IJCAHPO

What IJCAHPO does

IJCAHPO (International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology), founded in 1969 and headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a not-for-profit standards body that develops and administers certifications and continuing education for Allied Ophthalmic Personnel (AOP) — including ophthalmic assistants, technicians, technologists, and subspecialty roles such as surgical assistants, ultrasound biometrists, diagnostic sonographers, and ophthalmic scribes. The organization offers a portfolio of credentials (COA, COT, COMT, OSA, ROUB, CDOS, CCOA, OSC) and supports recertification through an online learning platform (EyeCareCE) housing approximately 220+ CE courses with progress tracking, transcript management, and interactive simulations.

IJCAHPO operates an ecosystem of affiliated properties that together form the training-to-credential pipeline: ICA (International Curriculum Association) and COTP accredit training programs; the JCAHPO Education and Research Foundation disburses scholarships and grants (over $1 million cumulatively); the EyeCareMarketplace functions as a self-service e-commerce storefront for individual courses, study guides, and exam prep; and a dedicated Career Center connects certified practitioners with employers. The annual ACE (Annual Continuing Education) program delivers in-person and virtual CE at basic through master levels, supplemented by webinars and specialty tracks.

Revenue is generated primarily through B2C individual course sales ($7.50-$175 per course), recurring subscriptions (the Clinic CE Subscription at $549 per clinic location per year and a new individual CE subscription), certification and recertification fees at multiple tiers, ACE event revenue, and study-guide sales. Distribution is direct-to-consumer online with B2B sales into ophthalmology practices, and indirect through ICA-accredited training programs. Customer base is broad — 27,000+ certified individuals across the U.S., Canada, and internationally — with no disclosed dependence on any single employer or health system.

Name

IJCAHPO

Legal name

International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology

Website

https://jcahpo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IJCAHPO is a not-for-profit standards body, founded in 1969, that certifies and provides continuing education to Allied Ophthalmic Personnel — ophthalmic assistants, technicians, technologists, and specialty roles — across the U.S., Canada, and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification & Continuing Education for Allied Ophthalmic Personnel

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmic/Optometric Assisting (EDAOAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic certification programs
• Continuing education courses
• Allied health personnel training
• Online learning management system
• Professional credentialing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Clinic CE Subscription: Annual subscription model at $549 per clinic location offering unlimited access to approximately 220+ online CE courses for all staff at one location with multi-site discounts available.
2. Individual Course Sales: Individual online courses sold at various price points ($7.50-$175) including webinars, learning systems, and exam prep materials.
3. Certification Fees: Fees for certification examinations and recertification of Allied Ophthalmic Personnel at various certification levels.
4. ACE Program Events: Revenue from the Annual Continuing Education (ACE) program featuring hundreds of CE courses at basic through master levels.
5. Study Guides and Materials: Sale of printed and digital study guides such as COMT Study Guide (print $18, online $15) and other educational materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IJCAHPO provides standardized certification examinations and continuing education for Allied Ophthalmic Personnel (AOP), including credentials such as Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT), and Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT). It also delivers approximately 220+ online CE courses through its EyeCareCE platform and operates the annual ACE continuing education program for individual professionals and eye care practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EyeCareCE: Online continuing education platform offering approximately 220+ CE courses for ophthalmic professionals
• ACE
• EyeCareMarketplace
• JCAHPO Education and Research Foundation

