News from the AOA's Blog

The AOA will feature Ophthalmic Resources On-Demand (OROD) on the www.AOA.org Web site beginning June 16, 2010.

OROD will provide AOA members with direct access to patient education, product information, patient materials, coupons, vouchers and patient assistance programs, as well as industry updates and research and development.

OROD is the first health care service that is free to those in the eye care professional community who are AOA members.

The easy-to-use service allows AOA members to obtain the available patient resources offered by manufacturers in a non-commercial, non-partisan, product- and manufacturer-neutral arena, focused on raising the standards of health care.

AOA members will access OROD through AOA Web site. The resources will be categorized by product, manufacturer and product class.

This free service will be similar to most of the other online “shopping” experiences members have had; however, there is never a cost incurred by the AOA member.

AOA members’ easy access to the education, samples and support that manufacturers have to offer also has an immediate benefit to patients.

Features of OROD include:

• On-Demand Access
  AOA members have “On-Demand” access, connecting them to the resources used the most. Additionally, members are able to browse what is available from various manufacturers to find resources that may be new or better suited to patient populations. For AOA members in areas not covered by manufacturer sales representatives, or whose offices are off-limits, this will ultimately provide access to more of the resources manufacturers offer.
• Trusted Environment
  AOA.org is a naturally trusted, resource-based and educational environment, making this an ideal setting for manufacturers’ patient-centric and educational resources. This level of acceptance promotes better communication, information exchange and ultimately better utilization of those resources.

The service is powered by Healthcare Resources Online, whose responsibility is to liaise with manufacturers and facilitate AOA members’ requests for patient education, product information, patient materials, coupons, vouchers and patient assistance programs.

At launch, members will be immediately linked to thousands of items – easily accessed and all in one place. As members’ use of OROD for practice resources increases, manufacturers will respond by adding more resources, including product samples. Resources will be added and changed frequently, making the offering dynamic and ultimately more valuable to practices.

The simplicity of the request process for AOA Ophthalmic Resources On-Demand gives the AOA Members the opportunity for time savings, improved patient care and satisfaction, and the potential for increased profitability, all of which are designed as a true member advantage.

Simply put, OROD offers AOA members the right resources, at the right time, while offering enduring benefits for all stakeholders in the eye care community.