December 4, 2023 | Issue 15 | |
2024 IOP/AOA dues invoices are mailed from the AOA. If your home, office, or email address has changed, AND/OR you would like a bookkeeper or other office staff to receive a duplicate invoice, email the information to Lisa, execdir@iopinc.org. | |
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Dear IOP members,
Greetings from the Idaho State Board of Optometry. Hopefully, this time of year finds you all well and happy. It was a pleasure to speak to many of you during our annual congress in October. I would like to briefly answer some of the questions I received while interacting with other members during Congress.
Our current education requirements run from January 1st to December 31st of each calendar year. Although renewal of licensure still takes place on the month of a licensee's birthday, the education requirements are from the calendar year prior to license renewal. The continuing educational requirement is a minimum of 18 hours of approved optometric continuing education courses or meetings. Carry-over of excess educational hours from the previous year is no longer allowed. Licensees are responsible for choosing quality continuing education programs that focus on protecting the health and safety of the public and/or contributing to their germane profession. No more than 9 hours of continuing education shall be asynchronous (non-live).
On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 enacted a new one-time, 8-hour training requirement for all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)- registered practitioners on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. Beginning on June 27, 2023, practitioners will be required to check a box on their online DEA registration form affirming that they have completed the new training requirement. The deadline for satisfying this new training requirement is the date of a prescriber's next scheduled DEA registration submission on or after June 27th, 2023. There are numerous online platforms that offer this training free of charge. This 8-hour training requirement can also be counted towards the 9 hours of asynchronous continuing education requirement for Idaho licensure.
I hope that this information is helpful in our continued pursuit of giving our patients the best care possible. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I look forward to 2024 being a happy and successful year for all of us!
Respectfully,
Jared P. Walker, OD
Idaho Board of Optometry, Chair
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Over the Fall we have continued to lay the groundwork for the 2024 Legislative Session. To help with our discussion with key legislators and the Idaho Society of Ophthalmology (ISO), we prepared a compare/contrast document that lists the key laser issues that are being discussed in Idaho and how they compare and contrast to the other ten states that have already enacted laser eye legislation.
Our lobbying team has met with Idaho Speaker Mike Moyle (R-Star) and has been given assurances that there will be a laser bill this upcoming session. We just don’t know what it will look like yet.
In July, the Idaho Optometric Physicians (IOP) leadership and lobbying team met with the ISO leadership and lobbying team and had a productive conversation. Not surprisingly (although a little earlier than expected), the ISO sent us a letter stating they would no longer negotiate and basically doubled down on their assertion that Optometry education was not sufficient to perform the three laser procedures.
Our lobbying team met with Idaho Speaker Moyle subsequently and was once again assured that a bill would be coming to this session, even though the ISO is unwilling to negotiate. So far, we do not have any draft bill language. As the 2024 Legislative Session is near (the Second Monday of January), we have reached out to the Speaker and his staff to see what we can do to help move the process along and finalize bill language before the 2024 Legislative Session begins.
As always, it is my pleasure to be your eyes, ears, and advocate at the State Capitol. I will continue to keep you updated throughout the year. If you have any questions or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
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Respectfully Submitted,
Lance Giles
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Legislative Committee
Fellow IOP Members,
My cautious optimism has let me down again, as negotiations with the Idaho Ophthalmology Society (IOS) have completely dissolved. Our first sit down meeting with the IOS, as requested by Representative Moyle to allow our expanded scope bill to move forward, ended up being our last, as they refused to schedule any follow-up meetings after weeks of stall tactics and delays in response. We are exchanging emails at this point, but I do not see any hope for an uncontested bill in the future - not that I truly believed that was ever a possibility.
We are continuing to work with the AOA, Representative Moyle, our lobbyists and legislators to find language that will make sense for this bill to move forward in 2024, if that’s what makes the most sense.
In the meantime, please maintain your relationships with your legislators as we start to head into the coming legislative session. Those connections are essential for current and future optometric efforts. Happy Holidays everyone!
Lauren Huber, OD
Legislative Committee Chair
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Insurance Advisory Committee | | |
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As we are in the heart of the holiday season, it is a great time to enjoy time with family and friends. It is also a time to reflect on the year and plan for the upcoming year. With so much time and effort spent working on our Scope Expansion Bill, I have spent much time reflecting on 2023.
Although we didn’t successfully pass our Scope Expansion Bill, many of us have established great relationships with our legislators. While we hope to move forward with our bill in 2024, it will depend on the Speaker of the House. Even if we don’t move forward with a bill in 2024, it is important to maintain communication with our legislators. Optometry is a legislated profession, so we can never predict what could happen.
I would like to encourage all our IOP members to sign up for IOP ODs on Facebook and Idaho Optometric Physicians on Facebook. If you ever have questions, please reach out to your regional directors, who will either answer them or move them up the chain to somebody who can address them.
Thank you for your efforts in 2023, and here’s to wishing you a happy and prosperous 2024.
Have a blessed holiday,
Brian Miller, O.D.
IOP President Elect
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Help everyone!
2023 Congress with the two track system was a great success! I hope you all learned something new and/or fun. And hopefully you have been trying something new in your office that you took away from all of our speakers!
2024 is right around the corner! If you are interested in testing for CPO/CPOA or ABO - check out the links to see testing dates. Reminder: if your CE is due in 2024, you’ll need to make sure you have earned all your credits and submitted them by November! The AOA offers free education on their Eyelearn website and when your doctor belongs to the AOA, para membership is free!
Speaking of CE, we already have our 2024 para speaker lined up - save the date! Thursday and Friday, October 10th and 11th, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Joy Gibb is an American Board of Opticianry Certified Optician who began her optical career in 1986. She managed an independent retail opticianry in Bountiful, Utah, for over ten years before opening her own business, Eyes of Joy Mobile Optical Service in 2008. We look forward to her classes in 2024!
As always, you can email me any questions you have about certification or suggestions you might have for our para community!
Tami Arnett, CPOA, ABOC
IOP Paraoptometric Section
Committee Chair
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Welcome to our newest members:
Timothy Gibbons, Nampa
Nicolas Gonzales, Caldwell
Jamie Rodriguez, Boise
All IOP members are invited to join our online Facebook community, IOP OD’s. This group is designed to provide our members with another way to connect with one another. Following the QR code below will allow you to request admission to the page.
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Holy Rosary International Medical Missions (www.hrimm.org) is bringing a vision mission to Iloilo City in the Philippines. We leave Feb 16 and return February 23. There will be three clinic days (20,21,22). We are looking for three optometrists (OD) and two technicians to join us. Airfare round trip is $1,500 - $1,700 Philippine Airlines. We will cover meals and lodging during the mission. For more information contact Mike Hayes, mikehayes.hrimm@gmail.com | |
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Final notes...
We enjoyed seeing over 200 ODs and staff in Boise at the IOP Annual Congress! And an additional 45 doctors virtually. Our exhibit hall had 45 vendors, a new record! We are working to provide another fantastic event in 2024. If there are specific vendors you would like to see at the exhibit hall, send your suggestions our way. Recommendations coming directly from our attendees are always helpful.
The 2024 Day at the Capitol will be on Monday, February 26th, at the Boise Centre. Space is limited, we will do our best to accommodate as many as possible. Complete this registration form if you would like to attend.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns; we are here to help! Thank you for your continued support.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!
Lisa White & Misty Mendiola
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