POA and AOA at work for you: 2013 and beyond

As I prepare my last Presidential Editorial, I’m haunted by the lyrics of an early Billy Joel song: “Well, so here I am at the end of the road, where do I go from here? I always figured it would be like this, still nothin’ seems to be quite clear.”

Okay, the relevance of the lyrics: Has there ever been a time with more ambiguity with health care and our government? The Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) passed as a law and its constitutionality verified by a Supreme Court decision, yet some legislators attempted to shut down our democratic process in defiance – somewhat akin to secession – which racked up an estimated $24 billion tab.

A recent AP survey reported an approval rating of our Congress at 5%; a further decline from my Spring editorial on sequestration when there was a 14-18% approval rating of Congress. Yet, our Congress seems to be either oblivious or immune to this expressed disapproval rating. Could anyone run a business that only pleased or appeased 5% of their clients/customers? “Nothin’ seems to be quite clear.”

The Affordable Care Act is moving ahead and the insurance exchanges are finally open for business (though still with problems) after a decidedly rocky start despite approximately $400 million spent on developing the programming. To access the state exchange, Google insurance exchange PA or visit  www.healthcare.gov. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has also set up a website to help Pennsylvanians navigate the process at  www.pahealthoptions.com. Obviously, there will be additional problems and challenges that will need to be rectified during implementation. Regardless, the issue of health care in this country needs to be addressed. We will spend about $3 trillion on health care this year in the US; that’s 17.6% of our GDP, more than two-and-a-half times that of most developed countries. That’s about $8,233 per capita. Yet, the quality of the health care being provided in the US ranges between 32nd and 46th when compared globally, depending on the scale being used (32 [reported on NPR], 37 [WHO] and 46 [Bloomberg]).

Fortunately, the AOA has proactively positioned us into an alert posture. The AOA has unveiled AOAExcel to help ensure our information connectivity within the health care community. The AOA has also developed  www.Rethinkeyecare.com and the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Resource Toolbox; additional resources that will help ensure our seat at the table. With these proper tools in hand, our profession can make a strong argument for optometry being an integral component of this health care reform. Optometry offers accessibility with over 36,000 optometrists serving over 6,500 communities (the only eye care provider in perhaps half of these) as compared to approximately 18,000 ophthalmologists. Optometry offers cost effectiveness; last year the inflation rate was 1.7% while health insurance costs had an increase of 9.9% and overall health care rose 3.2%. Eyewear and eye care increased 0.3%! Optometry offers quality care with the lowest malpractice rate as compared to all other health care providers.

The AOA has evidenced a strong presence and direction in Washington, D.C., by organizing over 600 optometrists and students to meet with their legislators in September and continuing legislative meetings into October with our AOA Board. Our national lobbying team, led by Jon Hymes, has been acknowledged as one of the best lobbying forces in DC, and has helped get our message across and ensure many of our recent victories. Yes, the best ensurance of our profession’s inclusion results from the diligence of our professional organizations (POA and AOA).

One of POA’s stellar successes over this past year is our gaining direct representation on the AOA Board with the election of Dr. Greg Caldwell. Dr. Caldwell has evidenced his tireless dedication to our profession at the state level and now extends his leadership on to the national level … “for the Love of Optometry.” It’s noteworthy that now the Northeast contingency has four AOA Trustees. In addition to Dr. Caldwell, we have Drs. Andrea Thau (NY), Chris Quinn (NJ) and Bob Layman (OH). That is more than one quarter of our 11-member AOA Board of Trustees.

At the state level, our executive director, in addition to his normal administrative duties, is serving on the Board of the PA eHealth Initiative (PAeHI), a public/private advocacy organization promoting electronic health records and health information exchanges – a critical seat in our informational networking. Our president-elect, Dr. Marianne Boltz, will be serving as our state’s ambassador and hostess for our national meeting POA and AOA at work for you: 2013 and beyond(Optometry’s Meeting) to be held in Philadelphia this upcoming spring. Dr. Boltz is ideally positioned in launching a campaign for pediatric eye care, which is one of the Essential Benefits granted under the ACA. While forging ahead for our eventful upcoming year, our Immediate Past President Dr. Donna Buraczewski has been overseeing internal housekeeping by coordinating our three-year strategic planning sessions and staffing transitions.

