IOP news & updates

June 3, 2024 | Issue 17
 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hotel reservations can be made through the

Coeur d'Alene Resort Reservations Department at

888-965-6542, or online. 
Brochure
Register Here

Federal Updates


Corporate Transparency Act (CTA): 

  • Federal law requires optometry practices and other businesses with fewer than 20 employees and less than $5 million in receipts to report certain ownership information to the Department of the Treasury.
  • The AOA is advocating for a broader exemption for legitimate healthcare practitioners. 
  • The AOA CIP has developed resources and guidance for practices to comply with the law in 2024.
  • Read more here.
  • Compliance Guide

Employee Classification


FTC Ban on Non-Competes

NEW IOP Perks Partners


Optometry Times



Dr. Reghetti Designs -

  • IOP Members receive a 20% discount.
  • The mission of Dr. Reghetti Designs is to stock every private practice with professionally branded assets tailored to the doctor’s specific treatment regimens and function to create an internal feedback loop by utilizing QR codes that link back to the practice’s website and social media pages. 
  • Visit, Dr. Reghetti Designs for more information on modern, customized, doctor-written, patient-facing materials.
  • Use the code IOP2020 at checkout to receive your IOP member discount.
President's Comments

How can it be? We are midway through 2024 already! It feels like this year is moving particularly fast.


The second quarter of the year saw our membership attending regional meetings in their respective areas of the State. The IOP board met in the late part of April to discuss the state of

our association. Membership, education and legislation were all discussed and an updated

strategy for the next six to twelve months was discussed. We hope to update the membership on this decisions very soon.


Our state continues to grow and so do the number of optometrists in it. I am proud to report that our membership numbers are strong statewide, but all regions have colleagues not in our

association and the board realizes the need to continue with our outreach efforts to recruit these optometrists to join the IOP.


Optometry’s Meeting is in Nashville this year. The IOP will be represented by our delegation and are excited to attend. Currently the AOA has four candidates for three open Trustee spots and voting will happen in the House of Delegates. We are fortunate to have two candidates from GWCO states running for Trustee spots- one candidate from California and the other is from Alaska.


As a reminder, our annual IOP meeting will be in October in Coeur d’Alene for 2024. As always, I am looking forward to our time there and am encouraged and humbled by the industry support of our meeting as well as our IOP staff, Lisa and Misty, who plan our education each year in

Idaho.


Please consider donating to the IOP and AOA PAC if you have not already in 2024. The money donated to either PAC helps to promote the current and future health of optometry in Idaho and the United States. Any donation, no matter the amount, is greatly appreciated and helps move the needle of our industry forward.


James Bewley, OD

President, Idaho Optometric Physicians

drbewley@visionquestmedical.com

Be sure to click "view entire message" or the three dots (...) in this email, some browsers clip the message.

State Board of Optometry

Greetings from the State Board of Optometry!  


The Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) has partnered with FAST Enterprises LLC to develop a comprehensive system for licensing, registration, certification and permitting. This new system is set to launch on July 1, 2024. Each licensee in the state should have received a letter from Russ Barron, the Administrator of DOPL, outlining some of the changes that will occur with this new licensing system.  


Some of the improvements that licensees can expect with the new system are:


  •  Applications for licenses, registrations, certifications and permits can be made online. This will streamline the process of     reviewing applications and providing final determination on applications faster. 
  • Licenses can be viewed online.
  • Licenses can be printed as needed from the new system.
  • Communication from DOPL on upcoming renewals will be based on personal preferences. You may receive a physical mailed notification, or an email or text notification.  
  • Creation of an online profile to upload documents needed for application or renewal will be available. 


DOPL will continue to provide you with updates on the progress of the new system and steps you can take to make sure the transition to this new system goes smoothly.  


Despite the system changes at DOPL, licenses will continue to be renewed on a licensee's birthdate. Please remember that continuing education requirements will still be from January 1st to December 31st of each year. As always please feel free to reach out with any questions that you may have.  


Respectfully,


Jared P. Walker, OD

Chair - Idaho Board of Optometry. 

