicants nationwide. One of the points I made, in addition to why it’s absolutely necessary to expand optometric scope of practice to include the diagnosis and management of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, was that optometric national organizations, such as the American Optometric Association and the American Academy of Optometry need to actively market the profession. Much like the nursing profession has done, they need to actively market in order to reverse the decreasing applicant pool we have been experiencing over the past decade. I see this as one of the most important challenges confronting the profession; ensuring we maintain a cohort of qualified applicants to fill the 1700+ seats we currently have nationally. If we don’t do this we risk having an applicant pool that does not provide enough qualified people to fill the seats of our 23 optometry schools. 

So here we go – I’d like to take this talk nationally as I believe expanding the optometric scope of practice as well as addressing a decreasing applicant pool are burning platforms Salus needs to take the lead in addressing! We’ve got a history of taking the lead on these types of issues; after all, we wouldn’t have diagnostic and therapeutic privileges today if it weren’t for the visionary leadership of those who came before us at PCO. I welcome your comments and support as we move this initiative forward. 

Have a great week!

The Affordable Care Act and Our Professions - Players or Spectators?

Earlier this week while attending the American Academy of Optometry meeting I wrote a blog posing the question, "How does optometry want to fit into the new healthcare landscape?"  Much to my surprise, while many have had the opportunity to look at the entry, only one person responded - and that person did so in a personal email, not on the blog.  Now that the meeting is over and I’m headed home I'm wondering why the silence?  I think this is a discussion and debate that optometry and all the other health science professions need to have.  

As the effects of the Affordable Care Act take hold on the American healthcare system the number of payment and payer options for our professions will unquestionably change.  Today there are a myriad of payer and insurance companies.  According to the experts I've talked to this almost certainly will change.  In the (very near) future we will see a consolidation of insurance providers and payers much like we've seen in the American healthcare sector.  We've already seen this happen to our airline industry.  Remember when there was an Eastern, National, Pan Am, TWA, and Continental airline?  Well, now there are only a few major carriers.  We're going to see the same thing occur with health insurance carriers.  Optometry, Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Speech, Language Pathology and the other health sciences must be agile in adapting to this new environment, otherwise they risk being "boxed out" by major carriers or worse.  

In my humble opinion, one of the best ways to do this is to ensure we're all part of what will be an integrated system of healthcare providers who are aligned with Accountable Care Organizations, Patient Centric Medical Homes and Medical Neighborhoods and other entities that focus on the delivery of primary care, high quality and value.  As I mentioned in my prior blog I believe this will require all the schools and colleges to work together to develop and teach our students how to best work within this new landscape.  This includes business prowess but also must include in-depth discussions in policy and how to influence policies.  

For optometry, I also believe the profession will need to continue its evolution as a primary care profession to include the management or co-management of common metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia.  As our healthcare system focuses more on the public health, outcome data, access to care and cost, professions such as those were training need to become more involved in prevention and patient education.  Smoking cessation, nutritional counseling, and lifestyle advice need to become integral parts of what we teach and ultimately integrate into our everyday practices.  

There is a great deal to think about as we enter into this new chapter in healthcare delivery.  I want us to be part of the discussion on what this looks like and not the recipient of what others develop for us.  Complacency and sitting on the sidelines is not only an unacceptable course of action but can very well become a devastating behavior that leaves many health science professions subservient to others; something many have successfully worked very hard to avoid over the past 50 years.  

It's time to be bold, creative and responsible.  Educators, providers, researchers, industry and other important collaborators need to come together and have a very candid debate on how we all fit into this new healthcare landscape.   We can choose to be spectators or players - Players determine the outcome of the game - spectators only can brood about the outcome.  I want to play;  I hope you do as well!