Your remaining Board trustees, Drs. Rich Christoph, Mark Margolies, Steve Eiss, Becca Wincek-Bateson and Lori Gray, have demonstrated a strong presence with their diligent engagement with third party payer negotiations and inclusion issues; diabetic initiatives, including the Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance (PDEHA); and legislative activities. Dr. Dave Evans is the incoming new member to our Board and offers additional clinical experience and legislative seasoning. Of course, this is just the frontline and administrative branch for our army of volunteers and our POA staff who serve as the unheralded force behind all the POA accomplishments.

I have shared some of the resources at hand that will help ensure our profession’s forward momentum. Certainly, you should make frequent stops to both the AOA and POA websites and read the AOA News, AOA First Look and the Keystoner, POA Today and the POAeyes Post to keep abreast of the rapid changes that are occurring. Better yet, if you are not directly involved at this point, become involved and volunteer for the advancement of your profession…we can all use additional hands with this workload.

Finally, on a personal note, I view this year as the pinnacle of my 30+ years of POA volunteerism. I am not a political animal, which I’m sure has been evidenced during this year’s tenure, but when you observe the hard work of the “20% who do 80% of the work,” there comes a time “to step up to the plate.” I sincerely admire the colleagues I have worked with; you can be proud of your team, they serve you well. I have appreciated their assistance, patience and support as we have forged ahead during this “roller coaster” year.

Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.

President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/

The State of the Optometric Profession: 2013

An excellent program was presented by AOA Excel representatives at this year’s Optometry’s Meeting and I would like to share some of this valuable information with you.

Output 
Optometrists perform an estimated 88 million refractive eye exams annually (85% of the total 104 million performed by all eyecare professionals) and prescribe at least 90% of vision correction devices. Comprehensive eye exams and corrective devices account for at least 80% of the optometrist’s revenue. Of the 97 million office visits in 2012, approximately 18 million were for medical eyecare services, accounting for approximately 17% of revenue. It is estimated that 80-85% of optometrists are involved with medical eyecare, but it is a major source of income in less than 25% of these offices. The typical patient is examined once every 25 months. AOA member surveys show that the average number of comprehensive exams optometrists perform per hour is around 1.1 per hour.

Out of the 82.5 million pairs of glasses sold annually, corporate providers provided 54%, independent optometrists provided 32%, ophthalmologists provided 10%, and independent opticians provided 4%. Since independent optometrists perform 44% of refractive exams, they have a capture rate of approximately 73% or about 9.8 million pairs of glasses.

For contact lenses, optometrists provide about 90% of all contact lens prescriptions. It’s estimated that 16.1% of US adults wear contacts, a steady increase since the ‘70s, and account for 27% of the refractive exams performed by optometrists. Independent optometrists supply about 80% of their contact lens prescriptions.

Take home message: 1) Improve recall processes; 2) Upgrade eyewear purchase experience; 3) Broaden your scope of practice; 4) Increase hourly production; and 5) Differentiate the practice value proposition.

Supply
In 2012, there were about 40,000 optometrists in practice as compared to about 18,000 ophthalmologists. At the end of 2012, optometrists accounted for 69% of eyecare professionals in practice, by 2020 they will account for around 72%. The number of practicing optometrists has had steady growth of 1.8%. It is estimated that practicing optometrist growth will increase to approximately 2% annually through 2020 and reach 46,300. It’s also estimated that about 1,550 optometrists will graduate and enter practice annually while about 750 optometrists will retire. There will also be an expected gender shift. Over the next ten years, 65% of new optometrists will be females and 90% of retiring optometrists will be males. Currently, the male/female ratio is 61%/39%; in 2022, it is likely to be a 48%/52% ratio.

Approximately 57% of optometrists are in private practice, 24% have an optical chain affiliation; 8% are in an ophthalmology practice; and 5% are in other medical practices.

The number of practicing optometrists will grow faster than routine vision care demand (a projected 11% vs. 9% through 2020) but more slowly than the demand for medical eyecare (a projected increase in cataracts [2.3%], diabetic retinopathy, POAG, ARMD [1.8% each] through 2020). Presently, optometrists perform approximately 45% of Medicare-reimbursed comprehensive eye exams. The Census Bureau projects a 28% increase in individuals over 55 years of age between 2010 and 2020, while the total populations will grow by about 10%.

