Volume 6, Issue 19 │May 13, 2022

Get to know Immediate Past Chair of the IOA Board of Directors, Matthew Jones, O.D.

“I love making a difference and helping people. I love working with a variety of patients.” Aside from patient care, “I also enjoy the entrepreneurial aspect of developing businesses.”

"Practice in a rural setting and live like a college student for as long as you can. For example, don't start spending 'doctor money' for several years."

License Renewal Deadline: May 31, 2022

The deadline to renew an optometry & controlled substance license is May 31, 2022. If you have your login information but have been unable to proceed through the renewal process, here are steps to take to renew your license:

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (DFPR) has extended the license renewal deadline until May 31, 2022.

Doctors who did not receive an email from IDFPR with their username and password should follow the MATCH instructions posted here.

Click here to read the FAQs before renewing your license.

5/18/2022: SWIOS Meeting & CE

5/19/2022: Mid-State Optometric Society Meeting & CE

6/2/2022: SWIOS Meeting & CE

6/29/2022: Fox Valley Meeting & CE (details coming soon!)

7/12/2022: West Central Meeting & CE

9/29 - 10/2/22: IOA Annual Meeting

Check out the newest IOA classifieds here!

ODs Wanted:

Central IL:

Full & Part-time Optometrist Positions

Experienced ODs & New Grads WELCOME!

This is an incredible opportunity for an optometrist to earn a great salary & bonus potential  (Read more)

Practice for Sale:

After 44 years of private practice, I want to retire. NOW! So... if you want to work hard, make more than average money, I will show you how (Read more)

The Kaiser Family Foundation released a report analyzing state Medicaid enrollment amid the existing Public Health Emergency (PHE). The PHE has been extended to mid-July and it's unclear now if it will be extended again. President Biden said he intends to give a 60-day notice before the PHE expires. The report estimates that states will have received $100.4 billion in fiscal relief, which is more than double the estimated state costs due to the additional enrollees. Illinois alone will have received an estimated $2.1 billion in federal fiscal relief from the enhanced federal Medicaid match rate (FMAP) by the time the PHE is expected to end. A Kaiser survey estimated that Medicaid enrollment was expected to drop an average of -5% across the US. The IL Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) told HealthNews Illinois that they are preparing for the end of the PHE by notifying enrollees of the need to update contact information before the redetermination process begins. As of Feb. 1, HFS enrollment was at 2,762,183.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) announced Thursday that he is running for mayor of Chicago. Rep. Buckner has served in the General Assembly since 2019 and has been an "outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform," stating that the city faces a real crime problem causing residents to not feel safe. He added that "addressing crime also requires understanding the 'context' of conditions that lead to crime in some communities." Others running for mayor include Ald. Raymond Lopez and businessman Willie Wilson, with Mayor Lori Lightfoot expected to announce her re-election campaign in June.

Politico reports that President Biden traveled to Kankakee and Chicago on Wednesday to meet with farmers in Kankakee and electrical workers at a convention in Chicago to discuss inflation. At O'Connor Farms in Kankakee, Biden discussed the war in Ukraine putting a strain on the world food supply, as Ukraine was the largest producer of wheat. At a national convention of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Biden discussed inflation and his efforts to reduce the federal deficit as a way to curb inflation.

Offices utilizing Arctic Dx's weekly in-office COVD testing program recently received a notice that the program would be discontinued. After several offices reached out, Arctic Dx has chosen to continue the program into at least early June, when they will re-evaluate the need for the program.

As a reminder, the Executive Order mandating that all health care workers must either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly (at minimum) testing for COVID-19 is still in effect. Employers must either maintain proof of vaccination status or proof of weekly negative COVID-19 tests in their personnel files.

The Power of A reports that as the nation reached 1 million deaths from COVID-19, additional funding to increase the availability of tests, therapeutics, and vaccines is stalled in Congress. The funding is being held up because "Republicans want Democrats to permit a vote on amendments dealing with immigration," while Democrats "sought to link COVID aid to the $40 billion in new assistance to Ukraine." The White House asked Democrats to separate the two, and the funding to Ukraine passed the House on Tuesday. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said "it's being held up for political purposes only," and that it will be voted on and passed if the White House allows Republicans and Democrats to each have amendments. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US will likely face another significant uptick in COVID cases and deaths this fall/winter and that more money is needed.

RevCycle Intelligence (5/11, Bailey) reports, “The pandemic may have brought some financial relief to consumers, as the share of adults experiencing medical debt challenges decreased in 2021, an Urban Institute report found.” According to the report, “the share of adults reporting medical debt fell from 23.6 percent in March 2019 to 16.8 percent in April 2021.” The report found that “younger adults between 18 and 34 saw the most significant reductions in self-reported medical debt in 2021,” but it “also revealed racial inequities in medical debt challenges.”