Volume 6, Issue 12 │March 25, 2022
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IOA Webinar: Licensing & Credentialing for the New Graduate
Last night, the IOA hosted a pop-up webinar for new graduates to assist them in applying for their Illinois license and beginning the credentialing process. The webinar was hosted by IOA President & Chair, Dr. Tim Cundiff and Dr. Amanda Gerson & Dr. Eric Botts served as panelists. The recorded webinar can be viewed at the link below.
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REMINDER: No Surprises Act - Make Sure Your Practice is in Compliance
The No Surprises Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020, seeks to address situations in which patients receive surprise medical bills when they inadvertently or unknowingly receive care from an out-of-network provider. Healthcare providers, including optometric offices, must comply by providing Good Faith Estimates to uninsured or self-pay patients.
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License Renewal Portal Open through May 31, 2022
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (DFPR) has now opened the renewal portal for optometrists. Additionally, DFPR will pass a variance extending the license renewal deadline until May 31, 2022. IOA has published FAQs on how to renew under the updated license renewal process.
Please note: IDFPR's system is currently bogged down with several professions trying to renew their licenses causing errors in the renewal process. Consider trying to renew your license during off-hours (early morning or late at night) when there is less traffic on the website.
Doctors who did not receive an email from IDFPR with their username and password should follow the MATCH instructions posted here.
Click here to read the FAQs before renewing your license.
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Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
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2022 Medicare Fee Schedules
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Labor Law Poster - 2022 Updates |
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AOA/AOSA Opportunities in Optometry Grants Available
Supported by EssilorLuxottica and managed by Optometry Cares®—The AOA Foundation, AOA/AOSA Opportunities in Optometry grants are one-time stipends awarded to students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups within optometry to help defray the costs associated with applying to optometry school. Grants of $1,500 apiece will be awarded annually to students meeting certain eligibility criteria and chosen by a selection committee.
Stemming from the AOA Diversity and Inclusion Task Force and the AOSA Diversity Project Team, the AOA/AOSA Opportunities in Optometry Grant program is part of a commitment to pave a path toward a broader and more diverse profession. The AOA/AOSA Opportunities in Optometry Grant program is a sustained effort to encourage underrepresented minorities to join the family of optometry and help expand access to primary eye care across the nation.
If you would like to support this initiative, Optometry Cares—The AOA Foundation is accepting donations.
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Welcome New IOA/AOA Members
The IOA would like to welcome the following new members who recently joined the IOA/AOA:
Paul Bastermaijan, O.D.
Fox Valley Optometric Society
Arpit Patel, O.D.
Northern IL Optometric Society
Marc Sarmiento, O.D.
IL Valley Optometric Society
Elizabeth Hanno, O.D.
South Suburban Optometric Society
Welcome to the IOA!
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Poll Results: Does your office close for lunch? |
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Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!
We are looking to add a personable full-scope optometrist who can grow with the practice. This opportunity is for either full-time or part-time, fill in work for any day of the week or regularly scheduled hours. ( Read more)
Seeking Optometrist for our Private Practice in Orland Park--Possible Partnership Opportunity - We are seeking a Full-time or Part-Time time associate optometrist for well established full scope private optometry practice in Orland Park ( Read more)
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HFS: New Modifier for Telehealth Services
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services issued a notice informing providers of billing updates effective with dates of service beginning April 1, 2022. These changes apply to claims paid under the Medicaid fee-for-service program and the HealthChoice Illinois managed care plans.
- New Modifier 93 - Synchronous telemedicine service rendered via telephone or other real-time interactive audio-only telecommunications system
Modifier 93 is a new modifier used to identify services that are provided via telephone or other real-time interactive audio-only telecommunication systems. It does not replace modifier GT, which should continue to be used to identify telehealth interactions using both audio and video telecommunications systems. When using Modifier 93, the communication during the audio-only service must be of an amount or nature that meets the same key components and/or requirements of a face-to-face interaction. Modifier 93 is effective with dates of service beginning April 1, 2022.
- New Place of Service Code (POS) 10 – Telehealth Provided in Patient's Home
POS 10 is a new place of service code that specifies a distant site telehealth service rendered to a patient who is located in their home. It does not replace POS 02. The description for POS 02 has been changed to, "Telehealth Provided Other than in Patient's Home" and it is still a valid distant site telehealth service POS code. POS 10, when applicable, should be submitted for claims with dates of service beginning April 1, 2022.
Questions regarding this notice may be directed to the Bureau of Professional and Ancillary Services at 877-782-5565.
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Lawmakers Pass Measure to Use ARPA Funds to Pay Down Unemployment Debt
Capitol News Illinois reports that the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill this week which allocates $2.7 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay down over half of the state's $4.5 billion Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund debt. The trust fund "is the pool of money paid into by businesses that funds unemployment claims" and the debt "accrued as the state borrowed from the federal government at the height of the pandemic to keep the trust fund solvent amid an unprecedented crush of claims." Negotiations will now continue with business and labor interests to address the remaining $1.8 billion trust fund deficit.
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Masks Continue to be Required in Healthcare
In a February 28 Executive Order, the Pritzker administration outlined settings where masks would continue to be required, which includes healthcare settings.
The governor's press release outlines the following situations where masking will continue to be required:
- Healthcare Settings
- Long Term Care Facilities
- Congregate Settings (prisons, shelters, etc.)
- On planes, trains, buses, and other forms of public transportation and in transportation hubs such as airports, and train and bus stations
Masking requirements are also outlined in an FAQ here.
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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 is still in effect. 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 issued by the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
Click here for information about a COVID-19 saliva testing program through ArcticDX
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Public Health Officials Announce 8,039 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease Over the Past Week
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 8,039 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 109 deaths since March 18, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,061,224 cases, including 33,307 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since March 18, 2022, laboratories have reported 563,249 specimens for a total of 56,891,628. As of last night, 470 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 64 patients were in the ICU and 33 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 18-24, 2022 is 1.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 18-24, 2022 is 1.6%.
A total of 21,315,893 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 7,513 doses. Since March 18, 2022, 52,589 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 68% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and almost 50% is boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccination is the key to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccination location near you, go to www.vaccines.gov.
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AOA Pushing For Federal Investigation Of Lobbying “Front’s” Tax Exempt Status
Invision (3/23) runs a March 23 press release from the American Optometric Association in which AOA discloses that “the National Association of Optometrists and Opticians (NAOO), a lobbying ‘front’ for large optical retailers, was called out to legislators for deceptive tactics and seeking a self-serving overhaul of patient health and safety standards.” The AOA is now following up “with a new push for a federal investigation of NAOO tax exempt status,” taking “action by renewing its insistence on a government inquiry into the operations of the NAOO through a March 7 letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).” According to AOA president Robert C. Layman, OD’s, “letter to IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig, there must be a comprehensive review of conditions that allow ‘a 501(c)(6) tax exempt association [misleadingly] claiming to represent licensed professionals when the membership is not made up of those professionals.”
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AOA President Discusses Presbyopia
US News & World Report (3/14, Caceres) featured an article on presbyopia, “an age-related” condition resulting in “blurry near vision that starts around age 40.” Presbyopia occurs “because the lens inside your eye stiffens and becomes less flexible, says Dr. Robert C. Layman, a Toledo, Ohio-based optometrist and president of the American Optometric Association.” While “everyone will experience presbyopia when they reach middle age,” people should know that “regular eye exams can help track and address vision changes, as well as monitor your overall eye health, Layman says.” The condition can be addressed by reading glasses or by new prescription drops.
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THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS! |
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