… Optometry’s largest opportunity is to increase eyecare demand among existing patients, expanding care to the elderly and other populations at risk for treatable diseases.

A historical review
Optometry’s scope of practice continues to broaden…
1897: First bill introduced to license optometrists in New York
1901: First law licensing optometrists enacted in Minnesota
1921: Last state law licensing optometrists enacted in Texas (D.C. enacted in 1924)
1923: Pennsylvania College of Optometry awarded first Doctor of Optometry degree
1971: First state law allowing the use of diagnostic drugs enacted in Rhode Island
1976: First state law allowing Rx of legend drugs enacted in W. Virginia (and on a veto override)
1976: First state authorizing Tx of glaucoma enacted in West Virginia 
1977: First state authorizing Rx of oral drugs enacted in North Carolina
1997: Last state authorizing Rx of legend drugs enacted in Massachusetts (D.C. in 1998)
1998: Authority to use therapeutic lasers enacted in Oklahoma
2011: Kentucky legislature becomes the first state to repeal a statutory prohibition on the performance of surgery by optometrists and the second state to authorize the use of therapeutic lasers
2013: Pediatric exams (and materials) decreed as an essential yearly health benefit, as the result of AOA legislative activity
2014: Under the ACA, increased insurance enrollment will expand accessibility to optometric eyecare

…As you can see, we are a legislated profession and we can thank organized optometry for progressing optometry forward. Be involved as a volunteer and as a donator to PAC funds to assure the continued evolution of your profession…as newly elected AOA trustee Dr. Greg Caldwell says, ”for the love of optometry.”

Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.

President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/

A time to splurge ... or a time to merge

When I joined an existing practice some thirty years ago, I was impressed with the technology my predecessor, Dr. A.E. “Buddy” Wascou, was using – he had 35mm fundal photography and an infrared autorefractor  (a Coherent Dioptron II)!  This latter instrument occupied a fair piece of real estate in his office and was introduced in the mid-seventies with a noteworthy price in the mid-twenties (1970s currency). Times have changed – we now have this technology of auto-refraction held in our hand, coupled with keratometry, to boot.

Through the eighties, the hot ticket items became biomicroscopy, Volk lenses, auto-perimetry and Polaroid fundal photography; soon followed by digital photography … just about the same time you had paid off your previous “goodies.”  As I recall, through the nineties most of our upper shelf clinical “toys” still remained in the mid-twenties price range (+/-).

Now, we have added a plethora of choices: OCTs (with or without anterior segment  assessment and auto-fluorescence), VEPs, the Optos Daytona, endothelial layer assessment, tear osmolarity, preferential hyperacuity perimetry, auto-phoropters, auto-screens, CSF testing, in office adeno-viral testing and AMD DNA testing. I’m sure I have just skimmed the surface and have not even mentioned that their integration into EHRs seems to need an air traffic controller at times.

To add to the neurosis, just about the time that I’ve befriended my OCT and humbled myself to its greater intelligence, I confront a new unit coming down from Canada which utilizes 12 LEDs (i.e., different wavelengths) to do an “en face” (layer by layer) portrayal of the retina through the RPE, auto-fluorescence, “fluorescent angiography” without the fluorescent dye … at about half the price of the present technology being unpacked. (This being the exception since now we are moving from the mid-twenties price range into the eighties to snag the top shelf stuff.)

Then, when I finally have time to stick my head outside my office to see what’s happening in the outside world, I no longer see any private medical practices in our county. I see surgical centers in which our MD colleagues have a vested interest. I see smaller practices merging into multi-specialty sites or at least larger groups.  I discover a new branch hospital that has displayed a disclosure sheet of all the doctors who have a vested interest in this new location.  Hmmm…

Reflecting back once again, in the late eighties, two of my classmates, Drs. Danny Kramer (NJ) and Scott Edmonds, had the foresight to initiate a movement of developing optometric referral centers – a site where a lot of our expensive “toys” could commune and become friends. (If my aging synapses still crackle, I believe the branded name was “CoCare.”)  Anyway, ODs would invest in these centers and subsequently refer patients for further evaluation instead of trying to squeeze additional instruments into their offices and create empty holes in their wallets.  

