Volume 6, Issue 3 January 21, 2022
ASSOCIATION NEWS
IOA Participates in SCO State Day

IOA leaders met this week with seven students from the Southern College of Optometry for the annual State Day. State Day offers a chance for students to meet with doctors in each state to learn about the state's scope of practice, different practice modalities, and to network with ODs. The meeting was held virtually due to the current surge in COVID cases. The students asked thoughtful questions about what it's like to practice in Illinois.
Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
Third Party Committee Update: 2022 Medicare Fee Schedules

The Third Party Committee has put together 2022 Medicare fee schedules for optometry-related codes available for members. The documents for your locality can be found below in an Excel or PDF format.

Find Your Locality:

12: BOND, CALHOUN, CLINTON, JERSEY, MACOUPIN, MADISON, MONROE, MONTGOMERY, RANDOLPH, ST. CLAIR, AND WASHINGTON

15: DUPAGE, KANE, LAKE, AND WILL

16: COOK

99: ALL OTHER COUNTIES

Click the links below to view/print the fee schedule for your locality in either Excel or PDF format:

Locality 12: Excel or PDF

Locality 15: Excel or PDF

Locality 16: Excel or PDF

Locality 99: Excel or PDF
Important Webinar on How the No Surprises Act Affects Optometrists: REGISTER NOW

A provision of the recently implemented No Surprises Act will require all physicians, including optometry, to provide uninsured patients with good faith estimates (GFE) upon request. The HHS explained the requirement after an initial lack of clarity in its 2021 interim rule, drawing immediate concerns from the AOA and other medical associations.

The No Surprises Act, aimed at addressing “surprise medical billing” for out of network care, will require “generally, all providers and facilities that schedule items or services for an uninsured (or self-pay) individual or receive a request for a GFE from an uninsured (or self-pay) individual [to] provide such individual with a GFE. No specific specialties, facility types, or sites of service are exempt from this requirement.”

The AOA has concerns about this clarification and asked HHS to delay implementing the rule to consider additional feedback. In the meantime, doctors should access the AOA’s updated FAQ document and consider attending an upcoming #AskAOA webinar for further information.

When: 8 p.m. CT, Monday, Jan. 24
Labor Law Poster - 2022 Updates

Two required postings on the labor law poster have been updated in 2022. To stay compliant, all offices must post the Illinois and federal labor law posters with the two updates. Follow the link below to reprint the entire 36"x48" poster, or click the links for the Illinois Rights and Illinois VESSA posters and post those over your current poster.
Illinois Moving Past COVID Peak, Hospitalizations Still Up

NBC Chicago reports that Chicago Department of Public Health Director Dr. Allison Arwady said that Chicago has passed the peak of the current COVID surge. Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike and Governor Pritzker said that they were "cautiously optimistic" about statewide COVID numbers this week. "Today is our seventh day since we saw peak hospitalizations of 7,380 reported on Jan 13 - that's 1,145 more than the previous pandemic on Nov. 21," Pritzker said during a press conference on Wednesday. State officials warned that it is too early to stand down on mitigation strategies and they will continue to monitor data to determine when it will be safe to do so.
Mass Vaccination Site Returning to Cook Co - ODs Certified in COVID-19 Injections Can Volunteer Now

ABC7Chicago reports that Cook County is bringing back three mass vaccination sites due to an increase in demand for COVID vaccinations. The sites are located in Forest Park, Matteson, and Des Plaines, IL. Optometrists who have completed the required training to become COVID-19 vaccinators can sign up to volunteer at a mass vaccination site by registering through Illinois Helps here.
Don't forget! Illinois licenses renew on March 31, 2022 and ODs are required to complete 30 hours of CE before their license renewal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IDFPR has allowed optometrists to complete all 30 hours online provided by IL-licensed CE providers. As a licensed CE provider, all IOA courses will count for Illinois credit.

Renewal Requirements:

  • ODs must earn 30 hours of CE from April 1, 2020-March 31, 2022.
  • Tested hours were waived for the 2020-2022 licensing cycle.
  • 1 hour of sexual harassment CE must be taken by all licensed optometrists in order to renew a license. 
  • 3 hours of safe opioid prescribing CE must be taken by all optometrists who hold a Controlled Substance license in order to renew the license. 
  • First-time renewal applicants are exempt from CE requirements at the time of their first renewal. However, if the licensee holds a controlled substance license, they must comply with the 3-hour opioid CE requirement, even if this is the first renewal.  
2022 IOA/AOA Membership Dues Renewal

2022 Membership invoices have been mailed out, so be on the lookout for yours! If you are on recurring monthly or quarterly payments, nothing needs to be done as your payment schedule is automatically renewed. IOA/AOA membership dues can be paid online by logging into your profile.

