NYSOA 2023 Fall Prospectus

Letter from the NYSOA President

By Marina Su, OD, FAAO

As we head into our final months of 2023, there is certainly a lot to look forward to. This is the quarter that we will be able to prescribe our first oral medications in the state of New York (!!). This is the quarter that we will be setting our strategic plan for the next few years, including our legislative priorities, and convening our volunteer leadership across New York State in Saratoga Springs. We are also investing resources into a new Keyperson Program to connect ourselves better with legislators around New York State. This is the quarter that our local societies get back into session after the summer hiatus. We hope you enjoyed your summer months with your families, friends and patients.

Thank you to all who stepped up to volunteer for our committees this year. We’ll be reaching out to you for your committee placement shortly. We’re very excited to see some new volunteers, as this will be integral to growing our association. We have 12 committees and 1 task force this year, up from 9 committees and 1 task force last year. In addition to our established committees, such as our Legislative, Membership, Marketing, Young Advocates and our Conference and Education committee (from which our annual Innovation Vision Conference and CE Pass programs come from), we have reinvigorated and started new committees, such as the Third Party Committee, Finance committee, and New Technologies Committee. We’ve also formalized our DEI Task Force into a committee, now known as the Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence Committee. To our knowledge, we are the only state optometric association to establish this committee as part of its organization. We are excited for the work to come out of this committee in not only strengthening our future profession, but also strengthening our current profession through leadership and mentorship.

We’ve newly formed a task force to address our communications coming from our NYSOA office. This may be the last time you read our quarterly Prospectus; the next time you see the presidents’ message in 2024, our newsletter may be slightly modified to reflect readership and how we receive information in today’s times. We welcome your feedback as we work on the new format and refine it over the coming years.

Be safe, be healthy and have a wonderful remaining few months of 2023. See you in 2024!

Marina Su President – New York State Optometric Association

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New York State’s Legislative Process

By Jim Walsh, Partner, NYSOA Legislative Counsel

To be successful, the NYSOA’s legislative advocacy has had to be persistent, creative and, yes, often patient in order to navigate a complex process that has developed over nearly 250 years as well as convince the majority of 213 state legislators and the Governor of the merits of the NYSOA’s position. The New York State Legislature is comprised of 63 Senators and 150 Assemblymembers, each of whom is elected every two years by constituents of those 213 legislative districts. There are currently Democratic super-majorities in each house (meaning, they hold at least two-thirds of the seats in each house), with the Senate Majority having 42 members (the Republican Minority has 21 members) and the Assembly Majority having 101 members (the Republican Minority has 48 members; and there is one vacancy that will be filled through a Special Election scheduled for September 12, 2023). The significance of the “super-majority” is that it enables the majorities to override a gubernatorial veto of legislation or “bill” or to threaten to use such an override during negotiations related to legislation. Veto overrides are very rare in Albany, especially with Governor Kathy Hochul being a fellow Democrat, but it can be an influential tool to reach agreements between the Governor and the Legislature.

Legislation must be introduced by a “sponsor,” and the bill starts in a committee that aligns with the legislation’s subject matter (e.g., a scope of practice bill is introduced in the Higher Education Committee since the education and qualification associated with a professional license generally involves training and education beyond primary and secondary schooling). For a bill to be “reported” from a committee, it must be put on a committee agenda and then a simple majority of members on the committee must vote in favor of it. A bill will then typically be sent to another relevant committee and must be favorably voted upon in such committee in order to proceed through the process (e.g., the Codes Committee considers bills with administrative, civil or criminal penalties; and the Senate Finance or the Assembly Ways & Means committees considers bills that have a fee or tax implication). If a bill navigates the committee process, it is referred to the full Senate and Assembly for a potential vote; although not all bills that make it to the “floor” are voted upon – and those that are not, must again move through the

committee process the next year. Notably, the bill (now law) to authorize optometrists to use certain oral medications had to pass a gauntlet of Assembly committees in 2021, including the Higher Education Committee, the Codes Committee, the Ways & Means Committee, and the Rules Committee, before it was ultimately passed by the full Assembly. The path in the Senate was more direct, as it passed the Higher Education Committee and went straight to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate.

There are many caveats to this process, including that there is no requirement that an introduced bill will be put on a committee agenda (although there is a mechanism to force a committee vote, that maneuver overwhelmingly results in the bill being rejected by the committee due to the influence of the committee chair who otherwise controls the committee agenda).

A bill must pass both the Senate and the Assembly. Once passed by the Legislature, a bill must be delivered to the Governor for either approval or veto. A veto prompts the bill being returned to the Legislature for possible reintroduction and consideration the following year. An approval results in the bill becoming law and a state agency is then generally responsible for implementing the new law’s provisions. The State Education Department is implementing the orals law, which is to be in effect on October 26, 2023.

New York’s legislative process – often not viewed as particularly transparent or consistent – is complicated, but we hope this brief overview provides you with the context in which the NYSOA advocates on behalf of New York’s Doctors of Optometry.

CooperVision Launches Consumer MiSight® 1 day Back-to-School Campaign

CVI encourages parents to take their child to the eye doctor before the start of school. Here are the top five things you should know about the campaign.

In its continued mission to drive awareness about myopia and progressive myopia, CooperVision is encouraging parents to take their child for a comprehensive eye exam before the first day of school and ask about MiSight® 1 day when discussing nearsightedness with their eye care professional (ECP) for their age-appropriate child*.

