Volume 6, Issue 10 March 11, 2022
ASSOCIATION NEWS
IOA Board of Directors, Executive Council Meetings

The IOA Executive Council and Board of Directors both held meetings on Tuesday, March 8. Board members from across the state came together to discuss the IOA, Illinois optometry, and the future of the profession. AOA Board of Trustees member Teri Geist, OD, also presented updates from the AOA. Thank you to the IOA Board members who gave up time in their office to attend the meeting.
License Renewal Portal Now Open

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.

Click here to read the FAQs before renewing your license.
Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
2022 Medicare Fee Schedules

Locality 12: Excel or PDF

Locality 15: Excel or PDF

Locality 16: Excel or PDF

Locality 99: Excel or PDF
Labor Law Poster - 2022 Updates
IOA MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Dr. Johnson-Brown & Dr. Johnson Inducted in National Academies of Practice

IOA members Dr. Stephanie Johnson-Brown & Dr. Ansel Johnson were inducted as distinguished fellows into the National Academies of Practice. Congratulations to Dr. Johnson-Brown & Dr. Johnson on this tremendous honor!

Pictured above: this year's inductees
Pictured left: Dr. Ansel Johnson & Dr. Stephanie Johnson-Brown
Dr. Oberreiter Confirmed as State Board of Health Member

IOA Board of Directors member Dr. Angela Oberreiter was nominated in the Senate as a member of the State Board of Health. The nomination was confirmed in the Senate on February 22, 2022. The State Board of Health is composed of 20 members, one of whom must be an optometrist. Thank you to Dr. Oberreiter for representing the profession!
Webinar: Optometry's Role in Improving Population Health

On Wednesday, March 16 at 12:00pm CT, IOA Member & AOA Trustee Dr. Lori Grover will discuss the role optometrists continue to play in public health. Hosted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the webinar will discuss the importance of removing inequities in access to eyecare and advocating for comprehensive vision screening. Click here to register.
NEW IOA PAC Donors!
 
The IOA Legislative Committee and PAC Board would like to thank the following members for their recent PAC donations/increase in monthly donations:

Brigette Colley, O.D.
West Central Optometric Society
 
Bill Park, O.D.
Fox Valley Optometric Society
 
Thank you for your support!
Political Fundraiser - Congressman Rodney Davis

Dr. Vince Brandys will be hosting a political fundraiser for Congressman Rodney Davis on Wednesday, April 13 at the IOA office in Springfield, IL. The fundraiser will run from 6-7pm and attendees are suggested to contribute $250 to Congressman Davis' campaign. To RSVP for the event, email Dr. Brandys at vbrandys23@gmail.com or call 312-259-2323.
Remembering Andrea Stein, O.D.

The IOA was saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Andrea Stein, 59, on February 28, 2022. Dr. Stein attended Drake University and graduated from Illinois College of Optometry in 1987. After graduation, Dr. Stein served in the U.S. Navy for eight years and retired as a lieutenant. She then opened Eye See Ravenswood where she treated pediatric and adult patients. She served on the Board of Directors for the Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, and Uptown Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Stein was a 36-year member of the IOA and was a member of the Chicago North Side Optometric Society.
Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!



Excellent Private Practice Opportunity in Northbrook, IL (Read more)

Sublease opportunity available with For Eyes at our Arlington Heights office! (Read more)


I am becoming unable to continue practice leaving a Michigan Avenue non-surgical general ophthalmology office available immediately (Read more)
ILLINOIS NEWS
Proposed Legislation Would Expedite Licensing Process

WAND reports that lawmakers held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss proposed legislation that would require IDFPR to expedite complete license applications. Senate Bill 670 would require IDFPR to process license applications within four weeks as long as there were no deficiencies in the submitted application. “Health care workers... and a variety of others are eager, qualified and ready to enter their respective industries but are waiting months for professional licenses to be issued by the state,” said State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs), chief Senate sponsor of SB 670. “Improving convenience, timeliness and accessibility for working people is a necessary step to building our economy and focusing efforts on recovery.” SB670 passed the Senate with bipartisan support and is now in the House Health Care Licenses Committee.
Election Season Officially Underway as Candidates File Election Petitions

The State Journal-Register reports that hundreds of candidates lined up outside of the Illinois State Board of Elections (ISBE) office on Monday for their chance to be placed first on the ballot in their race. To run for office, candidates are required to collect signatures from voters and the order in which they are submitted is the order they are placed on the ballot. Monday, March 7 was the first day petitions could be filed with ISBE. Peggy Hubbard, a Republican candidate running for U.S. Senate, was the first in line and had been waiting since Friday.
Masks Continue to be Required in Healthcare as State Lifted Indoor Mask Mandate on Feb 28

Gov. Pritzker announced in February that the indoor mask mandate would be lifted on February 28 as long as COVID numbers continued to drop. While the mask mandate was lifted at the end of February, mask requirements still apply in healthcare settings.

The governor's press release outlines the following situations where masking will continue to be required:


Masking requirements are also outlined in an FAQ here.
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 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 8,519 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease Over the Past Week

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 8,519 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 149 deaths since March 4, 2022. 

Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,045,718 cases, including 33,075 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since March 4, 2022, laboratories have reported 642,494 specimens for a total of 55,731,994. As of last night, 676 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 108 patients were in the ICU and 51 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. 

The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 4-10, 2022 is 1.3%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 4-10, 2022 is 1.5%. 

A total of 21,217,198 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 9,522 doses. Since March 4, 2022, 66,654 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, more than 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, more than 67% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 49% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   

*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
Virginia Gains Optometric Laser Procedures for Glaucoma, Post-Cataract Care

Virginia becomes the eighth state—and third since 2021—to expand its optometric scope of practice to include these contemporary procedures.

Certified doctors of optometry in Virginia will be able to provide certain office-based laser procedures for glaucoma and post-cataract care after optometry’s advocates successfully expanded the state’s scope.

Signed into law on March 9 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, H.B. 213 amends the state’s optometric scope of practice act to authorize doctors, certified by the state board, to perform optometric laser procedures, including YAG laser capsulotomy, selective laser trabeculoplasty and laser peripheral iridotomy. Virginia becomes the eighth state—and third since 2021—to expand its scope for these contemporary procedures, affording Virginians’ greater opportunity to access primary eye health care services from their local doctors of optometry.

“Virginia doctors of optometry now have a progressive scope of practice law that allows our doctors to practice more fully to the extent of their training,” says Lisa Gontarek, O.D., Virginia Optometric Association (VOA) president. “This gives Virginians’ access to outstanding clinicians who can provide the majority of the eye care they need, and it’s especially beneficial for citizens in the more rural areas of our state.”
Telehealth Utilization Increased 11.4% Nationally Between November And December 2021, Data Show

mHealth Intelligence (3/9, Melchionna) reports, “Telehealth utilization increased nationally by 11.4 percent between November and December 2021 and rose from 4.4 to 4.9 percent of all medical claim lines, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker .” According to the December report, “mental health conditions remained at No. 1 nationally,” and “acute respiratory disease was another diagnosis taking up a large share of telehealth claim lines in all regions during this time.” Moreover, “hypertension entered the top five telehealth diagnoses in the South, as did joint and soft tissue diseases in the Northeast.” 
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