ACTION NEEDED TODAY- URGENT: HELP AOA COUNTER FALSE CLAIMS AT TUESDAY CONGRESSIONAL HEARING
The time is now for doctors of optometry, staff and patients to speak out in support of an AOA/Affiliate-backed update of the national practice standards developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the government agency overseeing the nation’s largest health system. The VA is seeking to fully recognize the education, training and skills of ODs providing care to veterans, a plan backed not only by the AOA but by patient and veterans advocacy organizations as well. Please show your support for Optometry and AOA/Affiliate advocacy and patient-centered policies at the VA by reviewing this urgent call to action and following the directions below.
The Situation:
Doctors of Optometry have earned full recognition by government agencies and the health programs they administer that touch virtually every American family. The AOA and affiliates are active 24/7 in Washington, DC and state capitals to educate and inform policymakers, the media, payers and the public about health, vision, the needs of patients and the practice of Optometry.
Turf-obsessed elements of ophthalmology and like-minded medical groups are working overtime right now to try to stop further progress by attacking Optometry, typically with false or inaccurate claims and discredited scare tactics. In recent weeks, they’ve pled their case to well-positioned ophthalmologists in Congress in the hopes of getting a chance to put forward their latest scheme to turn back the clock on advancements in care and patient outcomes connected to optometry’s essential and expanding role.
Next Tuesday, September 19th, a U.S. House subcommittee on veterans’ health will hold a hearing on the VA’s plans for updated national practice standards. The panel’s chair, an ophthalmologist, has made her own view of optometry well-known in the Capitol and will be pressing other Members of Congress to help her oppose, and even re-write, VA’s planned approach for eye health delivery.
AOA / Affiliates, including the the Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services (AFOS) will be at the Congressional hearing in force to offer hard-hitting testimony and ready to fact-check in real time any attacks on OD education and care. More than 2 dozen doctors will be present to fight for optometry and the future of veterans’ health care. Moreover, we will continue working on this issue following the hearing, rallying Optometry’s champions and the health care policy community, until the updated care standards are finalized and issued to health facilities, clinics and physician offices across the country.
Take Action:
Click here to contact your U.S. Senator and House over the critical next 72 hours to urge that the AOA’s message on quality essential care and expanded access for America’s veterans be listened to and heeded. Please send or adapt the sample letter found at the above link and, through the AOA Legislative Action Center, forward directly to your representatives in the nation’s capital.
