Volume 6, Issue 15 │April 15, 2022
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Editor's Note: The IOA office will close at 12pm on Friday, April 15. The office will reopen on Monday, April 18. |
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U.S. Rep Rodney Davis Fundraiser
On Wednesday, a political fundraiser was held for U.S. Rep Rodney Davis in conjunction with a Mid-State Optometric Society meeting in Springfield. Thank you to the members who came out to support Congressman Davis as well as the ODs who attended the society meeting.
Pictured above L-R: Dr. Brandon Lernor, Dr. Angie Oberreiter, Dr. Tim Cundiff, Dr. Matthew Jones, Rep. Rodney Davis
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Pictured above: Mid-State Society members attend a meeting and CE titled "Cryopreserved Amniotic Membrane in Ocular Surface Disease" taught by Ranjan Malhotra, MD, FACS.
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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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ICO Practice Opportunities Symposium
Last Friday, ICO hosted its annual Practice Opportunities Symposium and IOA was thrilled to attend in person for the first time since 2019. Dr. Toseef Hasan and IOA CEO Leigh Ann Vanausdoll attended the event where they met with students interested in practicing in Illinois. The students asked great questions about practicing in Illinois and were excited to learn more about beginning their careers after optometry school.
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Advocacy in Action: Optometrists Added as Examiners for Homestead Exemption
In 2020, it was brought to IOA's attention that optometrists were being denied the ability to sign off on the Homestead Exemption for Persons with Disabilities form, or PTAX-343-A form. After negotiations with the Department of Revenue, IOA was successful in adding optometrists to the list of providers who can fill out the PTAX-343-A form. Now, after the passage of Senate Bill 1975, optometrists are listed in statute as providers who may examine a patient applying for the homestead exemption of the person qualifies because of a visual disability. |
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Mark Your Calendar: 2022 Special Olympics Opening Eyes Program Looking for Volunteers
The Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes Program is back for the first time since 2019 and are looking for volunteer optometrists, students, and opticians. The goal of the Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes Program is to bring quality vision care to children and adults with intellectual disabilities. the assessment consists of visual acuity testing, cover test, extraocular motility testing, pupils, color vision, stereopsis, non-contact tonometry, slit lamp evaluation, and ophthalmoscopy. If the athlete is determined to need glasses, they are given a full refraction with subjective testing.
Opening Eyes Program details:
When: Saturday, June 18 from 9am- 4pm
Where: Illinois State University in Normal, IL.
If you have any questions, please contact Christine Allison, O.D. at 312-949-7336 or callison@ico.edu. Follow the link below to register to volunteer.
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License Renewal Portal Open through May 31, 2022
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (DFPR) has extended the license renewal deadline until May 31, 2022. IOA has published FAQs on how to renew under the updated license renewal process.
Doctors who did not receive an email from IDFPR with their username and password should follow the MATCH instructions posted here.
To begin the renewal process:
After logging in to your profile, click on "My Account". Then click "Create/Continue a Renewal".
Click here to read the FAQs before renewing your license.
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ANNUAL MEETING SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
Chris Borgman, O.D.
"Neuroimaging 101: MRI & Neuro Brainteaser Cases"
This course will review and discuss the basic physics, theory, clinical application, and the most common uses of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the everyday, practicing optometrist. Then a grand-rounds style presentation will highlight approximately 10 unique neuro-optometry cases that the author has managed and used to increase his knowledge in the neuro-optometry realm of eye care.
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Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!
In need of OD Maternity Leave coverage
Dates: June 9th, 2022 - October 24th, 2022
Days and times of coverage needed: Wednesdays 10-6, Fridays 10-5, Saturdays 9-5 * any or all days are welcome
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IDPH Changes COVID-19 Reporting
WICS reports that the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is changing the way the agency tracks COVID-19 transmission to match CDC guidelines. CDC data emphasizes case rates and hospitalizations so now testing providers "will no longer be required to report some negative test results and IDPH will no longer report test and case positivity." "Test and case positivity rates were seen as a good way to monitor the level of community spread early in the pandemic," said IDPH Acting Director Amaal Tokars. "At this stage... it is more useful to rely on data that indicates the case rate, disease severity and the level of strain on healthcare system to guide our public health recommendations."
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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 14,049 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease Over the Past Week
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 14,049 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 45 deaths since April 8, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,094,485 cases, including 33,510 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.
As of last night, 464 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 70 patients were in the ICU and 32 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide case rate is 110 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Illinoisans.
A total of 21,648,058 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 19,799 doses. Since April 8, 2022, 138,595 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 more than 50% is boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data indicates that the risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes from COVID-19 is much higher for unvaccinated people than for those who are up to date on their vaccinations.
On April 12, IDPH announced it is using new federal guidelines for tracking COVID-19 at the community level. The new CDC guidelines emphasize the case rate and hospitalizations in order to better track the impact of COVID-19 in communities. In addition, as a result of HHS announcing that testing providers are no longer required to report some negative test results, IDPH will no longer know how many tests are being done and will therefore no longer report test and case positivity.
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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Public Health Committee Update: Risk Of Retinal Vein Occlusion May Be Higher Six Months After COVID-19 Diagnosis, Research Suggests
MedPage Today (4/14, Dotinga) reports COVID-19 “may be boosting the numbers of a rare ocular condition in which vision is threatened when veins in the retina are blocked,” research suggests. The “risk of retinal vein occlusion was higher in the 6 months after” COVID-19 diagnosis “than in the 6 months prior...according to” investigators. Their findings were published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
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PRF RP1 Late-Reporting Window Available for Extenuating Circumstances
During this process, a provider will choose which extenuating circumstance(s) prevented them from meeting the reporting deadline. Allowable reasons include:
- Severe illness or death.
- Impacted by natural disaster.
- Lack of receipt of reporting communications.
- Failure to click “submit.”
- Internal miscommunication or error.
- Incomplete Targeted Distribution payments.
Providers who wish to submit a Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances Form for RP1 should do the following:
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Complete registration in the PRF Reporting Portal prior to submitting request.
- Submit a Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances Form by the deadline.
- If HRSA approves the request, you have 10 days to proceed with completing the RP1 report.
Note: HRSA says providers will also have an opportunity to submit a Request to Report Late Due to Extenuating Circumstances for RP2, if applicable, in the coming weeks. The RP2 deadline was March 31.
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THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS! |
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