Regulatory/Legislative News

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, on Feb. 23, signed into law a bill that allows optometrists and ophthalmologists to see patients and issue optical prescriptions via telemedicine.

ATLANTA – Brian Rogoff, OD, MBA, CPHM, discussed many changes to the industry with telemedicine, registries and health care reform during his presentation at SECO.

ATLANTA – “As health care providers, much of your time is spent dealing with red tape, meeting layers upon layers of requirements by the government and health care insurance companies,” Thomas Sullivan, editor and author of the popular website Policy and Medicine, said here at MedPro 360, prior to SECO.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee of Georgia approved legislation allowing optometrists the right to administer pharmaceutical agents by injection, according to the Georgia General Assembly website.

There has been much chatter over the years on related topics in the ophthalmic industry such as: vertical integration, market consolidation and strategic alliances.

Recent legislation specifies that the Florida Board of Optometry would have the sole authority to determine what constitutes the practice of optometry and that a licensed optometrist may complete a board-approved course and examination to become a certified in ophthalmic surgery to perform laser and nonlaser procedures.

The House Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland General Assembly will hear legislation Feb. 24 that directs the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to craft safety guidelines for the use of digital devices in Maryland public schools.

The American Academy of Optometry has initiated an action plan and will continue to closely monitor the Jan. 27, 2017, executive order on visas and immigration as it relates to international members and annual meeting participants, according to an announcement from the AAO board of directors.

Bausch + Lomb has discontinued its unilateral pricing policies for contact lenses in light of Utah’s Contact Lens Consumer Protection Act being upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

The American Optometric Association announced the passing of Richard L. Wallingford Jr., OD, after a years-long battle with cancer.