Dear OCB Team Members (Providers and Staff),

Fall has been quite busy! I hope that in the off hours you have been able to get outside and take in the autumn season before it starts to get dark early. As we transition to more indoor activities, please be vigilant about washing your hands, keeping germs at bay, and wearing a mask when appropriate to help keep us all healthy. 

Based on the feedback from the Town Hall, staff are interested in learning more about open jobs and training. We are excited to be kicking off management training with several pertinent topics. This week, managers will be receiving training on leave of absences. In November, managers are receiving training on interviewing skills. Microsoft Teams training has also launched. The training schedule is being finalized and will be sent out soon to all staff.

We are also in the process of finalizing recommendations from the various workgroups. Thank you to all who have participated and led these groups. Many great suggestions and ideas are flowing out for review, input, and refinement prior to presenting options to our physicians. OCB has also launched a new practice management structure for our OD providers. This is a major initiative this year at OCB to support and improve access to our optometrists.

This year, annual benefits open enrollment, will be held Monday, November 6th through Friday, November 17th, so mark your calendars. (See below.)

As always, thank you for your work each day at OCB to care for our patients. I acknowledge the stress that many feel at this time, but I hope that we can all support and listen to each other as we undergo this strategic transformation. 

Warmly,



Suzanne

Open enrollment will be held Monday, November 6th through Friday, November 17th. During open enrollment, you will have the opportunity to enroll in or adjust your OCB benefits, and you must do so within these dates.

OCB is pleased to announce that there are no increases in health and dental premiums for 2024 and we will again offer the $500 employer funded FSA benefit card for those enrolled in the OCB group health plan. Be on the lookout for a newsletter from HR that will be going out to all staff at the beginning of November with everything you need to know about open enrollment. 

OCB is hiring! Please look over the following "hot jobs". To apply internally, visit the HR department page on SharePoint, where you'll find the internal job application and complete list of job openings. Please share these positions with your network by sharing OCB's career page. Remember that OCB offers a $1000 referral bonus!

• Appointment Schedulers - Plymouth
• Administrative Assistant - Plymouth
• Technicians - Cape
• Front Desk Representatives - Boston and Weymouth

What to Know about this Year’s Cold & Flu Season

The flu season typically runs from October through May, with peak flu activity between December and March. Health experts are anticipating a wave of respiratory viral infections again this fall, namely the flu, the virus that causes COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Fortunately, vaccines for all three viruses will be available for the first time this fall. Vaccinations have shown to reduce hospitalization and death and may be extremely beneficial for those with compromised health conditions. There are other steps you can take to protect yourself:

Tips for Staying Healthy

·      Get vaccinated. 

·      Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

·      Wash your hands throughout the day, using soap and warm water to protect against germs. Use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

·      Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow to prevent spread of germs.

·      Sleep well, stay active and hydrated.

·      Eat healthy – diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

As President of the Retina Society, Dr. Jeffrey Heier presided over the 56th Annual Retina Society Meeting that was held Oct 11 - 14 in New York City. In addition to overseeing the conference, Dr. Heier also gave a presentation titled, "Management of treatment-experienced nAMD patients using home OCT monitoring."

Every year OCB physicians participate in the American Academy of Ophthalmology's annual meeting. The AAO is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, the AAO protects sight and empowers lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for patients and the public. This year, Dr. Husam Ansari, Dr. Laura Fine, Dr. Jeffrey Heier and Dr. Naveen Rao are participating in the meeting, being held Nov 3 - 6 in San Francisco.

See more details here

OCB's Falmouth location was listed as the Best of the Upper Cape Eye Doctor 2023 in On Cape Magazine! Congratulations to the entire Falmouth team and to Dr. Audrey Chan, who is praised by a patient in the article. See link below!

Best Eye Doctor 2023 - Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston - Best of The Upper Cape

I want to give a shout-out to the West Yarmouth Front Desk Staff (Kane Reese & Laurie Pisano) as well as Nancy Carroll. I was working on updating a computer at the front desk, and the staff was doing a great job managing the front desk. Nancy specifically helped a patient who needed extra assistance and did so with ease, without even a second thought.

-Travis Ouellette, OCB Help Desk Analyst

I would like to give a shout out to Jovana Depina, a front desk representative in the Quincy office, for a job well done! On 10/10/23, she remained calm and professional when dealing with a patient who was very frustrated. The patient does not speak English and he had trouble hearing the Strata translator and was not understanding checkout instructions.  Jovana took her time explaining several times through the translator about follow-up for surgery. Jovana even asked if patient had an English-speaking person to call for him, which he did not. Jovana reached out to an AA and together they came up with a solution which made the patient very happy. This conversation lasted over 25 minutes, and per usual, Jovana showed lots of patience and kept calm. 

-Eileen McDonough, Front Desk Representative

Congratulations to:

Michelle Copson who welcomed a baby boy, Kilian, in August!

Dr. Maureen Burke, who welcomed a baby boy, Theodore, in September !

Pictures from the NEOS conference: (Left image) Diana Castillo, Kristin Brett, and Nicole Hopkins.

(Right image) Bill Russo, Kristin Brett, Diana Castillo and Nicole Hopkins

Team bonding: IT staff members Travis Ouellette, Chad Holmes, Eric Davis & Rob Gilmore enjoy getting together outside of work by attending music festivals.

Have a picture you'd like us to share? Email it to _staffnews !

-Excerpt from a poem written by a grateful patient

A story about a fit woman

Almost ninety-one

Learning about Elderhood

Remembering childhood

Memories about brownies

Elves fairies and Angels —

She is frightened

Kind patient nurses

Prepare her for surgery

There is a small whirlwind

Of activity…. Papers to sign

Monitors and lines hooked up

Questions asked

Instructions given

Many eye drops administered

With cheerful encouragement

There were angels

All around her

Wearing scrubs

Soon her surgeon came....Dr. L.

She didn’t recognize her at first

Masks, sedation involved

But when they looked into

Each other’s eyes

When their hearts recognized

Each other— with a Namaste

The patient said….

“This is a very holy time

Isn’t it?

All the awe and wonder

About modern technology

Held in the hands of a skilled

Compassionate Surgeon

Stepped aside for a

Few moments, while

Doctor and patient

Surrounded by the hum of

Angels —-

Met together in a

Heart of Compassion

October 31 - Wear your Halloween Costume!

Compliance Training due

November 5 - Daylight Savings (turn the clocks back one hour)

November 6-17 - Open Enrollment

November 7 - Election Day

November 10 - Veteran's Day (observed-OCB is open)

November 11 - Veteran's Day

November 12 - Diwali

November 23 - Thanksgiving Day (OCB closed)

November 24 - Day After Thanksgiving (OCB closed)