Legislative Committee


Hello IOP Members,


As the primary elections are behind us, we have been working on specific language to introduce legislation for the 2025 session. We will be working closely with Speaker Moyle to have proposed language ready for this fall to be able to speak with current and new legislators. The goal would be to add YAG, trabeculoplasty, and LPI to our current statute while keeping the integrity of optometry in Idaho and throughout the country. Our grassroots efforts will be crucial to our success, so please be on the lookout for future regional meetings and emails. Also, please let me or your regional director know if you’d like to be involved in the legislative process in any way. Outside of the proposed scope expansion legislation, we would like to look at other avenues of future involvement concerning

insurance reimbursements and other legislative topics. Any ideas for future topics you’d like to see the IOP be involved with? Please let me know!


Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.


Kind Regards,

Doug Adams, OD

Legislative Committee Chair

dradams@familyeyes.com
Insurance Advisory Committee

We have received reports that United HealthCare is denying co-managed care provided by doctors of optometry. The claims are being denied based on place of service code errors. AOA is working with UHC to resolve this issue. Any doctors impacted should contact AOA at stopplanabuses@aoa.org

Communication Committee

Hello IOP Members,


Securing venue space for the IOP Annual Congress is becoming increasingly difficult. Looking to 2026, the Boise Centre and the Sun Valley Resort are booked through October. Our event is large enough that smaller venues like Idaho Falls and Twin Falls can not accommodate us. The large convention centers consider us a small event. They will hold space for us but will not put a contract in place until one year before our event. If a larger group wants the space, our hold is released. As noted before, these large venues have already been booked for two years or more. Additionally, the Coeur d'Alene Resort now requires payment in full six months in advance. Large venues use the number of room nights booked during an event to set the classroom rental fees. Our group tends to have lower occupancy, so we pay higher space fees or can use less space than we need.


Please take a moment to give your feedback to help us plan future events. 


Respectfully Submitted,

Brian Miller, IOP President-Elect
Education Survey
Paraoptometric Committee

Idaho Paras!


Registration is OPEN for our annual education at the IOP Congress in Coeur d’Alene! Always such a beautiful time of the year to visit with the colors changing! I am excited for all the classes we are offering for education this year! Something new this year is that we will have a hands-on workshop with Silhouette, but this has a limited number, so if you are interested (plus it has some CE) you’ll want to make sure you register for it EARLY. Our headlining speaker is Joy Gibb, ABOC. Joy Gibb is an American Board of Opticianry Certified Optician who began her optical career in 1986. She managed an independent retail opticianry in Bountiful, Utah for over ten years before opening her own business, Eyes of Joy Mobile Optical Service in 2008. We look forward to her classes in October.


If you are interested in testing for CPO/CPOA or ABO - check out the links to see testing dates. Reminder: if your CE is due in 2024, you’ll need to make sure you have earned all your credits and submitted them by November! Don’t wait until the last minute to get all your credits needed! CPO/CPOA - you need 18 credits, of which nine need to be CPC certified. If you have some ABO credits, those count toward the other 9 needed credits! ABO - you need 12 ABO/NCLE credits, of which 6 of them must be ophthalmic classes. No cross over from CPC credits, sorry. 


As always, if you have any certification questions, you can always contact me at iop.para.cc@gmail.com. 


October will be here before we know it!


Tami Arnett, CPOA, ABOC

IOP Paraoptometric Section Committee Chair

Membership Committee

Welcome to our new members!

  • Shane Kinzer, Moscow
  • Jill Lane, Grangeville
  • Aaron Taylor, Idaho Falls


Let us know if you can't access the new online member directory.

Final notes...


The Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act (S. 4083) was recently introduced. If enacted, this legislation would modernize the contact lens prescription verification process and make it safer for millions of contact lens wearers by prohibiting robocalls from being used to verify patients’ prescriptions. Take action now in support of the Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act!


The Myopia Collective brought to the profession of optometry by AOA and CooperVision, is a new initiative aimed at rallying the profession of optometry and its allies to interrupt the status quo and realize a new standard of care for children with myopia.

  1. To learn more: https://www.aoa.org/educate-your-community/childrens-vision/the-myopia-collective-powered-by-aoa-and-coopervision?sso=y?
  2. To join the Collective: https://karawebb.wufoo.com/forms/kub00wy1bh7u4h/


Are you utilizing your AOA member benefits? There are many ways to take advantage, https://www.aoa.org/practice/aoaexcel?sso=y


Please complete the education survey! CLICK HERE


As always, contact me with your comments, questions, or concerns.


Lisa White

IOP Executive Director

execdir@iopinc.org

2024 IOP Industry Partners

Idaho Optometric Physicians | 3313 W. Cherry Lane, #433 | Meridian, ID 83642 US

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