Advocacy News

New bills were introduced in Minnesota and Ohio that would expand optometrists' ability to prescribe ophthalmic medications to patients and to perform scalpel eyelid and laser eye surgery.

Academy leaders have identified physician payment reform, reducing practice burdens, Medicare Advantage and Quality Performance Program issues, as well as military veterans’ eye care as some of our top federal advocacy priorities for 2025.

A bipartisan group of our congressional champions has introduced new legislation to reverse the 2025 Medicare pay cuts and add 2% update to the conversion factor for the rest of the year. Help us build support for this much needed update.

Ophthalmologists must actively engage with Congress to educate lawmakers on critical health care issues, emphasized Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., during OPHTHPAC®’s first Speaker Series event of the year, on Jan. 27.

The Montana House of Representatives voted to pass HB 218 that will permit optometrist to perform scalpel eyelid and laser eye surgery including YAG capsulotomy, selective laser trabeculoplasty, and peripheral iridotomy.

The congressionally mandated advisory commission’s unanimous vote to recommend a single-year positive update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule connected to the projected increase in the Medicare Economic Index bolsters our position as we push Congress to address the Medicare 2025 pay cuts that went into effect on Jan. 1.  

Our comments support CMS’ plans to reform utilization management and recommend the agency adopt additional measures in its final rule to ensure access to medically necessary care.

This new reporting option is available for voluntary reporting for the 2025 MIPS performance year/2027 payment year.

Mary Lawrence, MD, was invited by newly elected Rep. Kelly Morrison, MD, D-Minn., to swearing-in day of the 119th Congress. She shares her experience of seeing first-hand how your OPHTHPAC investments build relationships with lawmakers and other medical societies.

WPS accepted the Academy’s recommendation to correct its cataract surgery billing and coding article in response to denials of CPT 66982 billed with mature cataracts.