Prospectus Winter 2015

Prospectus

MEMBERSHIP NEWS & UPDATES

VOL. 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

Revisiting Optometry School Michele Lagana, OD, NYSOA President

As part of our ongoing effort to encourage optometry students to join their professional association after graduation we visited two optometry schools and met with 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students recently. Heeding the advice of our NYSOA Young OD Committee, we decided to hold an open forum discussion with the students as opposed to using a lecture format. The visits proved to be fruitful not only for the students but also for those doctors who attended.

The first visit was to the SUNY College of Optometry on September 30th. Drs. Aleksandra Wianecka, NYSOA Trustee, and Dr. Anu Yennamandra, NYSOA representative to the SUNY Career Development Center, were selected to attend. Each doctor was chosen since they provide a unique perspective into our profession.

Dr. Wianecka is a 2002 graduate of SUNY College of Optometry, a private practitioner in Babylon, NY, and the Chair of our NYSOA Young OD Committee. Dr. Yennamandra is a 2012 graduate of Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry and recently moved to Manhattan from Rochester, NY to continue practicing optometry at Lenscrafters. She has participated in several OneSight International trips which provide free eye exams to those in need.

Approximately 60 optometry students attended the inaugural meeting to listen, learn and ask questions while having lunch with our NYSOA doctors. The event was skillfully planned and organized by Michael Wallerich,

President of the NYSOA student club. According to Michael, students gained a better understanding that “joining and being part of organized optometry keeps the optometric profession healthy for us and our patients, much like a fitness membership”.

The New England College of Optometry was the second optometry school visited. Since the format of the SUNY school visit was so successful it was repeated at NECO. As a 1992 NECO alumna I was eager to return to my alma mater. On November 16th Dr. Yennamandra and I met with 40 optometry students for an hour during their lunch break. Alex Fox and Shinjini Bose, Massachusetts Society of Optometry student leaders, expertly arranged the function. They received positive feedback from the students and hope to continue these visits in the future.

A third visit is being organized for Salus University for January 2016.

Continued On Page 2

| Inside | COUNSEL’S CORNER...................................................4 PETRY LOMB SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS..............6 2016 SERVICE AWARD WINNERS...............................8 GETTING READY FOR MEDICARE: 2016.....................8 YEAR IN REVIEW: STUDENT ENGAGEMENT............12 BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP.....................................16

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Page 2 Shinjini Bose, NECO optometry student (front, far right), and several classmates with Dr. Michele Lagana (front, center) and Dr. Anu Yennamandra (front, right)

Continued From Page 1 Common themes shared by the students at both schools centered on future employment opportunities, opening a private practice, networking and the political environment in New York State as it pertains to optometry. Many of us are unaware of the tremendous financial burden (close to $200,000) on optometry students graduating today. Interestingly, this hasn’t stopped many of them from chasing their dream of opening a private practice. Networking with seasoned practitioners early in their careers plays an important role in helping them become successful. Keeping them informed of optometry’s past and present legislative struggles, on a state and federal level, shows them the value of belonging to organized optometry. It’s our job

as an Association and an optometric community to embrace the next generation of optometrists now so that we can encourage them to become the upcoming leaders of our profession. By engaging them at the beginning of their optometric education we can build the pathway to a long term relationship with our future colleagues.

Happy Holidays and Wishing You All a Prosperous New Year!

Please support Children’s Vision Coalition

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Counsel’s Corner Legislative Recap

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP The New York State Optometric Association has been completing legislative efforts from the 2015 session which ended in late June as well as preparing for the return of the New York State Legislature in early January 2016. We made significant progress on our legislation to authorize optometrists to use certain oral drugs in 2015 including securing a significant number of Senators and Assemblymembers to sponsor the legislation. With a renewed effort by our membership and government relations team, and building from our recent momentum, we are optimistic as to the bill’s prospects in 2016. The NYSOA further continues to be an active member of a coalition of healthcare professions – including podiatry, chiropractic, ophthalmic dispensing, pharmacy and others – which was organized in late 2014 to promote regulatory and statutory changes that will improve patient access and care. Among our principal goals is to enact legislation that will allow optometrists and other healthcare professionals to co-own business corporations, professional limited liability companies, and professional limited liability partnerships with physicians; removing an antiquated law that restricts physicians to co-owning only with other physicians. The NYSOA previously had introduced a bill that only applied to physicians co-owning with optometrists and opticians, but with dramatic changes in the delivery of healthcare, there was wide agreement among our healthcare professional colleagues that a bill with broader applicability was needed. Our primary bill sponsors are Assemblymember Crystal PeoplesStokes (D-Buffalo) and Senator Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), who is also the Chair of the Higher Education Committee where the bill will have to be first considered in the legislative process. Finally, a bill that would license mobility specialists and vision rehabilitation specialists was amended very late in the 2015 session to also establish a profession of “low vision technologist,” which would have had some of the same responsibilities as optometrists, but without the same education and training.