In our area, we had explored this possibility to the extent that one of our local hospitals had offered floor space for such a referral center; we had even started interviewing for an itinerant OMD as an employee to help staff our site, as required.  Once again, this was some twenty-five years ago … very progressive thinking for the time. Unfortunately, too progressive, and when dollars needed to be laid upon the table, it resembled a covey of quail.

Perhaps now with escalating third party plans, concurrent with the development of the home medical model, we should reevaluate our modus operandi. Perhaps we should pause, stick our heads outside of our private offices and observe how our medical colleagues are adjusting to this evolving environment.

I’m just saying….

Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/

WANTED: Full-time Optometrist

… for full-time engagement in his/her profession. After all, you don’t just call yourself an optometrist while you’re in the midst of examining a patient.

I want to offer you a warm, personal invitation to come to our Spring Congress. It will be held in my figurative backyard, Lancaster County, this weekend. The last time we held our annual Congress in Lancaster County was in 1999. That was the same year that our very own Harvey Hanlen was serving as our AOA President. Dr. Hanlen was the 6th Pennsylvania optometrist to serve as an AOA President since its beginning in 1898.

This year you can come help launch another Pennsylvanian onto the AOA Board  – Dr. Greg Caldwell. You’ve known him as an excellent lecturer; you’ve known him as a friend; and you’ve known him for his advocacy ... “for the love of optometry”! Come and support him as our next AOA trustee!

We will be holding our Congress right on the historic center square of Lancaster in the beautiful new Marriott Convention Center. A $177 million construction that sprouts from within the restored façade of the Watt & Shand Building; a blending of the Beaux Arts façade from 1898 and its later additions (1916 – 1925) with a luxury convention center of 220,000 sq. ft. and 299 rooms.

For those who recently enjoyed the movie Lincoln and the raucous behavior of Thaddeus Stevens, you’ll enjoy learning that the convention center’s construction also incorporated his house and law office into its structure. You can even look down into an archeological dig of his cistern believed to be a link with the underground railroad. Additional historical exposure can easily be obtained from a short drive over to Wheatland, the home of Pennsylvania’s only president – James Buchanan.

Actually, Lancaster and its surrounding area breathes history for it was once the gateway to the west. Frontiersmen would stock their wagons with staples before heading in wagon trains on to their western adventure. The Conestoga wagon took its name from the local Conestoga River. The term “stogie” (a cheap cigar) derived its name from the wagon drivers who smoked the low quality tobacco originally grown in this area. It was said that those following these wagons would comment that you could tell it was a “stogie” up ahead from the tobacco’s stench. The “Kentucky rifle” is actually misnamed since its origin was in Lancaster; the Pennsylvania Long Rifle was crafted by Germanic emigrants who moved into this area.

Center city offers an historic central market, a wide array of fine restaurants, art galleries and shops. Yes, my friends, you can even save your shoes and take Segway tours of downtown and its historic buildings.
Highlights of our meeting will include:

• 11 hours of excellent continuing education, including: diagnosis/management of ocular pathology, OCT grand rounds, anterior segment grand rounds, HGPs – toric and specialty grand rounds and fitting scleral CLs. Also, Dan Tyree (northeast regional manager, VSP) will present a practice report. Please see the registration brochure on the POA website for details.
• An excellent paraoptometric continuing education program, complementing the ODs’ program – so bring along your staff. Three nationally-known speakers will cover a wide variety of topics including time management, pre-testing, interacting with challenging patients, lens material/collaborative dispensing, anatomy, ocular effects of systemic disease … and even an eye dissection workshop – a loaded program that can enrich your office and staff.
• The POA’s House of Delegates, where our professional business is conducted. If you’ve never attended, now is the time to start. As I stated in the last Keystoner – time to be a player. Unlike our federal deadlock, we are all on the same team – not red, blue, etc. We are all optometrists. Sometimes, we have differing perspectives, but this is our arena to hash things out and move forward. Attend, listen and offer input … be a player.
• The Andy Mowatt Trio (POA Lobbyist Ted Mowatt’s son) will provide a talented musical ambiance for our exhibit hall/dinner. This is the last time Dr. Hanlen will be the coordinator of our exhibit hall, so come out and support our sponsors, vendors and Harvey.
• Our annual golf tournament, held at the Conestoga Country Club on Friday at 7am. This scenic 6,400 yard, par 70 will provide both fun and challenge depending upon your intensity. Awards will be bestowed to both camps.
• The Amish Storyteller will attend to educate and entertain our members about the Amish culture. No Amish Mafia here.
• The Pennsylvania Paraoptometric Association’s 35th Anniversary, “Stamp to Success,” affording an opportunity to reward the paras’ involvement in our conference and win great prizes. Check this out! On Saturday night, my wife, Vicki, and I will help host the PPA’s celebratory reception with live music from Bryan Stevenson jamming with Shift Seven. This should be a lot of fun offering cover songs, original music, requests and even audience participation – rumor has it that our POA Trustee Mark Margolies is going to do an encore performance of his rockin’ Mustang Sally. Let your hair down, if you got it.