Products and services

• IJCAHPO Certification Examinations (COA, COT, COMT, OSA, ROUB, CDOS, Corporate COA, Ophthalmic Scribe) Validated, industry-recognized certification examinations for Allied Ophthalmic Personnel at multiple career levels including Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), Certified Ophthalmic Technician (COT), Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT), Ophthalmic Surgical Assisting (OSA), Registered Ophthalmic Ultrasound Biometrist (ROUB), Certified Diagnostic Ophthalmic Sonographer (CDOS), Corporate Certified Ophthalmic Assistant, and Ophthalmic Scribe Certification. Designed for ophthalmic assistants, technicians, technologists, and specialists seeking employer-recognized credentials for career advancement.
• Recertification Services Recertification services for Allied Ophthalmic Personnel to maintain their certification credentials, including continuing education credit tracking and renewal processing. For certified AOPs needing to maintain active credential status.
• Clinic CE Subscription Annual subscription at $549 per clinic location providing unlimited access to approximately 220+ online CE courses for all staff at one location, with multi-site discounts available. Designed for eye care practices and clinics that need cost-effective, clinic-wide training solutions for their Allied Ophthalmic Personnel teams.
• EyeCareCE Online CE Course Library Online learning management system offering approximately 220+ continuing education courses covering all ophthalmic specialties, delivered via video, audio, and interactive simulations with course progress tracking and CE transcript management. Designed for individual Allied Ophthalmic Personnel seeking CE credits to maintain certification.
• ACE (Annual Continuing Education) Program The national Annual Continuing Education (ACE) program offering hundreds of Continuing Education courses and Learning Labs at basic, intermediate, advanced, and master levels. Delivered in-person and virtually. Designed for Allied Ophthalmic Personnel seeking comprehensive CE opportunities.
• COMT Study Guide Study guide for the Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT) certification examination, available as online version ($15, includes free COMT Quick Study Cards) or print version ($18). Designed for candidates preparing for the COMT certification exam.
• Individual CE Courses and Webinars Individual online courses, webinars, learning systems, and subspecialty tracks (e.g., Retina Track at $125-$175) sold at various price points ranging from $7.50 to $175. Webinars priced at $20 for 1 IJCAHPO CE credit. Designed for individual AOPs seeking specific CE topics on a pay-as-you-go basis.
• Career Center and Job Placement Services Career Center at careers.jcahpo.org connecting employers with AOP professionals, offering job alerts, resume resources, and career exploration tools. Designed for both job-seeking AOPs and eye care employers hiring Allied Ophthalmic Personnel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 27,000 professionals certified globally in U.S., Canada, and worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ICA (International Curriculum Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICA (International Curriculum Association) is an affiliated organization that provides accreditation for ophthalmic training programs. IJCAHPO directs aspiring AOP to ICA-accredited programs to prepare for certification examinations. The partnership is integral to the professional pathway from training to certification.
• COTP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOTP (Commission on Accredited Training Programs for Ophthalmic Personnel) is referenced as part of IJCAHPO's training accreditation ecosystem, working with COTPedU.org for program accreditation standards.
• JCAHPO Education and Research FoundationcoreOthersThe JCAHPO Education and Research Foundation supports the organization's mission through scholarship and grant programs, having awarded over $1 million to support AOP education, training, and certification.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP): CAAHEP accredits allied health education programs across many specialties and is part of the same accreditation ecosystem IJCAHPO interacts with via COTP. It is comparable as an allied health quality-assurance peer though it accredits programs rather than individuals.
• International Curriculum Association (ICA): ICA is IJCAHPO's direct affiliate that accredits ophthalmic training programs feeding into IJCAHPO certification exams. As an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, it is comparable as a non-profit education accreditation body serving the same workforce pipeline.

Direct peers

• National Healthcareer Association (NHA): NHA certifies allied health personnel across multiple disciplines (e.g., medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists) with exam-based credentials and CE requirements. It is comparable to IJCAHPO as a multi-credential certification body serving allied health professionals.
• American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS): ARDMS administers specialty certifications (e.g., RDMS, RVT) for diagnostic medical sonographers with multi-tier credentials and CE maintenance. Its specialty-certification-plus-CE model is structurally similar to IJCAHPO's COMT and specialty certifications such as CDOS and ROUB.
• National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC): NBRC certifies respiratory therapists with CRT/RRT credentials and supports continuing education. As a long-standing non-profit allied health certification body, NBRC parallels IJCAHPO in mission, structure, and operational model.
• American Board of Opticianry and National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO/NCLE): ABO/NCLE certify opticians and contact lens fitters, operating in the adjacent vision-care allied health space. Its certification-and-CE business model and small-staff non-profit structure closely resemble IJCAHPO, and the two compete for adjacent segments of the eye-care workforce.
• American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT): ARRT is the dominant certification body for radiologic technologists, certifying and registering medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals. It mirrors IJCAHPO's model of standardized competency certification plus continuing education for an allied health subspecialty, making it the closest structural peer.
• ASCP Board of Certification (American Society for Clinical Pathology): ASCP BOC certifies medical laboratory professionals across multiple specialty levels and requires continuing education for maintenance. Its multi-tier certification ladder and CE renewal structure closely parallel IJCAHPO's COA/COT/COMT framework.

Broad incumbents

• American Optometric Association (AOA): AOA is the principal professional association for optometrists, with parallel certification, education, and advocacy functions in the adjacent vision-care space. It represents a related workforce whose assistants often need ophthalmic training, making it a strategic adjacency for IJCAHPO.
• American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO): AAO is the largest professional association for ophthalmologists (physicians) and offers its own CME and educational resources. While it serves a higher-tier audience (MDs) than IJCAHPO, it operates in the same ophthalmology ecosystem and is a strategic stakeholder for IJCAHPO-certified personnel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jcahpo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxLT6BJdwz4qUGwTDh53AGQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/jcahpo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jcahpo
• Instagraminstagram.com/ijcahpo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IJCAHPO