The NYSOA was active very active this Fall in working with the Legislature on amendments that would address this overlap and concern. We understand that the legislation may be vetoed by Governor Andrew Cuomo (it was), and we expect to again engage the Legislature on bill language that will protect patient care provided by optometry while allowing for reasonable licensure of mobility specialists and others. As with each session, 2016 will have its opportunities and challenges. With your support and outreach through district meetings with legislators and participation in our annual lobby day in Albany, the NYSOA will be best positioned to advance the optometric profession and its priorities over the next year.

N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM

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Petry Lomb Scholarship Recipients Announced

By Stephanie Su, OD, Petry Lomb Scholarship Committee Member Congratulations to the 2015 Rochester Optometric Society Petry Lomb Scholarship recipients: Ms. Blair Germain, Mr Michael Cianci and Ms. Lisa Chute.

Ms. Germain is currently a third year student at the New England College of Optometry. She is a graduate of the University of Rochester and attended Wayne Central High School. Mr Cianca is also a third year student at the New England College of Optometry. He is a graduate of St. Lawrence University and attended Pittsford Sutherland High School. Ms. Chute is a third year student at SUNY College of Optometry. She is a graduate of Niagara University and attended Victor Senior High School.

The roots of the Petry Lomb Education Fund began in the 1950s. The Rochester Optometric Society, formerly known as the Tri-City Optometric Society, hosted the 1953 American Optometric Association convention in Rochester, NY. Due to good fiscal planning by the local optometrists, a small profit was realized at the end of the convention. This money was deposited into a local bank for future use. At the same time the Ladies Auxillary, which was affiliated with the local optometric society, was raising money through bake sales, arts and crafts and raffles. When the Ladies Auxilliary dissolved in the 1960s their remaining treasury was combined with the savings from the AOA convention, and the Petry Lomb Fund was born.

and the Petry Lomb Committee made a concerted effort to solicit donations. In addition to an annual fund drive, pledges were received on behalf of deceased loved ones, through manufacturer donations and from the glass jar campaign. With the help of Winchester Optical, glass jars were purchased and placed on the fitting tables of all optometrists. When patients presented for free spectacle adjustments they were encouraged to make a small donation to Petry Lomb. Although the glass jar campaign no longer exists, the tradition of an annual fund drive continues. The current fund drive solicits contributions from optical wholesalers, contact lens manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies as well as local optometrists.

In the past 25 years alone, Petry Lomb has awarded over $100,000 to 46 students from 6 colleges of optometry.

The work of the Petry Lomb Committee continues today through the current committee, which includes: Dr. Stephanie Su, Dr. Michele Lagana, Dr. Robert Ryan, Dr Clint Sugnet and Mrs. Karen Napodano.

None of this would have been possible without the foresight of Dr. Albert Shapiro. Dr. Shapiro adamantly believed that the money’s sole purpose was to assist optometry students. However, if the fund was going to succeed additional money had to be raised.

The Rochester Optometric Society N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM

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2016 Service Award Winners

Congratulations to the members of NYSOA on their 2016 Service Awards.

Those who received this award have been members for 10, 25, 50 and 60 years Kristen J Taddie, OD (10)

Diane M Dingman, OD (10) Kathy Lee, OD (10)

Jeannette E Cheu, OD (10)

Gee Hyun Chun, OD (10)

Emily F Culliton, OD (10) Maria Gibbons, OD (25)

Kristopher T Kile, OD (25)

Ralph Vogel, OD (25)

Bradley R Meltzer, OD, FCOVD (25)

Joseph N Lieder, OD (25) Sonia Valle, OD (25)

Ira A Clement, OD (40) Richard D O'Connor, OD (40) Kurt L Weil, OD (50) Joel Greenberg, OD (50)

Vadim Guy, OD (10)

Janet Ross-Comstock, OD (25)

Kate M Reidell, OD (10)

Anastasios Fokas, OD (25)

Brad Cory Gollinger, OD (25)

Michael H Heiberger, OD (50)

Henry Chaung, OD (25)

Michael D Mortimer, OD (40)

William S Miller, OD (60)

Susan R Weinstein, OD (10)

Howard Robert Novie, OD (25)

Julia I Terry, OD (10)

Martin S Losito, OD (25)

Shelly L Skjolaas, OD (10)

Richard P Pascucci, OD (10)

David L Leibstein, OD (25)

Grace P Tan, OD (10)

Nicholas A Radetzky, OD (25)

