Volume 6, Issue 7 │February 18, 2022
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Editor's Note: The IOA office will be closed on Monday, February 21 in honor of Presidents Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, February 22. |
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Winter 2022 IOA Journal Out Now |
the Winter 2022 edition of the IOA Journal is now available! Follow the link below to read about IOA's 2021 & 2022 legislative efforts, a message from IOA President & Chair Tim Cundiff, OD, and more! |
Illinois Mask Mandate to End February 28 - Masks Still Required in Healthcare Facilities
Last Wednesday, Governor Pritzker announced that the statewide mask mandate in Illinois is set to expire on February 28. The current mandate requiring masks in all public places has been in effect since August. Doctors of optometry should note that this change does not apply to optometry offices. The CDC continues to recommend masking in all healthcare facilities and the press release published by Gov. Pritzker states that "mask requirements will continue where federally mandated, such as on public transit and in high-risk settings including healthcare facilities and congregate care" as well as daycares.
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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 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 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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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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License Renewal Portal
We wanted to bring to your attention that the license renewal portal is currently not open on IDFPR's website. The IOA has been in contact with IDFPR and have been informed that the agency is working through some technical issues. The IOA will update you via Insider Alerts when the licensing portal opens for your 2022 renewal. The IDFPR has also indicated that they will email you with instructions on how to sign in to the portal when it becomes available.
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NEW IOA PAC Donor!
The IOA Legislative Committee and PAC Board would like to thank the following member for their recent PAC donation:
Lindsay Sicks, O.D.
ICO Area Optometric Society
Thank you for your support!
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Make Sure You're Ready When License Renewal Opens! Complete Your CE ASAP!
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 (except at first license renewal) 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 regular 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.
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Poll Results: What type of health insurance does your practice offer for ODs/staff? |
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Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!
We have an opening for a full-time optometrist to start at our practice in April 2022. (Read more)
Wilmette Eye Care is a growing private practice on Chicago’s North Shore ( Read more)
Olney EyeCare is seeking an Optometrist to join our passionate team on a full-time basis! ( Read more)
Bensenville, IL area eye doctor is seeking a dynamic and compassionate full-time Optician ( Read more) |
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IL Appeals Court Rules IL Schools No Longer Required to Mandate Masks
WGN reports that late Thursday night an Illinois appellate court dismissed Gov. Pritzker's appeal of a lower court's decision which blocked his mask mandate in schools. The court called the governor's appeal "moot after a legislative committee this week did not renew the mask mandate implemented by state health officials." The issue began on Feb. 4 when a Sangamon County judge issued a temporary restraining order against the school mask mandate. Pritzker appealed the decision to the Illinois Appellate Court. On Tuesday, the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), a bipartisan committee, voted not to renew the mask mandate as they were awaiting the appellate court's decision. The appellate court "says the rules voided by the Sangamon County judge" are no longer in effect, so the matter is moot. This morning, Chicago Public Schools released a statement saying that they will continue to enforce masking.
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Secretary of State Jesse White Endorses Anna Valencia
ABC7 reports that current Secretary of State Jesse White endorsed Anna Valencia for election to his office. After serving as Secretary of State for over 23 years, White announced in 2021 that he would not seek re-election. White is the longest-serving secretary of state in Illinois. Valencia currently serves as the City Clerk of Chicago. Other Democrats running for the position are Chicago Alderman David Moore and former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias. The Republican candidates are State Rep. Dan Brady and John Milhiser.
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Bill Seeks to Apply Federal No Surprises Act at State Level
HealthNews Illinois reports that the Illinois General Assembly is considering legislation that would apply the Federal No Surprises Act language to insurers regulated by the state of Illinois. HB4703 would prohibit patients from receiving surprise medical bills from an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility. The proposed legislation covers state-regulated insurance plans such as smaller employer-provided group plans and state employee plans. The bill passed the House's Insurance Committee on February 10 and now sits in the House for a full vote. If it is passed, it will head to the Senate. |
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Public Health Officials Announce 20,896 New Cases of Coronavirus Disease Over the Past Week
State Community-Based Testing Sites Move to 3 Day a Week - Open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 20,896 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 417 deaths since February 11, 2022.
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,013,709 cases, including 32,299 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since February 11, 2022, laboratories have reported 884,390 specimens for a total of 53,621,982. As of last night, 1,590 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 303 patients were in the ICU and 132 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from February 11-17, 2022 is 2.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from February 11- 17, 2022 is 3.1%.
Due to decreased demand at the state community-based testing sites (CBTS) and the availability of free at-home COVID-19 tests, the state testing locations will now be open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays beginning this weekend. Locations previously open on Sundays will be closed this Sunday. The hours of operation at the locations will remain the same and can be found on the IDPH website COVID-19 testing page. We have seen an 87% drop in testing across the 10 state CBTS locations from the first of the year until now, and most locations are averaging fewer than 500 tests a week. To order free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, go to covidtests.gov.
A total of 20,971,401 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 20,003 doses. Since February 11, 2022, 140,021 doses were reported administered in Illinois. Of Illinois’ total population, almost 76% has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, 67% of Illinois’ total population is fully vaccinated, and more than 48% boosted according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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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New Rule Will Allow Headlights That Won't Blind Oncoming Drivers
Local12 reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a final rule to allow new high-tech "adaptive driving beam headlights" on new vehicles. Commonly used in Europe, the headlights "have LED lamps that can focus beams on darkness such as the driver's lane and areas along the roadside." The headlight technology "uses an array of light emitting diodes that can change where light beams are sent, rather than current technology of high beams hitting everywhere." The rule will go into effect when published in the Federal Register shortly.
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Leverage the AOA’s Eye Deserve More Campaign in Your Practice
Building on an impactful 2021, the AOA’s Eye Deserve More campaign will launch a new phase this spring that shows Americans how they deserve more from their health care with a new perspective of optometry.
Increasing screen time and the popularity of gaming opens an opportunity for the profession to demonstrate how regular optometric care can help keep patients’ eyes healthy. To help amplify these efforts, the AOA will provide a suite of customizable materials and resources, as well as communications materials to utilize over the course of the year. The campaign officially launches in Spring 2022, but here’s how you can get involved now:
Since April 2021, the AOA’s Eye Deserve More campaign has earned more than 3.6 billion impressions and 3,000 media placements in national and local news outlets; generated 26 million impressions on social media and 91,000 clicks on the AOA’s doctor locator; and amplified its message with partnerships between USA Surfing’s Caroline Marks, pro-basketball player Tacko Fall and their AOA doctors.
See the impact Eye Deserve More is having.
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THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS! |
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