A pat on the back and a call for action

I recently attended AOA’s President’s Council in St. Louis and today there are three things that are certain. One, Pennsylvania optometry and the POA are behind other state affiliates in legislative affairs and scope of practice issues. Two, we are still on the leading edge in most other areas including Third Party Center issues. Third, I am still in mourning over the outcome of Super Bowl XLV so I will be concentrating on the first two certainties for the remainder of this piece.

After lengthy discussion with other states’ volunteer leaders and executive directors, I find the POA is often in the position of getting advice from other state affiliates regarding scope of practice and legislative issues. The AOA is well aware of where we stand with our legislative battles as we are their fifth largest state affiliate. We often have conversations about how we can further our legislative agenda and protect ourselves from others whose agendas can affect us. Many of those conversations center around language that can help us.

Unfortunately, like the last legislative session, we again have to defend our ability to practice against a predatory bill that is being reintroduced. Organized ophthalmology has a primary sponsor for a “Definition of Ophthalmic Surgery” bill that, if the language is similar to last session’s bill, can affect us greatly. It will halt any future scope advances we will need as technology and standard of care evolves, and has the potential to limit some of the procedures we have fought so hard for in the past. Defining ophthalmic surgery in the Medical Practice Act is unnecessary. Our Optometric Practice Act specifically states under Section 2 that the “Practice of Optometry shall not include … surgery, including, but not limited to, laser surgery; the use of lasers for therapeutic purposes …” So please, get out and spread the word – contact your legislators and ask them not to cosponsor this predatory and unnecessary bill.

The flip side is that POA is often in the position of giving advice to other state affiliates regarding other issues. The Electronic Claims Service we have at the POA office is the only one of its kind. It gives us a source of non-dues income, allows us to be in constant touch with the specifics of reimbursement and gives an ongoing source of feedback when our members have issues with payers. We can then add those issues to the agendas for the Optometric Advisory Committees (OAC). Other states believe they have good relationships with their third party payers but none have the personal relationships with the number of major payers as Pennsylvania.

I was also able to present our developing webinar concept to the other state affiliates and was approached by several colleagues with inquiries afterward. Others have thought about the concept but have not pursued it any further. When we are successful with the webinar for COPE-approved CE, we can serve as a model for others wanting to do the same.

I also discussed our Podiatry/Pharmacy/Optometry/Dentistry (PPOD) initiative that has evolved through our Pennsylvania Diabetic Eye Health Alliance. We strive to provide the most efficient and complete care for our diabetic patients and share information with other specialties. This program benefits both the patient and the practitioner. We have also presented it through our OACs so the third party payer can see some benefit from this as well.

I think it’s very important to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. That being said, I think our pat on the back should be brief and we should focus on our weaknesses. We have a very big challenge right now to protect our association and our ability to make a living. The legislative issues we face right now are huge and have long standing consequences. I will close by again rallying the troops and calling you to action. Please visit your legislator and use the POA talking points on our website so we can present a consistent and unified message. Increase your giving to POPAC and support the POA and local societies in whatever way suits you best. Let’s keep our eye on the big issues and not lose ourselves in the smaller stuff. Thank you again for the honor and privilege of being your president and lending me your ear.

Daniel F. Russell, O.D.
President
Pennsylvania Optometric Association

http://www.poaeyes.org/

Let's be Friends

This summer will mark twelve years of practice for me. In getting a bit nostalgic, I am not pretending to remember the "good old days" of Optometry. I know nothing other than the modern world of third-party vision and medical benefit plans. But I do remember the days of having your practice's phone number in the phone book simply so our patients can call us if they lose their reminder card - though it appears those days are over.

Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating for, nor will I speak out against, advertising. A portion of our membership still resists the idea of advertising for various reasons. However, according to my very un-scientific perception of things, many of our members have embraced the concept of practice promotion. We see many ads in the yellow pages, in the newspaper and on television. The problem with relying only on this type of community interaction is that many people are getting their news and information in other ways.

We must realize that many of our patients, especially younger generations, are relying on various forms of social media for their information. These new technologies have given people new ways to communicate information and ideas.

