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Pennsylvania ODs begin prescribing at last
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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Certified optometrists in Pennsylvania have begun prescribing therapeutic pharmaceutical agents (TPAs) following the Independent Regulatory Review Committee’s approval of the proposed Optometric Prescribing List submitted by state Secretary of Health Dan Hoffman.
Pennsylvania’s TPA law allows certified optometrists to prescribe all topical agents, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibacterial medications, antihistamines and antivirals. They also can prescribe oral analgesics and antibiotics. Optometrists in the state are prohibited from treating glaucoma or administering steroids and beta-blockers.
"By and large, practitioners are satisfied with the extent of their prescribing privileges," said Ted Mowatt, government affairs director for the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA). "These medications are probably everything that we need and that we could get within the constraints of the legislation."
The next priority for the association is to eliminate some of the restrictions imposed by the TPA legislation passed in October 1996 by securing the right to prescribe steroids and eventually to treat glaucoma, he added.
"This has been a long and, at times, difficult process, and we’re glad to be finally on the doorstep of optometrists prescribing in Pennsylvania," Mr. Mowatt said. "We are looking forward to amplifying the legislation in a short time frame."
Immediate response
Applications to receive TPA certification were mailed the first week of November 1998, and some optometrists returned them to the state optometric board the day they were received, Mr. Mowatt said.
The application requires that Category II optometrists, those who were licensed before April 1, 1993, provide documentation that they completed a 100-hour therapeutics course and the Therapeutic Management of Ocular Disease exam. Optometrists who were licensed after April 1, 1993, were automatically TPA-certified, he said. The suffix "T" on an OD’s license will designate TPA certification. Licenses issued this year already have this suffix, and November marked the end of the state’s relicensure period, so credentialed ODs also will have the suffix on their new licenses, Mr. Mowatt said.
Mr. Mowatt did not know the number of optometrists who took the TPA course through the POA, in college or through other organizations, but he suspects the majority of Pennsylvania’s full-time practicing ODs will take advantage of the expanded scope of practice.
DEA approval pending
The Optometric Prescribing List includes controlled substances from Schedules III, IV and V, so optometrists will be able to apply for a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license as mid-level practitioners. The state Board of Optometry has discussed the issue with the DEA, and the list of drugs has been submitted to the agency’s Washington office for approval, Mr. Mowatt said. No timeline has been set for the DEA’s decision or when Pennsylvania optometrists can begin registering with the agency.
Working with pharmacy
According to the TPA law, the board of optometry must send a list of certified doctors to the state Board of Pharmacy, and from there it is up to the board to educate its members about optometrists’ right to prescribe, Mr. Mowatt said. Without knowing how long this process could take, the POA is advising its members to be patient, he said.
"Optometrists should write prescriptions, and if they have problems, they will have to deal with them on an individual basis," Mr. Mowatt said.
For Your Information:
- Ted Mowatt, government affairs director for the Pennsylvania Optometric Association, can be reached at 218 North Street, P.O. Box 3312, Harrisburg, PA 17105; (717) 233-6455; fax: (717) 233-6833; e-mail: poaeyes@aol.com.