Volume 9, Issue 6│February 14, 2025 | |
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Editor's note: the IOA office will be closed on Monday February 17, 2025 in observance of Presidents Day. | |
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2025 Winter CE Series
There is still time to register for Winter CE! Please note: All registrations received after Wednesday, February 19 are considered on-site and will incur a $25 on-site registration fee.
All courses are 6 hours TQ (test included in registration). Courses run from 9am - 4pm CT.
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February 23, 2025
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago-Alsip // Alsip, IL
Speaker: Chris Borgman, OD
Course: "Unlocking Diagnostic Challenges: A Journey Through Vision Loss, Retinal Brainteasers, Pituitary Insights, and OCT Rounds"
March 2, 2025
Location: Westin Chicago North Shore // Wheeling, IL
Speaker: Mile Brujic, OD
Course: "Anterior Segment Assault: Updates and New Strategies for Patient Management"
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🚨 Fraud and Scammers Are on the Rise, Stay Alert and Protect Your Information! 🚨 | |
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IDFPR Fraud Alert
Attention Licensees!
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) has received reports that licensees may be receiving emails requesting responses from a source impersonating the IDFPR. These emails appear to be fraudulent and should be handled with caution.
Reportedly there is someone acting as an Administrative and Finance Coordinator who is requesting follow up to previously sent correspondence and is using what looks like “official” content of IDFPR, including logos, website and misleading or incorrect contact information. The email appears to be from the following user: idfprillinois-d7b1953d9925-autonotifidfpr and Christian.REComplaint[@]illinois.gov.
Please do not respond to these inquiries.
If you have concerns or would like to provide any additional information, please contact our Public Information Officer, Christopher.Slaby@illinois.gov.
Sincerely,
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
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DEA Scam Alert
The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme in which scammers impersonate DEA agents in an attempt to extort money or steal personal identifiable information.
DEA personnel will never contact members of the public or medical practitioners to demand money or any other form of payment, will never request personal or sensitive information, and will only notify people of a legitimate investigation or legal action in person or by official letter. In fact, no legitimate federal law enforcement officer will demand cash or gift cards from a member of the public. You should only give money, gift cards, personally identifiable information, including bank account information, to someone you know.
Anyone receiving a call from a person claiming to be with DEA should report the incident to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. The Federal Trade Commission provides recovery steps, shares information with more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies and takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
For any victims who have given personally identifiable information like a social security number to the caller, can learn how to protect against identity theft at www.identitytheft.gov.
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Corrections for Locality 12 & 99: 2025 Medicare Allowables Now Available
The IOA Third Party Committee has updated the list of 2025 Medicare allowables for Illinois, available for download below. They can be downloaded in Microsoft Excel or Adobe PDF format. For a list of localities and the counties included, please reference the chart below.
Medicare Allowables:
Locality 12 - Excel or PDF
Locality 15 - Excel or PDF
Locality 16 - Excel or PDF
Locality 99 - Excel or PDF
Locality & County Information
12: Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Randolph, St. Clair, Washington
15: DuPage, Kane, Lake, Will
16: Cook
99: All other counties
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Check out the 2025 IOA Winter Journal! 👓
Features include:
- The Chair Speaks - Angela Oberreiter, O.D.
- News from our Illinois Optometry Schools
- Annual Meeting 2024 Recap
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Congratulations to Dr. Brandon Lernor and his wife Ashley for welcoming their baby girl! Evelyn (Evie) Joy Lernor was born on February 11, weighing 6 pounds and 8 ounces, measuring 20.5 inches long. Ashley & Evie are both doing well!
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Breaking the Stigma: Mental Health Conversations in Optometry
Women in Optometry | By Taryn Doherty-Majewski, OD
February 4, 2025
As doctors, are we allowed to say we’re struggling? And if we are, are we willing to admit it?
Taking on the daily task of caring for others, listening to their concerns and critically thinking to solve their health issues is a big responsibility. It’s the responsibility that comes with the white coat, and as optometry students preparing to be doctors, we can’t wait to wear it! However, is there a long-term emotional cost to this high-energy caregiving?
Becoming doctors requires a certain mental toughness, and it starts with the relentless focus needed to get through school—up to three exams a week, a full class load and extreme pressure to excel. We all saw students break—fail classes, drop out, take leave—while the rest of us hardened our minds (and hearts) to stay intact.
Finally, we graduate, start practicing and, after gathering our bearings, that mental toughness is tested again. Your engagement is broken off, your child is sick or you start to experience hopelessness. Yet the moment we step into the office, we must become superheroes, putting up walls around our emotions. This ability to “turn off” is necessary to be fully present for our patients—showing empathy, solving problems and keeping the pace of 15+ appointments a day.