2022 Dues Contest

Pay your dues in full before 1/31/2022 and you will be entered to win 15 hours of free IOA CE! We will be giving this prize away to two lucky winners. The free CE can be used for either the 2022 or 2024 renewal cycle, but must be used before the end of the 2022 calendar year.
Recenty Retired or Retiring in 2022?

Let us know if you recently retired or plan to fully retire in 2022 so that we can update your membership! Please reach out to Travis Hamlin, IOA Finance & Business Manager, at thamlin@ioaweb.org or call the IOA at 217-525-8012.
Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!



Region: Suburbs: Upscale 6 location private practice located in the north suburbs (AccuVISION) looking for a personable P/T or F/T OD for any day of the week (Read more)


Responsibilities: Candidates are expected to be highly knowledgeable in the field of Primary Eye Care and Ophthalmic Optics who can develop and teach courses and/or laboratories in the subject area. (Read more)
ILLINOIS NEWS
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin Announces Gubernatorial Campaign

Politico reports that Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin officially announced his campaign for governor on the Republican ticket. Mayor Irvin announced his campaign on an online video with his running mate, State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Litchfield). If Irvin wins the primary election, he would be the first African American candidate to top an Illinois ballot. Irvin is likely to be supported by billionaire Ken Griffin.
State Rep. Andrew Chesney Runs for IL Senate

In a press release, State Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) announced that he is running for the 45th Senate District after Sen. Brian Stewart announced that he will not seek re-election. Rep. Chesney has held his seat in the House since 2018. "Brian Stewart is my mentor and friend, said Rep. Chesney. "I am proud to have his full support and endorsement of my candidacy in the 45th District."
Reminder: Executive Order on Vaccine/Testing Mandate
 
As a reminder, the Executive Order mandating that all health care workers must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly (at minimum) testing for COVID-19 went into effect on September 19, 2021. Employers must either maintain proof of vaccination status or proof of weekly negative COVID-19 tests in their personnel files.
 
Click here for a Q&A put together by the IOA
 
Click here for a Q&A issued by the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
 
Click here for information about a COVID-19 saliva testing program through ArcticDX
Public Health Officials Announce 183,722 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease Over the Past Week

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 183,722 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 746 deaths since January 14, 2022.

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 2,773,362 cases, including 29,845 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since January 14, 2022, laboratories have reported 1,539,013 specimens for a total of 49,488,107. As of last night, 6,054 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 972 patients were in the ICU and 560 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from January 14 – 20, 2022 is 11.9%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from January 14 – 20, 2022 is 15.3%. 

A total of 20,207,132 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 44,420 doses. Since January 14, 2022, 310,939 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 74% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 65% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and almost 49% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   
 
*All data are provisional and will change. Additional information and COVID-19 data can be found at http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.

Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov
FEDERAL NEWS
Biden Administration To Provide Americans With 400M Free N95 Masks Beginning Next Week

The Washington Post  (1/19, Diamond, Sun) reports, “The Biden administration plans to distribute 400 million high-quality N95 masks for adults free of charge at thousands of pharmacies and other locations starting next week, a White House official said.” Officials will begin “to ship masks at the end of this week,” and “the program will be fully up and running by early February.” The Post adds, “There will be three masks available per adult. Also, ‘we anticipate making additional, high-quality masks for children available in the near future,’ the official said.” 
Biden Administration Begins Taking Orders For Free Rapid At-Home COVID-19 Tests

The Wall Street Journal (1/18, Abbott, Subscription Publication) reports the Biden Administration on Tuesday began taking orders for free rapid at-home COVID-19 tests, one day ahead of the planned launch of the website for ordering and distributing tests to people in the US. The site is expected to launch officially mid-morning on Wednesday. 
AOA’s Eye Deserve More Campaign Reinforces Essential Care Optometrists Deliver

According to a press release run by Vision Monday (1/18), “the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) nationwide public awareness campaign” called Eye Deserve More “is making waves and reinforcing the essential care doctors of optometry deliver.” The campaign, launched last April, “underscores that every American deserves in-person comprehensive care from an AOA doctor of optometry as part of their eye health and overall health and well-being.” The goal of the campaign “is bringing the expertise of AOA doctors into focus to build patient trust and convince the public to consider comprehensive eye exams as an integral part of their overall health care.” AOA President Robert C. Layman, OD, stated, “Americans constantly face misinformation and lack understanding of the essential care doctors of optometry deliver.” Dr. Layman added, “Beyond encouraging in-person eye exams, this forward-looking platform will truly underscore the breadth of care they provide for patients and local communities every day.” 
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