In April, I traveled on the road for more than a week on behalf of optometry. I am no longer on the American Optometric Association (AOA) Board, but the experience reminded me of those days of having little downtime. My travels included a trip to Washington, DC, where I joined more than 500 optometrists and optometry students at the AOA Congressional Conference on “The Hill.”
My best guess is that this was my 38th “ish” trip to Washington, DC, on behalf of optometry. The day before the meeting, I walked around the National Mall, one of my favorite things to do in DC. My 4-mile walk around the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Capitol, and all the other memorials was on an exquisite sunny morning. I posted a picture to social media with the comment, “Never. Gets. Old.”
Why getting involved matters
The AOA Congressional Conference is the epitome of why every optometrist should be involved in our national association. There is nothing quite like meeting with your congressional delegation and seeing other optometrists educate people about optometry and the issues we face.
The key education points addressed included:
1. The vertical integration of vision plans and how they affect choice for our patients. We explained that companies own the insurance plans, the labs, the frame vendors. They also control reimbursement.
2. The burden of “robocalls.” We also discussed “robocalls” verifying contact lens prescriptions during business hours, while we’re busy caring for patients. Did you know that 25% of patients do not get the lenses we prescribe, according to the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety? I had not done my job of educating my delegation in the past. This time, I was very clear the calls were coming to the office, unlike those annoying car warranty calls to our personal numbers. I could see delegates’ eyes widen when they realized what was happening in the OD office.
3. Recognizing the full scope of optometry in the VA. We explained to delegations that, according to the VA, eye care is the third most requested service by veterans. VA optometrists provide roughly 70% of the care for our veterans. During my residency in the VA, we, as ODs, were allowed to practice at the highest level of licensure we had achieved. With many states now advancing their scope of practice to include injections and therapeutic laser eye care, it’s imperative the VA continues to recognize and allow optometry to provide full-scope care for our veterans. Often, optometrists are the only eye care providers at the VA hospitals. It’s a matter of access.
4. A fix for Medicare. Finally, we talked about the need for a true fix for Medicare reimbursement. Accounting for inflation, since 2001, we’ve had an effective 26% decline in reimbursement, according to the American Medical Association. It’s hard to add needed technology for patient care when reimbursement has not kept pace with inflation.
It’s about education and leadership
Every optometrist should travel to Washington, DC, and educate legislators every year to hone one’s leadership skills. Repeating an adage from my school tours: Leave optometry better than how you found it. I hope to see you there next year. OM