Even if you haven’t experienced these moments, we’ve all felt the pressure when waking up sick, knowing the schedule is full with no backup plan except canceling patients. We force ourselves out of bed to be a 10/10 doctor so our Google Reviews don’t suffer. If you own a practice, it’s a whole other level of emotional gymnastics—wearing the white coat of a caring doctor while suppressing the overwhelm of being short-staffed and handling payroll.
In health care, we must be two things at once—the top-notch (“perfect”) doctor and a normal human being. At times, it feels like having a personality disorder—turning this part “on” and that part “off” at will.
As doctors, we take an oath to prioritize our patients’ well-being, and it can feel natural—even expected—to sacrifice our own health in the process. But without self-awareness and tools to address mental health challenges, this leads to burnout, unhappiness and deep dissatisfaction.
I remember sitting alone in my car at lunch, completely exhausted, staring at the steering wheel as the weight of everything I had suppressed through morning patient care flooded over me. My heart felt like it was on an emotional roller coaster—smiling, listening and being attentive with patients, then crashing into sadness, fatigue and overwhelm afterward.
For years, I had shown up fully for my patients while ignoring my own struggles—until I could no longer outrun them. My personal life was unraveling, and I was at a crossroads—push forward for everyone else while silently crumbling inside, or get help.
One of the reasons many of us become doctors is because we have big, mushy hearts and want to help others. But sometimes, the cost of having a big heart is that we give so much to others that we leave nothing for ourselves.
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After that moment in my car, I sought therapy, going once a week after work. It was incredibly helpful—an outlet of release that wasn’t my husband, my mom or alcohol. Slowly, I felt my cup filling up again. I started to regain balance.
At the time, part of my personal crisis was tied to my work—I was practicing in my dad’s private practice. Through therapy and self-reflection, I realized I wanted something different and that I wasn’t in a healthy situation. I moved on by finding a private practice that emphasized balance and support for its team.
For a while, I was happier. My personal life wasn’t in crisis mode, I was in therapy and I enjoyed my job. But three years later, the same feelings of depression and sadness crept in at the end of the workday. Despite being in a better environment, I found myself depleted again, with little energy for myself or my husband. I was falling into the same pattern, using unhealthy outlets to “manage” my mind.
I wondered, How could this be? I wasn’t in a complicated family dynamic, my commute was reasonable and I loved my office and patients. I refused to believe that switching jobs was the answer to finding happiness again.
So, I looked inward. I realized that for five years, I had given everything to others and never prioritized my own well-being. Therapy had helped, but I lacked the tools to overcome the overwhelming feelings of dissatisfaction, sadness and burnout.
My goal in sharing this today is to shed light on how being a doctor can create an environment that fosters mental health challenges—challenges that not only impact our performance but take a toll on our overall quality of life, putting our families and happiness at risk.
I believe creating a vulnerable and open dialogue about mental health in medicine is imperative to limiting burnout, fostering resilience and ensuring we continue to provide the best care for our patients without sacrificing ourselves in the process.
It’s time to break the stigma, support one another and advocate for real change in the culture of healthcare.
Photo source: Women in Optometry
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ICO students, residents & faculty attended the 2025 Heart of America Eye Care Congress in Kansas City. They had 17 research posters presented at the event. Congratulations to all involved! | |
The Lunar New Year was celebrated at ICO, students from the Pacific Asian Cultural Club (PACC) brought tradition to the ICO campus for an evening of food and games! | | |
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We want to hear from YOU!
Do you have a business question or a dilemma we can answer for you? Others may have the same inquiry. Ask away! We will answer your question in an upcoming issue.
(Don't worry, we won't include your name.)
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Report illegal and unsafe contact lens sales to the FDA & FTC
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MEMBER BENEFIT: Have a Billing and Coding Question?
Submit it to the experts at OBC Insurance Billing Specialists! Click here to submit your questions.
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Report Vision Plan Abuses to the IOA
The IOA recognizes that Vision Care Plan Regulation Act constitutes a significant stride forward for optometry. However, it doesn't signal the conclusion of our efforts to champion fair contracting with vision plans. In the next few years, our members will be renewing and amending their contracts to reflect the changes in the new law. Throughout this process, we will gain valuable insight directly from our members regarding instances of vision plan abuses.
If you encounter vision plan abuses, we ask that you fill out the form below to report abuse. The IOA will collect this information to prevent further vision plan abuses on behalf of our members.
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AOA Independent Practice Institute — New in 2025!
The AOA CIP Independent Practice Institute is a 10-month member benefit program designed to engage and equip the upcoming generation of doctors with the business basics of running an independent practice. Through a combination of virtual and in-person training, focus groups, and networking opportunities, participants will obtain the skillset and confidence necessary to start or step in to an independent practice leadership role.
