Moment to Movement
There’s no better year than 2020 for The American Optometric Association to launch a multi-pronged public awareness campaign called #2020EyeExam.
Tip: Go to aoa.org/2020 to locate toolkits and resources. Once there, you can also sign up for ongoing updates about #2020EyeExam.
Its multi-channel, national initiative is targeting patients and the public, providers and employers, the media and government officials. The goal isn’t just to mark the optically correct year 2020, but, as AOA President Barbara Horn, OD, says, “to really create a movement into the future.”
She adds, “We will spotlight optometry’s essential primary healthcare role and propel the public into action with a singular, clear, and ownable message: Make 2020 the year to get your in-person, comprehensive eye exam with an AOA family doctor of optometry.”
That messaging supports what is already America’s confidence in optometry. According to the AOA’s 2018 American Eye-Q survey, “94 percent of Americans [surveyed] say they trust doctors of optometry for accurate and reliable information about eye health.”
MAJOR COMPONENTS
Key
parts of the program include the following:
• An Employer Pledge: The AOA has developed a “pledge program” to
encourage major employers to remind employees of their vision benefits as well
as the importance of annual, comprehensive exams with AOA doctors of optometry.
The messaging actually goes beyond eye health by stressing that: “An office visit for an eye exam also
helps safeguard overall health by allowing the doctor to diagnose serious
health conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain
types of cancers.”
•
Future Practice Initiative: Launched in 2018, The AOA Future Practice continues
to “support affiliates in their efforts to modernize state practice acts to
expand patient access, ensure continuity of patient care, and keep the practice
and profession of optometry on the leading edge.”
• Colleague to Colleague: To build new, patient-focused collaboration
with a range of health professionals, the AOA has developed “resources that
encourage doctor-to-doctor collaboration and educate patients about the
importance of eye exams with AOA doctors.”
• Media Advocacy: The AOA’s 365-days-a-year engagement with the media will
“educate the public, across various media, with messages on in-person,
comprehensive eye exams and making time to schedule their own and loved ones’
appointments with doctors of optometry.”
• aoa.org 2020.0: The updated AOA’s website will enhance the member and patient
experience and include multimedia content and more easy-to-find resources,
along with a more intuitive search mechanism.
TOOLS + TACTICS
Since its launch, the national advertising initiative, reports the AOA, “has generated more than 8 million new eye exams.”
What can you do to get onboard? Go to aoa.org/2020 to locate toolkits and resources. Once there, you can also sign up for ongoing updates about #2020EyeExam.
What has your practice doing to participate in this business-building initiative? Tell us and join in the conversation on Facebook here.
Erinn Morgan
Comments are closed.
