After nearly 40 years in its leased office space in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, the ABO office is transitioning to a fully virtual office in October. Staff will operate as a distributed workforce, with the goals of allowing the ABO to boost productivity, reduce operational expenses, and focus on the continued development of learning, assessment, and improvement resources for ophthalmologists.
The new mailing address for all business correspondence is:
American Board of Ophthalmology Business Office
PO Box 1887
Doylestown, PA 18901
What’s changing?
Apart from using a different mailing address to contact us, you won’t notice any changes in our regular operations. Patients and ophthalmologists can still reach the ABO every business day from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET. Our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.
What will happen to my certification records?
The majority of our records were converted to electronic files years ago and are stored in a secure environment. We’ve contracted with a vendor to digitize our remaining archival materials and we are looking into new ways we can share some of our more interesting historical items with you and the public. For example: did you know we have the original meeting minutes from our founders’ first exploratory meeting in 1915?
Are you moving the office to Doylestown?
The ABO is proud to be the first medical specialty certification board within the 24-board American Board of Medical Specialties to move to what’s known as a “distributed workforce.” Like telemedicine, telework is rapidly growing in popularity. Over the past several years, the ABO has tested the concept of a virtual office without interruption to our daily business operations. Now, we’re taking the next step.
Are you selling your building?
The ABO has rented space in the same office building just outside of Philadelphia since the early 1980s and does not own any real estate. However, eliminating the monthly cost of office rent presents a savings that the ABO can re-invest in the continued improvement of its certification programs.
Are you downsizing?
No. Though saving money is a benefit to this business decision, it is not the primary driver. The ABO’s Finance Committee members have worked hard to budget and forecast responsibly, and the organization continues to meet annual performance expectations.
What if I need to mail a document to the ABO Office?
Our mailing address is: American Board of Ophthalmology Business Office, PO Box 1887, Doylestown, PA 18901. For the time being, any mail sent to the Bala Cynwyd address will be forwarded to the new post office box, but we encourage you to update your records.