Kum … have a good time and get smarter.

Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/

Take a lesson from the fiscal cliff: Don’t give in to apathy, lethargy and loss of identity

As I was considering topics for my editorial, we sat on the edge of the “fiscal cliff,” attempting to avert the looming sequestration process. We escaped some of the cliff but not sequestration. The idea of the sequestration was to force Congress into being more actively engaged to creatively tackle the national debt; avoid the automatic $1.2 trillion cuts over a ten-year period, a 50/50 split in spending cuts between defense and domestic discretionary spending.

As I write this, Congress sits with approval ratings in the teens, teetering on hitting the all-time record low of 10% set this time last year and matched in August 2012. By the time you read this, perhaps we will have set a new record low. The RCP poll averaged the results of seven different polls and found the mean approval/disapproval value of 15.6%/78.8%; the range was 14-18% approval versus 74-82% disapproval. And yet, what have “we” done? Over 75% of those polled expressed disapproval on how Congress was running their shop but, once again, what have we done?

I’m by no means a political analyst nor even a political animal by nature, but it strikes me that there’s a bad brew of apathy, lethargy and a loss of identity. How well do you think your practice would fare if 78% of your patients disapproved of the job you did? Would you be motivated to readjust, rethink and retool so your future employment was more secure? Why don’t our politicians feel the same “heat” that we would if we faced those numbers? Perhaps we haven’t become involved – personally exerted enough energy to heat things up. Perhaps we naively delude ourselves that if we simply express our displeasure, things should change for our greater satisfaction.

This is where the apathy rolls over into lethargy ... “I’m really not happy with what’s occurring and I really would appreciate it if it were changed but ...” I’m not motivated enough to do anything about it; I’ll just grumble, grab my ball and head home; I won’t be engaged; I won’t be a player. Boy, am I glad our founding fathers had more spunk than that! Historically, we have certainly had heated debates and political battles, but things have always progressed forward. The art of the compromise, in order to accomplish a higher mutual goal – what best serves Americans.

This is where lethargy rolls over into a loss of identity. Have you ever noticed in sports when one of your local rival teams reaches a higher level, you’ll root for them rather than a team from a neighboring state? A similar pattern follows if the neighboring state competes with a state on the other side of the country or a foreign team. It’s an identity thing. Politics should not be like sports teams, though. When you trim it to the sinew, it doesn’t matter if you’re on the red team or the blue team since you’re both on the same team – the red, white and blue team. Sounds hooky but it’s true.

Not long ago, to curtail costs our local newspaper in Lancaster combined its morning paper with its evening paper. Since one edition was more conservative than the other, it added two editorial pages rather than just one. In that way, it could appease both the more conservative and more liberal reader. Now, I really wonder how much cross-reading occurs. There exists “truth” on both sides. The art is to glean the best and blend. As Aristotle put it: “The greatest good for the greatest number.”

Okay, okay so what does this have to do with optometry? We must be personally involved and active. We must be a player both at the local level and state level. We must communicate with our legislators. We must be engaged politically in our professional arena by attending our “Congress” – the House of Delegates – at our annual conference in May. We must cooperatively listen, discuss and hone in on common goals that move optometry forward. We ARE ALL optometrists and we ARE ALL practicing a legislated profession. This means that ALL our professional privileges and scope of practice is reliant upon legislation ... it is not a “given.”

Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/

What goes around, comes around ... and why POA’s March 24 Motorists’ Vision Seminar is a must-attend for you

Sometimes it’s interesting to pause and reflect, and to realize how cyclic things are…

Two years out of optometry school, I was approached by Dr. Stuart Cohn to set up a Motorist Vision Symposium. That was in 1982, just over thirty years ago. It was successful, so we decided to do another one the following year; both ended up winning a Governor’s Award. This adventure led to my chairing POA’s CE committee for a few years and, then ten years later, joining the Medical Advisory Board for PennDOT, on which I’ve served ever since.

