How AOAExcel® makes your life easier

Excerpted from page 40 of the spring 2024 edition of AOA Focus 

Do you spend valuable practice hours stressing over insurance, finances and retirement? Wish you could focus more on patient care and less on administrative tasks?  

 AOAExcel® aims to empower doctors of optometry with the professional tools they need, minus the hassle. Samuel Pierce, O.D., chair of the AOAExcel Board, shares AOAExcel’s mission to simplify the business side of practice. 

What is AOAExcel?  

AOAExcel is a member benefit of the AOA that provides doctors of optometry with the resources they need to practice with confidence. We provide many products and services, such as malpractice insurance and payment processing, through our carefully vetted business partners. 

What is AOAExcel’s mission?  

AOAExcel’s mission is to make doctors’ lives easier and provide them with the tools they need to thrive and succeed. We do the research to make the business side of optometry simple so doctors can focus on doing what they enjoy most. 

How does AOAExcel benefit the profession of optometry?  

AOAExcel is committed to supporting the AOA’s mission of advocacy. Every product, service or tool AOAExcel provides to make life easier for AOA members ultimately results in better care for patients. Every time an AOA member purchases a product or service from an AOAExcel-endorsed business partner, that member also is indirectly advocating for the profession and the well-being of every patient that doctor sees. 

Does AOAExcel provide tools for employed doctors?  

Absolutely. AOAExcel provides many benefits that any AOA member can use whether you own a practice or not. Carrying a disability insurance policy or retirement plan can be beneficial no matter what environment you practice in. Another example would be if your employer provides malpractice insurance that does not cover the full range of your state’s scope of practice; AOA’s professional liability policies are guaranteed to cover you for practicing at the highest levels. 

Does AOAExcel provide benefits to optometry students? 

Yes! The most useful benefit that AOAExcel provides to students is probably the Career Center. Students can research salary ranges and practice opportunities in their areas of interest, find experienced doctors to network with, and upload their résumé to the database for hiring managers to review when it comes time to search for a job. 

What are the most popular benefits AOAExcel provides to AOA members? 

One of our most popular benefits is the AOAExcel Career Center, where you can find helpful articles and lists as well as search for doctor jobs across the country. Other benefits include malpractice insurance, term life/disability insurance and retirement planning. We also offer the AOA Business Card, a business credit card by and for doctors of optometry. It allows you to maximize your purchases with reward points and vendor deals. And you can get an AOA Business Card for any business you own, not just optometry practices. 

What if an AOA member is not sure what benefits they might need? 

If you are not sure what you need, we provide access to expert advice completely free of charge. AOA members can submit their malpractice policies or payment processing contracts to be reviewed by experts in the field. We also provide one-on-one specialist consultations on retirement planning and student loan guidance.