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Capitol Weekly editorial highlights importance of pediatric vision
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On Friday, Capitol Weekly published a guest editorial from COA's Legislation-Regulation Committee Chair, Dr. David Redman. The editorial explains why it is important for children to receive an eye exam, and warns California's progress in expanding children's vision could be at risk if the Affordable Care Act is repealed without a replacement. Continuing our effort to expand access to eye care for California's children, COA has joined the State Board of Optometry in advocating legislation that would require children to obtain an eye exam before they enter school. If you are interested in getting involved with this legislation, contact Kara Corches at COA. |
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Assembly Member Evan Low appointed to important legislative committee
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COA is pleased to report that Assembly Member Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, was appointed to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. Assembly Member Low's father is long-time COA member and Key Person Coordinator Dr. Art Low. The Assembly Business and Professions Committee is important to COA because all scope of practice legislation must be approved by this committee. |
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Key lawmaker tours UC Berkeley School of Optometry
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Assembly Member Rudy Salas from the Central Valley toured the UC Berkeley School of Optometry last week. As chair of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee, Mr. Salas will have a big impact on what is included in COA's scope of practice legislation. Thank you to Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Chris Wilmer, OD, FAAO, who showed Mr. Salas and his staff how doctors of optometry are trained and made a compelling case for an expanded optometric scope of practice. |
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Patient examples needed
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COA is gathering patient examples over the next few months to support our legislative and regulatory advocacy. We will use this information to highlight the kinds of problems optometrists encounter on a daily basis. We are not asking for confidential patient information, just the patient's age, sex and diagnosis. We are looking for patient examples in the following situations:
- An asymptomatic patient between 18 and 40 years of age who was diagnosed a tumor or other life threatening condition? Report the case to COA by clicking here.
- A patient with a contact lens complication because they got their prescription filled past the expiration date? Report the case to the FTC by clicking here.
- A young patient who needed glasses even though they passed the school vision screening? Report the case to Kara Corches at COA.
- A patient who could not find an ophthalmologist willing to accept Medi-Cal? Report the case to Kristine Shultz at COA.
- A patient who needed to remove an eyelid lesion but couldn't find a specialist they could afford? Report the case to Kristine Shultz at COA.
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FTC letters on contact lens rule due Jan 30
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January 30 is the deadline for comments opposing a proposed FTC rule that would force patients to sign an acknowledgement that they received their contact lens prescription. We need your help to defeat this rule! We need thousands of letters from optometrists complaining about the cost of compliance. Be sure to focus on the fact that you are a small business owner. Please take the time to make a comment before the deadline of January 30. It only takes a few minutes. Here is a link to AOA's sample letter.
On a related note, over the weekend, the White House announced it will postpone all pending regulations until the new administration can review them. This will include the proposed FTC rule. This freeze on all proposed regulations and the recent change of leadership at the FTC means there is a chance the new administration could withdraw the regulation. We need your help to make this happen by your submitting comments in opposition to the regulation! |
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OCR reminder on EHR audit controls
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The Office for Civil Rights last week posted a document reminding health care providers of the necessity of good audit controls on their electronic health records. The document is a reminder of the importance of having audit controls that provide the ability to review who is accessing what data retrospectively. They are important for evaluating utilization, breach investigations and error correction. |
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AOA free webinar on MIPS for non-EHR users
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Have you waited to adopt electronic health records (EHRs) in your practice? On this Thursday, January 26 at 5:00 pm (Pacific Standard Time), AOA will host a free webinar "The Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for Non-EHR Users." This webinar will assist doctors who are not using EHRs in their practices navigate the new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System during the 2017 MIPS Transition Year.
Register here. A recording will be made available at: www.aoa.org/medicarehelp for those unable to attend Thursday's webinar.
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