Well, on Sunday, March 24, POA will host the Triginta (thirty year) Motorists’ Vision Seminar, inviting some of the foremost researchers in visual perception and motorist vision: Drs. Chris Johnson, D. Alfred Owens and Mark Wilkinson. Additionally, we have invited Rich Kirkpatrick, driver safety manager at PennDOT, to provide us with an update on PennDOT policies and regulations. After their presentations, we will have an open panel with our speakers to field audience questions and foster interactive discussion. Dr. Paul Freeman and I will join the panel, and Dr. Joe Ruskiewicz  from PCO will serve as our moderator for the conference.

To briefly acquaint you with our featured speakers:

Dr. Chris Johnson received his PhD from Penn State under the tutorage of Dr. Herschel Leibowitz (PSU’s Evan Pugh Professor and a recipient of POA’s 1987 William Van Essen Award). Dr. Johnson also holds an honorary doctorate from SUNY and is now postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Iowa. He has been the recipient of the Academy of Optometry’s prestigious Glenn Fry award, numerous awards from the Academy of Ophthalmology, and was awarded the Senior Scientific Investigator Award from Research to Prevent Blindness. In addition to motorist vision, his research has been heavily influential in the development of our modern automated perimetry, the Devers glaucoma risk calculator, and he was a research member on the OHT study.

Working with Dr. Johnson, Dr. Mark Wilkinson is a research optometrist and a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Iowa. He is the director of the Vision Rehabilitation Service at the university’s Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration and medical director of the university’s optical division. His research interests are in two general areas: 1) inherited eye diseases, where he is involved in a study that is genotyping and phenotyping all individuals with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, and 2) driving with reduced visual functioning (e.g. RP and strokes). He is also currently researching the affects of driving with an advanced aspheric IOL and aspheric CL using the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS). An article describing this advanced simulator system at University of Iowa appeared in the 2012 January issue of Optometry: Journal of the American Optometric Association.

Dr. D. Alfred (Fred) Owens also earned his PhD under Dr. Herschel Leibowitz at Penn State. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT and has been an invited visiting scholar at universities in Germany and Australia, University of Michigan and Clemson University. Dr. Owens now holds an honorary chair (Charles A. Dana professor) at Franklin & Marshall College, where he received the Lindback Award for distinguished teaching. He has served on numerous advisory boards, including the National Academy of Science, National Eye Institute of NIH, US Transportation Research Board, etc. His research interests have focused on fundamental variations of perception and their implications on human performance under challenging situations.

Rich Kirkpatrick was named division manager for driver safety in PennDOT’s Bureau of Driver Licensing in June 2011. He had served as PennDOT’s press secretary from 1996 until 2011. Prior to joining PennDOT, Kirkpatrick worked for 24 years as a reporter, editor and manager for The Associated Press in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. He started his professional career while in college working as an airborne traffic reporter and news writer for the CBS radio station in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Temple University.

Okay, aside from convincing you that your clinical experience will not be complete or well-rounded if you don’t attend this conference, what the heck does this have to do with the editorial title?

Well, as a disgruntled education major at Penn State, convinced that our public schools were not going to be very progressive, I was becoming more interested in how perception and vision affected learning. Since the education and psychology buildings (Chambers/Moore) were adjacent at Penn State, increasingly brown bag lunches were spent listening to brother Fred and Chris talking about vision and perception. Ultimately, I was hired as a research assistant in Dr. Leibowitz’s lab … which led to optometry school and my rambling about what goes around, comes around.

Grab this day of CE – you won’t regret it. It will be much more than a generic motorists’ vision seminar and will cross numerous visual boundaries. It should also be very aligned with those interested in low vision and those interested in surviving on our highways.

Visit POA's Meetings & CE Programs page to register.

Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/

A new year and a new chapter

Since you’re reading this, the Mayans were wrong – the world didn’t end on 12/21/12. Amazing how many disasters we prepare for that never occur ... anyone remember Y2K?