Our Pennsylvania Optometric Association has embraced these new opportunities and we are now on both Facebook and Twitter. If you haven't already joined us, you can find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaOptometricAssociation and follow us at http://twitter.com/poaeyes# on Twitter.

I admit that I have resisted these forms of social media in the past. It may be because I have a bit of my father in me -- he boasts about being the last person on the planet to have bought a VCR. The only reason he owns a desktop computer and DVD player is because he benefits from hand-me-downs from my sisters and me. I have also tried to justify avoiding forms of social media because I spend all day at the computer with the EHRs we have at the VA Medical Center and had little interest in extra computer use at home.

On the other hand, my wife loves to post and view pictures of the kids and share them with friends and family on Facebook. She Instant Messages her friends and enjoys her time online. She has convinced me to take the leap -- I aspire to create a Facebook page and, hopefully by the time you read this editorial, I will be welcoming and soliciting friends and, of course, "Liking" my professional association. 

As part of the POA's commitment to technology, we are offering a completely new type of CE program -- a webinar. On February 4, POA offered its first live webinar for COPE-approved Glaucoma CE credit, which is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I hope you will join me in taking advantage of this low-cost member benefit. As you have heard your POA leadership say numerous times, supporting the POA's sources of non-dues income is imperative. We believe this webinar is a great opportunity for you to do just that while earning the CE credit you need with the convenience you want.

Join me in the commitment to advance with technology - using it not only to provide the best of care in our offices, but also to provide information in our communities.

And speaking of technology, POA included a short technology survey in the February Keystoner and the President's Editorial and Member Bulletin e-mail that was sent to members on February 15. The survey is designed to determine our technology needs so POA can help us meet our goals. I ask that you return the survey from the Keystoner or simply hit REPLY to the President's Editorial e-mail, type an "X" in front of your answers and send your feedback to POA. Thanks in advance for your participation.

Daniel F. Russell, O.D.

President,

Pennsylvania Optometric Association

http://www.poaeyes.org/

Loss – Protect our professional lives like we protect our personal lives

"LOSS" – a simple word that can stir anxiety in even a mildly competitive individual like me. It is something that we are all familiar with on one level or another. It can come in many forms – from something insignificant like being beaten on the playing field to something much more meaningful like the loss of a loved one. I have been dealing with the threat of loss in my personal life and that has driven me to evaluate what is important to me. My family and my profession are two of my top three as I am sure is the case with most of you.

What I find interesting is why we go to such great lengths to protect ourselves from loss in our personal lives and not in our professional lives. We carry insurance against loss and damage to our vehicles and our homes. We even go beyond what is required and many of us carry insurance against death and disability so that we can protect our families or our lifestyles. From a professional standpoint, I realize that we are required to carry some form of liability policy to protect ourselves at the office, but what about protecting ourselves outside the office? What about access to patients? What about our ability to use the codes and perform the procedures that pay our bills every day? Why don’t we go to those same great lengths to ensure legislative success for optometry? As we have stated many times – we are a legislated profession!

Dr. Caldwell has appropriately spent a great deal of time discussing the issues of health care reform from a third party center perspective. I would like to now call each of you to action – get involved in the legislative aspect of health care reform. Whether you are an "R" or a "D," we are all optometrists. There was a great deal of turnover in the House and Senate at both the state and national levels. With each change we lost a relationship with an elected official, whether positive or negative, but gained the ability to form a positive relationship with another. We need strong relationships with legislators now more than ever! The threat of loss last session should have sprung everyone into action – visiting legislators, ramping up the Keyperson system and our giving to POPAC. We had a positive response by some volunteer leaders, but we all need to evaluate our priorities and work to ensure our inclusion in today’s changing landscape of healthcare. Be successful - get involved with a legislator from your side of the aisle, support POPAC with regular donations and help the POA in whatever way your talents allow. Don’t let optometry experience loss – EVER!

It is an honor and a privilege to be your 2011 POA president. I hope each of you had a safe and happy Holiday Season and thank you for lending me your ear!

Daniel F. Russell, O.D.

President

Pennsylvania Optometric Association

http://www.poaeyes.org/