Here are the top five things to know about the new, parentfocused, myopia education campaign:

1. The Message to Parents is “Take Action Now; Schedule and Eye Exam for your Child.”

Timed to a tee with back-to-school season, the parent education campaign includes targeted outreach across major mainstream, online, and social media platforms on both a

national and regional scale, all with the same “time is of the essence” underlying message: Take action now, and schedule and eye exam for your child.

2. It’s Part Two of the “Make Children’s Sight Your FightTM” Initiative.

On the heels of the enthusiastic response to the earlier ECPfocused launch of the “Make Children’s Sight Your FightTM” campaign and practitioners’ heightened commitment to early treatment, the consumer phase provides parents and caregivers with the resources they need to understand the disease and help them identify and connect with thousands of MiSight® 1 day-certified ECPs across the country.

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CooperVision Launches Consumer MiSight® 1 day Back-to-School Campaign (cont.)

CVI encourages parents to take their child to the eye doctor before the start of school. Here are the top five things you should know about the campaign.

3. Its Call to Action Helps Lead Families to Your Practice and CooperVision’s Online Resources.

The campaign targets parents with myopia and those with age-appropriate children with myopia, driving families to ECP offices, and steering them to MiSight® 1 day’s social channels, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, and flagship website MiSight.com, for a vast array of educational resources.

4. The Multifaceted National Campaign Increases Awareness of Myopia Control Options.

CooperVision is partnering with leading U.S. consumer healthcare websites WebMD and Sharecare, which will feature articles, videos, and slideshows on myopia and eye-health related content for parents seeking information. CooperVision is also working with national and local media to develop broadcast, streamed, digital, and print feature stories to bring attention to myopia and the importance of early treatment.

5. Now’s the Time to Amp Up on Resources for Your Practice

Additional MiSight® 1 day materials are available for ECPs, who are encouraged to enhance their in-office educational resources in conjunction with the campaign. ECPs can also share their commitment to myopia control and the news that they are MiSight® 1 day certified prescribers on their social media accounts and practice websites to heighten visibility with prospective families who’ve seen the campaign. CooperVision Myopia Management Specialists are available for additional support resources and further questions.

* Indications for Use: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal.

FOCUSED ON SERVICE

When you work with Walman Optical, you have a dedicated team of caring professionals ready to help your business grow through consultation and unmatched service for an exceptional patient experience.

RECEIVE UP TO $15,000 MORE FOR VSP EYE EXAMS WHEN YOU PARTNER WITH PECAA

With last year’s announcement of the PECAA + VSP Vision™ partnership, we promised increased value for PECAA members as part of our shared commitment to helping private practice thrive. The PECAA community is special. Banding together, our member doctors are producing great results for their practices and independent optometry — we invite you to join us.

PECAA Max Members Receive An Extra $5 For VSP® Eye Exams

The new VSP Vision Exam Rebate is available exclusively to PECAA Max members and provides an enhanced rebate, paid via IncentivEYES®, of $5 for every VSP commercial patient who receives eye exam services with a claim paid July 1 – December 31, 2023, up to an additional $15,000 per member account for the remainder of 2023.

There is no requirement to participate in VSP Premier Edge™ or any spend requirement with VSP supply chain products (VSP Optics, Marchon or Altair frames). However, to receive the VSP Vision Exam Rebate, both your Johnson & Johnson Vision (JJV) and CooperVision contact lens accounts must be aligned with PECAA Max, whether you purchase your contact lenses directly or through a distributor. Complete details at: pecaaexamrebate.com.

How You Can Participate

Not A Member?

To be eligible for the VSP Vision Exam Rebate, non-members can join PECAA now by simply completing the short ‘PECAA Max Membership Enrollment’ form. Scan the QR code at right to begin.

HEA Advantage Members

Upgrade your membership to PECAA Max to qualify for the VSP Vision Exam Rebate and enjoy all the benefits of PECAA Max! Scan the QR code at right to connect with a PECAA Team Member to learn more.

PECAA Max Members

Are your JJV and CooperVision accounts already aligned with PECAA? No action is needed! You will automatically receive the rebate. To align one or both now, scan the QR code at right and complete the short form.

MEMBER BENEFITS

WHY JOIN NYSOA?

Membership with the New York State Optometric Association (NYSOA) becomes a combined membership with the American Optometric Association (AOA) and a Local Society. Members of the NYSOA are entitled to a wide variety of benefits and resources, some of which include:

ADVOCACY INSURANCE & BUYING

Legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels – giving you the ability to stay current on legislative issues and contact your representatives regarding matters affecting the profession.

Access legal assistance and other resources for working with insurers, getting answers to practice questions, and defending the rights of optometrists to practice full-scope optometry.

Comprehensive malpractice liability insurance policies at competitive rates.

Access to Healthy Eyes Advantage, the ECP’s next-generation marketplace, and AOA MORE, optometry’s Qualified Clinical Data Registry.

JOBS & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY

Networking opportunities and access to a listserve to connect with other members and ask questions.

Continuing education courses to fulfill state licensing requirements.

Subscription to the association’s digital newsletter, Prospectus, featuring current professional topics and issues.

E-mail reminders of upcoming meetings, events and legislative alerts.

Business Partner opportunities and information on practice management.

Access to the NYSOA member website and job posts.

Complimentary practice listings on the Think About Your Eyes doctor locator.