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Industry alliance advocates for patient safety in D.C.
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The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety held its “Day on the Hill” with eye care experts from across the U.S. sharing insights and data with policymakers.
Optometrists representing the alliance met with White House officials, members of Congress, Congressional staff and health regulators, discussing the importance of issues such as: maintaining a strong doctor-patient relationship; the necessity of safe, healthy and effective use of medical devices; protecting prescription integrity; and the regulatory environment, according to an alliance press release.
Jim DeVleming, OD, and Jacquie Bowen, OD, met with White House staff to President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Michael R. Pence, briefing them on the alliance’s legislative and regulatory priorities.
In addition, alliance chair Deanna Alexander, OD, moderated a panel at the Rayburn House Office Building with Michele L. Andrews, OD, CooperVision; Carol L. Alexander, OD, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care; and Jeffrey Sonsino, OD, immediate past president of the American Optometric Association’s Contact Lens & Cornea Section.
Further, the panel called attention to the proposed Contact Len Rule, which is currently being re-evaluated by the FTC. The panel explored the need to reform rules surrounding the prescription verification process, illustrating how rules are sometimes bent by online retailers using robocalls, according to the release.
As the panel pointed out, it is impossible to verify a prescription if an optometrist is not given the name of the individual to crosscheck the prescription details, according to the release. In addition, the robocall audio is often unintelligible even when listening intently, they wrote.
The panel also shared an informational video produced by the CDC that highlighted the importance of proper lens care.