Regulatory/Legislative News

As the 2016 presidential race heats up, there is much discussion about health care and the effectiveness of the Affordable Health Care Act. While one side continues to talk about repeal, the other side talks about augmenting the act or even replacing in with a single payer system.

ATLANTA – The American Optometric Association urges optometrists to attest to using a registry as part of meaningful use by the Feb. 29 deadline by enrolling in the AOA’s Measures and Outcomes Registry for Eyecare (MORE).

ATLANTA – Optometrists can fulfill a requirement to use a registry to report for meaningful use in 2016 by signing up for the American Optometric Association’s Measures and Outcomes Registry for Eyecare, according to presenters here at SECO.

ATLANTA – “There’s a significant shortage of primary care providers in this country,” Michael H. Mittelman, OD, MPH, FAAO, said here at SECO. “We are the profession that is best positioned to take care of this.”

ATLANTA – Despite a history of successful advocacy, optometrists are still fighting discrimination in the reimbursement arena, according to a presenter here at SECO.

The U.S. Senate is considering a bipartisan bill intended to speed up the development of genetically targeted drugs for patients with rare life-threatening or debilitating conditions.

ATLANTA – Value-based medicine will affect optometry in the near and distant future, Douglas C. Morrow, OD, said here at SECO.

ATLANTA – Optometrists provide 66% of all eye care and 77% of all first-time eye care visits. “You each need to advocate for yourselves,” Stephen M. Montaquila, OD, FAAO, said here at SECO.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions favorably reported legislation that would streamline the FDA’s evaluation process for medical devices, one of seven biomedical innovation bills currently advancing to the full Senate for consideration.

In a recent session, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions favorably reported a bill requiring manufacturers of reusable medical devices to submit cleaning instructions and validation data to the FDA before bringing these devices to market. The bill also would require the FDA to develop guidance on when manufacturers should seek clearance from the agency before marketing their products.