Developed by the AOA Center for Independent Practice, the AOA CIP Independent Practice Institute is open to active AOA member students and doctors of optometry, particularly those who are early in their careers. Participants get free registration—a combined value of more than $750—to Optometry’s Meeting®, June 25-28, 2025, and AOA on Capitol Hill on March 15-17, 2026. Learn more and apply now for the inaugural 2025-26 Independent Practice Institute here.
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AOA, WCO Open Call for Abstracts for 2025 Poster Sessions: Deadline extended!
The AOA and WCO invite you to participate in our Poster Sessions for Optometry's Meeting® 2025!
The Poster Session creates a national forum for clinicians, students and faculty to communicate interesting cases and unique research to their colleagues. Abstracts based on unique clinical cases featuring any and all aspects of optometric research will be reviewed and the submissions meeting the required criteria will be accepted for Poster presentation. All case reports and research must be complete and unpublished at the time of submission. Poster abstracts must be submitted electronically and be received by Feb. 21, 2025.
Important dates
- Submission deadline: Feb. 21, 2025
- Notification of acceptance: Mid-March 2025
- Poster Session Recordings Available: Beginning May 23, 2025
- Rapid-fire CE Course feat. Top 5 Poster Presenters: June 27, 2025
- Optometry's Meeting: June 25-28, 2025
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University of Detroit Mercy Launches a New School of Optometry
ASCO | By Staff
Monthly Newsletter
University of Detroit Mercy Launches a New School of Optometry
UDM takes a bold step forward to help train the next generation of optometry professionals and fill the regional need for optometrists throughout the country
In late November 2024, University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) announced the launch of the Detroit Mercy School of Optometry, located in Novi, Michigan.
It is only the 25th School of Optometry in the United States and the second in Michigan. Applications are now being accepted for the first class that begins in fall 2025. The school will operate on Detroit Mercy’s Novi Campus, located at 41555 W. 12 Mile Road. The University opened the Detroit Mercy Eye Institute on that campus to statewide and national fanfare and began accepting patients in April of 2024.
“This is an exciting day for the University, our Michigan community and for the thousands of prospective students around the country who dream of becoming an optometrist,” said University President Donald B. Taylor. “More than three years of hard work by many talented and dedicated people has contributed to [this] announcement.”
Discussion about a School of Optometry began several years ago when Mert Aksu, dean of the School of Dentistry, approached leadership about the national need for schools of optometry and potential for UDM to create one in southeast Michigan.
UDM developed the school to meet a growing need for optometrists in Michigan and the United States. Currently, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment for this field will grow 9% from 2023 to 2033. This rate of growth is faster than average for all occupations and is based on several factors, such as:
- An aging population that requires more vision care services
- Increasing awareness of eye health
- The need to replace optometrists who retire or leave the workforce
- Faculty, staff and University leadership have worked together to identify programs and services for the new school to meet community needs
According to Optometry Dean Maryke Neiberg, the new School will provide students “an innovative and science-based educational experience to help them become highly skilled, ethical, and culturally sensitive eye care practitioners prepared for practice and licensure upon graduation. We have an exceptional team of faculty and staff experts with years of experience ready to train the next generation of vision care leaders. We will have a unique and very strong program. I am very proud of what we will be offering.”
Neiberg said the vision of UDM’s School of Optometry is to garner recognition as an international leader for innovations in curriculum, clinical education, patient care, and community collaboration.
The School of Optometry and Eye Institute also represent examples of UDM’s Jesuit and Mercy mission in action. The development of both has provided UDM a significant opportunity to expand the University’s healthcare footprint in southeast Michigan and serve individuals in need.
For Pamela Zarkowski, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, this new school represents an important historical step to extend UDM’s reach and provide much-needed vision care for the entire Michigan community.
“Loss of vision is such a huge public health issue and impacts millions of people in the United States,” she said. “UDM’s legacy of developing initiatives to meet these needs are essential and help us fulfill our mission as a Catholic university.”
The U.S. BLS reports that the median salary in 2023 for optometrists was nearly $132,000 a year. In addition, the BLS projects that there will be approximately 2,200 openings for optometrists each year for the next decade or more.
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AI Use Among Docs Sees Big Jump: AMA Survey
CHA | By Brock E.W. Turner
February 12, 2025
A growing number of physicians are using artificial intelligence but many still don’t fully trust the technology.
The American Medical Association published a survey Wednesday that found 66% of clinicians reported using AI last year, which was up from 38% in 2023. Respondents not using AI dropped dramatically from 62% in 2023 to just 33% in 2024.
AMA noted the jump in clinician adoption was “unusually fast” for AI. Clinicians said the technology is useful for tasks like documentation of visit notes and the creation of discharge instructions, care plans or progress notes. In 2024, around one in five physicians reported using AI for documentation of billing codes, medical charts or visit notes.
