One of the priority bills for the Colorado Medical Society during the 2022 legislative session was HB22-1233 - Sunset Board of Optometry. The bill passed the Colorado legislature and is now headed to the governor for signature. CMS opposes the provisions in the bill that will allow optometrists to perform injections around the eye (no intraocular), surgical removal of eyelid lesions, incision and cuterage of chalazion, corneal crosslinking, surgical repair of small eyelid lacerations, and performing three laser procedures into the eye.

Anyone who does any type of surgery should have meaningful and substantial supervised experience on live human patients. This bill has no such requirements. CMS encourages all physicians to contact Gov. Polis (303- 866-2471) immediately to share serious patient safety concerns about this bill and respectfully ask him to veto HB22-1233.

Metro-area members - mark your calendars for summer in-person events

WHAT: No-agenda mixer hosted by the Colorado Medical Society and Mile High Medical Society

WHEN: Wednesday, June 1, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Ocean Prime - DTC, 8000 E. Belleview Ave., Ste. C10, Greenwood Village

No cost to attend; light refreshments and drinks.

Open to all CMS members. Limited to 50 attendees (member + one guest). Registration required.

WHAT: Living Room Conversations hosted by the CMS Wellbeing Committee

WHEN: Wednesday, July 13, 7-9 p.m.

WHERE: Rooftop patio of Dr. Deborah Saint-Phard, MD in central Denver

No cost to attend; facilitated wellness conversation with light refreshments and non-alcoholic drinks. Dress is casual.

Open to all CMS members. Limited to 12 physician attendees.

WHAT: July Regional Summit and CMS Board of Directors Meeting

WHEN: Saturday, July 23 - Sunday, July 24

WHERE: Colorado Medical Society, 7351 E. Lowry Blvd., Ste. 110

Denver, and Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum

No cost to attend professional development, reception and dine-arounds Saturday evening. Fee for opening COMPAC lunch

Open to all CMS members; registration coming soon.

CMS aims to host events around the state! Reach out to [email protected] if you are interested in bringing Beers with Peers, Living Room Conversations or another CMS-supported event to your hometown!

Mesa County Medical Society BBQ and Family Night - Tuesday, June 7, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The Mesa County Medical Society is hosting a family-friendly event at Bananas Fun Park, 2469 Riverside Pkwy., Grand Junction. It is open to MCMS members and non-members. RSVP to [email protected] or 

970-243-2808 by June 2.

CMS encourages physicians to join in the effort to promote colorectal cancer screening to save lives

The Colorado Medical Society is encouraging every physician in the state to visit the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) ‘Colorectal Cancer Screening Appropriate Use’ web page to download patient education resources, including a printable office/practice poster, patient letter templates (for positive and negative test results), and an article for local newspapers.

We are appealing to every physician – especially gastroenterologists and primary care physicians – to support ASGE’s effort to educate patients about the risks associated with colorectal cancer and the life-saving screening options that are available to them. Read more here.

The Panacea Financial Foundation is focused on strengthening the pipeline of underrepresented ethnic or racial minorities in medicine through scholarships to medical students. They have committed to $100,000 in awards (through grants AND scholarships). The application for this round of $5,000 scholarships to 15 medical students from underrepresented ethnic or racial minorities is open May 1-June 30 here.

Applicants for Medical School Scholarships must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible:

1. A U.S. citizen, permanent resident or an individual granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status
2. Medical students enrolled full-time in an accredited medical school in the United States who will be enrolled in academic year 2022-2023
3. Underrepresented ethnic or racial minority consistent with the National Science Foundation definition: African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American (American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian), and Pacific Islander.

Find more information on the scholarship program and previous winners here.