Well, 2012 was an interesting and fruitful chapter; we once again stopped an unnecessary and predatory bill – HB 838, the Definition of Ophthalmic Surgery. HB 838 was a bill directly targeted against our profession and an attempt to “freeze” our profession’s normal evolution; an attempt to hold us to practicing 2012 optometry ad infinitum. We have been obligated to hold this defensive positioning over the last three legislative sessions – six years.

This legislative session was different from the previous two sessions, though, in two ways. First, the bill (HB 838) was passed in the House, primarily due to its being misrepresented as a compromised bill between optometry and ophthalmology. This was never the case – we never agreed with this bill’s language or intent. Second, it served as an impetus for restructuring our legislative team. In so doing, we were able to retain this bill in the Senate’s Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee and prevent its coming to a contentious vote. This of course did not occur without a lot of work and unity within our volunteer structure ... we owe a number of our colleagues a hearty “pat on the back.”

Under Dr. Donna Buraczewski’s handling of the helm, we need (and want) to acknowledge the diligent work of four of our past presidents: Drs. Bob Bittel, Greg Caldwell, Dan Russell and our executive director Charles Stuckey. They are excellent role models of optometrists who are dedicated to their profession; each has already served an eight-year commitment by serving on the POA’s Board of Directors. Yet, when they saw the need for their leadership experience in addressing our legislative needs, they stepped forward. Dr. Bob Bittel restructured our legislative team, and he, along with Dr. Dan Russell, met with representatives from ophthalmology on several occasions and repeatedly clarified that this bill was unacceptable and unnecessary. Dr. Greg Caldwell did a stellar job of soliciting the necessary POPAC funds to allow POA to support our legislators’ fundraisers and campaigns. An additional key component to our success was the addition of the lobbying firm of Long Nyquist & Associates to augment Ted Mowatt’s and Rick Robb’s representation to our legislators.

As Dr. Buraczewski noted in her last editorial, additional accolades are extended to our Diabetic Task Force and their work with the Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance. (Make sure you sign up, if you haven’t already done this.) Our Third Party Center should be noted for their endless work on assuring our inclusion and parity in our third party plans. Dr. Caldwell is serving as the AOA liaison for the TPC. Dr. Stuckey serves on the board for PAeHI to assure that optometry will be included in the link with the ACA and EHRs. All your POA Board members are working hard to assure that our profession progresses within their designated divisions. Kudos to all our colleagues who have been serving as keypersons for their legislators and all those who have been attending fundraisers and meeting with their legislators. I could continue at length but that would fill this section without providing any insight into what’s up for 2013.

Extinguishing professional “brush fires” has grown old. With the input of our membership, I will direct this reenergized volunteerism in a forward direction towards our expressed common goals. Make sure that you are active and attend our House of Delegates so your voice is heard. I want to recruit our non-active members into active service – just paying dues does not magically accomplish desired goals, it also requires involvement. And what better way to add value to your membership than being involved in the programming of your professional association? We will need to earn our future scope enhancements. We have only six individuals on our POA staff to serve over 1,200 members. Despite their hard work, they need the help of our volunteer structure; be an active member, not a bench warmer ... support our POA and POPAC funding.

This year, we will also focus on motorist vision and be hosting an inter-professional conference on March 24 at the Radisson Penn Harris in Camp Hill. I have served on PennDOT’s Medical Advisory Board for 20 years and feel that now is the time to pursue mandated periodic vision testing for license renewals. Pennsylvania is one of only 10 states that don’t require periodic vision testing, and we have the second highest density of older drivers, second only to Florida. There are approximately 1.8 million drivers in our state over 65 years of age. We realize the merits of periodic inspection of our vehicles; why don’t we follow this same logic for their executive operators?

At our Annual Congress in Lancaster (May 17-19), we will be offering a leadership course along with our CE program. This will be on my “home turf,” so I assure you that this event will be a lot of fun and well worth a visit. And, yes, one of my favorite Amish men will be visiting to discuss their culture and customs. Plan ahead for the AOA conference in San Diego on June 26 -30 and the AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C., on September 7-12. Finally, our Fall Conference will be held November 23-24 at the Hershey Lodge. Mark you calendars – it will be a busy year. Let’s work hard and have some FUN!!

Happy New Year ... take that you Mayanophiles!

Robert L. Owens, O.D., F.A.A.O.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association
http://www.poaeyes.org/