Advocacy News

A bill authorizing optometrists to perform surgical procedures cleared the California State Legislature's Assembly Business and Professions Committee in an 11-7 vote Tuesday.

In the first step in a renewed effort to end cataract prior authorization requirements for Medicare Advantage patients in Florida, the Academy and our coalition partners demanded data from Aetna to back up its rationale for maintaining the policy in a single state. Florida members: Join us by sharing your stories with the Academy.

The state legislature has revived a bill that would expand optometric surgery. A committee hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9.

Medicare administrative contractor WPS said last week it will revise its recently released final local coverage determination policy for minimally invasive glaucoma surgery following objections raised by the Academy and our ophthalmic partners. 

A year ago today, Gov. Gavin Newsom defended safe surgery by surgeons in California, but the fight will continue next year as more states consider optometric surgery.

Your investment is crucial in helping us preserve quality eye care for patients and ensure that surgery is done by surgeons.

The Academy joined a roundtable Wednesday morning with other stakeholders to answer questions from lawmakers on the development of national standards of care in Veterans Health Administration facilities.

The Academy met with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other physician and patient groups to ask the agency to reinstate a step therapy prohibition for Medicare Advantage plans for Part B drugs.      

Nine out of 10 physicians surveyed by the American Medical Association said for patients whose treatments required prior authorization, the process had a somewhat or significant negative effect on their clinical outcomes. The Academy continues to work with our members and partners to press for reform.

We’re concerned that new national standards would override state scope-of-practice laws and other veterans’ patient safety policies.