Jonathan Worrall.

BOCA RATON, Fla.—As part of Professional Eye Care Associates of America’s (PECAA) commitment to helping independent eyecare professionals build profitable practices, the group announced that registration is now open for a suite of fall 2024 education programs designed to expand doctor and staff knowledge in a variety of essential practice areas. According to the announcement, the lineup includes certification courses, COPE and ABO continuing education, and comprehensive dry eye and optical workshops. “The PECAA community values the role of forward-thinking education,” said PECAA president Jonathan Worrall.

“We are particularly excited by the breadth and depth of the fall learning opportunities and look forward to engaging with our member doctors and their teams to empower learning and growth, ultimately fueling private practice success," Worrall said.

The fall education is delivered in a live, interactive webinar format by a team of eyecare and practice management experts, according to the group, including members of PECAA’s business advisory team: billing and coding advisors Teri Thurston and Dianne Boulay, CPOC, and optical advisors Kayla Groves and Joel Daniel.

 
PECAA chief member experience officer Justin Manning, OD, MPH, FAAO added, “Continuous learning is one of the best ways to support a high-performing team, which can be a game changer for practice profitability. Ongoing education can also boost team confidence and retention, which positively impacts patients, and that’s the most important aspect at the end of the day.” 

PECAA’s fall education lineup includes the following:

Office Manager Certification Course
August 6 – November 22
Accredited by The University of Houston, College of Optometry, the Office Manager Certification Course is a wide-ranging, 12-hour program perfect for seasoned and future practice leaders. According to the group, participants will master a variety of skills: staff management, from hiring and evaluation to team stress relief; delegation of authority; staff and patient scheduling; day-to-day budgeting; legal and ethical considerations; and more.

Optometric Billing and Coding Certification Program
August 6 – November 22
The Optometric Billing and Coding Certification Program (OBCCP) is tailored specifically for eyecare professionals managing billing and coding within their practice. This comprehensive, 15-week program, accredited by the Accreditation by the Higher Education Committee, provides thorough training on key topics: optometry basics; medical terminology; the lifecycle of a claim; documentation required to support codes; vision versus medical insurance; coding strategies; and managing appeals and denials. PECAA’s OBCCP is offered as one of the few optometric-centric billing and coding programs specifically tailored to eyecare services.

PECAA Sales Edge: Sharpening Skills in Optical (Workshop)
August 12 – December 9
This interactive experience will be held every second Monday of the month, guiding attendees through lively discussions and real-world problem-solving exercises to tackle the toughest optical challenges head-on. Topics include selling to managed vision care patients, à la carte vs. package selling, how to sell premium products and selling from the chair—the doctor hand-off. Each session will address a new optical topic and attendance at all sessions is not required or necessary.

Private Eye: Systemic Clues in Ocular Manifestations (COPE CE)
August 18
This event will provide up to six hours of COPE-accredited clinical continuing education to optometrists and will dive into systemic clues that ocular manifestations give to doctors about their patients’ overall health. Attendees will expand their knowledge not only about identifying and diagnosing the ocular disease, but also the systemic diseases that may be driving the signs and symptoms. The lectures will reveal how to best recognize these symptom presentations and diagnose and manage the more serious health concerns that may be hiding beneath them.  

90 Days to Dry Eye Program (Workshop)
August 28 – November 20
Presented by renowned dry eye expert Jerry Robben, OD, PECAA’s 90 Days to Dry Eye program is an all-encompassing learning experience that provides practices with all the tools needed to establish a dry eye specialty. Topics covered include clinical education, staff training, equipment and treatment selections, facility layout needs, marketing basics and referral outreach to help practices capitalize on growing their patient base and expanding current revenue streams. The program is delivered through a combination of interactive webinars and an in-person event on Oct. 18-19 in Dallas, Texas.

Optical Management Certification Course 
September 10 – October 29
The Optical Management Certification Course, accredited by the Accreditation by the Higher Education Committee, is an eight-week program designed to provide doctors, opticians, optical staff and optical managers with a customized plan to jump start a successful and profitable optical. According to the group, participants will gain knowledge of frame management, assortment management, critical metrics and selling strategies.

SAVE THE DATE – ABO CE Event
October 27
Topic and registration details coming soon!

In addition to industry-best education, PECAA offers members access to a variety of practice-building resources, including results-driven business advisors, exclusive rebate and discount programs and high-impact networking events on a year-round basis. Learn about membership options here.

PECAA is one of the nation’s largest communities of independent eyecare professionals providing members access to more than 200 vendor partner programs, a customizable suite of industry-leading business advisory services, and a strong connection to a community of growth-minded peers offering a network of support, the organization said.