A sizable number of companies have spun up in recent years seeking to turn recordings of a doctor-patient conversations into usable clinical notes. More than half of physicians, 54% of respondents, said AI would be somewhat or very helpful in reducing burnout, a common selling point from vendors selling AI tools like ambient scribes.
Despite reporting higher use of AI, AMA said physicians do not fully trust the technology. One quarter of physicians were more concerned than excited about the tools while 40% reported feeling equally excited and concerned about the increased use of AI.
Nearly half of clinicians (47%) surveyed by AMA said governing bodies like the Food and Drug Administration could increase their trust with additional oversight of AI-enabled medical devices.
Outside of a few states passing specific health AI bills, legislators have not kept up with development leading the industry to create its own guidelines. Congressional leaders from both the Senate and House of Representatives have conducted hearings to learn how insurers and providers use AI, but they have not passed significant legislation to regulate it. In December, a House Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence issued a comprehensive report outlining policy recommendations for AI in healthcare.
The survey of more than 1,100 clinicians was conducted in November. The 2024 survey aimed to replicate results from a similar AMA physician sentiment survey from December 2023.
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Court Pause on Trump Cuts to Medical Research Funds is Expanded Nationwide
New York Times |By Christina Jewett & Teddy Rosenbluth
February 11, 2025
The federal order temporarily halts the Trump administration’s plans to slash $4 billion in overhead costs for research at universities and medical centers into diseases like cancer.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to hold off on a plan that would cut $4 billion in federal funding for research at the nation’s universities, cancer centers, and hospitals.
The funds disbursed by the National Institutes of Health cover the administrative and overhead costs for a vast swath of biomedical research, some of which is directed at tackling diseases like cardiovascular conditions, cancer and diabetes.
The order was issued by Judge Angel Kelley for the U.S. District Court in Boston late Monday night in response to a lawsuit filed by university associations and major research centers that had argued that the “flagrantly unlawful action” by U.S. health officials “will devastate medical research at America’s universities.”
The temporary restraining order by Judge Kelley, a Biden appointee, expanded on a similar order that was granted earlier Monday after nearly two dozen attorneys general sued to stop the cuts in their states.
The Trump administration’s plan to cap agreed-upon payments that universities and health systems receive to support research rocked the academic medical world when it was abruptly announced Friday.
Academic researchers and university officials predicted that the plan would shut down valuable studies, cost thousands of jobs and kneecap the United States in competitive efforts to achieve medical breakthroughs.
The plan applied to $9 billion of the $35 billion in grants issued to research institutions. That quarter of the total research funding supports so-called indirect costs that apply to expenses for administrative overhead, including, for example, staff and building or lab operations and maintenance.
The Trump administration said it wanted to cut such funds roughly in half, by about $4 billion.
The funding for overhead costs has been criticized in the past. And opposition to the funds emerged in the Project 2025 blueprint for conservative policies, suggesting that the N.I.H. research funding gave too much support to “leftist” universities.
On Friday, Katie Miller, a member of the effort by Elon Musk to slash the size of the federal government, posted on social media: “President Trump is doing away with Liberal D.E.I. Deans’ slush fund.”
Universities hold a starkly different view. The funds support scientific breakthroughs that “are becoming more frequent and more consequential,” Dr. Alan M. Garber, the president of Harvard University, said in a statement on Sunday.
“At a time of rapid strides in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, brain science, biological imaging and regenerative biology, and when other nations are expanding their investment in science, America should not drop knowingly and willingly from her lead position on the endless frontier,” Dr. Garber said.
The plaintiffs, including the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, claimed that the sudden funding cut would “wreak havoc” on critical research and ultimately force universities to lay off staff, close laboratories and shutter certain research programs altogether.
In a legal memo related to the lawsuit, universities argued that the funds were indispensable in research, including at facilities where lab animals undergo clinical testing, for the computer systems that analyze large amounts of data, for blood banks and other expenses that cannot be directly tied to a single project.
If the funding cutbacks were to survive legal challenges, the plaintiffs wrote, “research laboratories would literally go dark for lack of electricity.”
Smaller institutions, they argued, might not be able to sustain any research and “could close entirely.”
Congress thwarted an earlier effort during the first term of President Trump to cut indirect research funding. Lawmakers added measures to budget bills to ensure that the funds remained at the levels agreed upon by researchers and federal officials.
In the lawsuit, the association of universities argued that the current proposal violated the will of Congress and also defied standard administrative procedures.
In granting the temporary halt to the cutbacks, Judge Kelley ruled that the plaintiffs would “sustain immediate and irreparable injury.”
A hearing date was set for Feb. 21.
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They operate on a success-based model with no upfront cost, sharing in achieved savings—directly boosting your bottom line.
Check out this video featuring IOA member, Dr. Jara, speaking about his experience working with Merchant Advocate.
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THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS! | |
Illinois Optometric Association
217-525-8012
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