Jenelle L Mallios, OD (10)

Henry J Bickoff, OD (25)

Angela M Marx, OD (10)

Elliot Schwartz, OD (25)

Mira Lee, OD (10)

Alan S Lax, OD (25)

James A Schultz, OD (10)

Anna C Wohlgemuth, OD (10)

Amanda M Sanford, OD (10)

Mary Ellen Loughrey, OD (25) Julius Kornberg, OD (25)

Jonah B Berman, OD (25)

Anthony Mondo, OD (25)

Sidney Groffman, OD (50)

Joseph D Conigliaro, OD (40)

Joel Coplan, OD (50)

Jack L Devore, OD (40)

Arthur A Lobel, OD (60)

Millard Gossett, OD (40) Robert J Lehrer, OD (40) Sherry J Bass, OD (40)

Judith E Golden, OD (40)

Robert A Goodman, OD (60) Edward Sukoff, OD (60)

Samuel Arbital, OD (60)

Thomas M Kaminska, OD (40)

Leonard E Rand, OD (60)

Seth M Gerchberg, OD (40)

Jerry Mazel, OD (60)

Jeffrey S Cooper, OD (40)

Bertram M Mitchel, OD (60)

Getting Ready for Medicare: 2016

By Richard Soden, OD, FAAO, NYSOA Third Party Consultant The American Optometric Association recommends that members obtain their 2014 Annual Quality and Resource Use Report (QRUR) and Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Feedback Report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and plan to participate in PQRS in 2016.

Here are seven takeaway points that may affect you.

1. 2014 PQRS Feedback Reports: The AOA recommends that all members who reported PQRS measures in 2014 obtain their 2014 PQRS Feedback Report from CMS, which explains why a physician earned a bonus or will be penalized next year. Follow the Quick Reference Guide for Accessing 2014 PQRS Feedback Reports to access this and other PQRS reports.

2. 2016 PQRS penalty: If CMS believes you did not satisfactorily participate in PQRS in 2014, then you will receive a 2016 penalty of 2%. If you believe you did satisfactorily participate in PQRS in 2014 and should not be penalized, then you should request an informal CMS review of your 2014 PQRS performance. Request for review must be submitted electronically via the Communication Support Page under the Related Links section of the Physician and Other Health Care Professionals Quality Reporting Portal. See Incentive Eligibility & 2016 Negative PQRS Payment Adjustment – Informal Review Made Simple for more about PQRS penalties.

Continued On Page 10

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P ROS P ECTUS | V OL 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

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NYSOA WORLD YACHT CRUISE

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- Buy a package of 6 hours and get 9 hours (approx. $60 in savings) - Buy a package of 9 hours and get 13 (approx. $100 in savings) - Buy a package of 13 hours and get 18 (approx. $130 in savings) - Buy 1-5 hours and get 10% off

MEMBER AMENITIES & EVENTS: Visit VisionExpoEast.com/Travel today to book your reservation at the offical NYSOA host hotel!

Click Book Your Hotel Here » and choose the NYSOA drop down to enter your code for exclusive rates at The Archer Hotel | NYC (Code: NYSOA2016) Sign up for our NYSOA World Yacht cruise on Saturday evening, April 16

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REGISTER FOR VISION EXPO EAST TODAY AT VisionExpoEast.com/NYSOA INTERNATIONAL VISION EXPO EAST 2016 EDUCATION: Thursday, April 14–Sunday, April 17 EXHIBITION: Friday, April 15–Sunday, April 17 JAVITS CENTER | NEW YORK, NY

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P ROS P ECTUS | V OL 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

Page 10

Continued From Page 8 3. Changes in 2016 Value Based Modifier (VBM): CMS recalculated a small percentage of 2016 VBMs and will notify you if your 2016 VBM has been changed.

4. 2014 QRURs: AOA recommends that members access their Revised 2014 Annual QRUR at CMS Enterprise Portal. The 2014 Annual QRURs shows how physicians performed in 2014 on the quality and cost measures used to calculate the 2016 VBM. For groups with 10 or more physicians that are subject to the 2016 VBM, the QRUR shows how the VBM will apply to physician payments under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for physicians who bill under the group in 2016.

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5. 2016 VBM penalty: If you disagree with your 2014 Annual QRURs or 2016 VBM penalty, then an informal review can be requested.

6. Important upcoming webinars/calls: AOA’s “PQRS in 2016 – What ODs Need to Know” by Rebecca Wartman, OD, at 8 P.M. EST, December 15, 2015.

7. Further information: AOA’s VBM website, CMS’ VBM website, CMS’ Quality Net webpage, contact the CMS Quality Net Help Desk at 866-288-8912 or at gnetsupport@hcqis.org.

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Year in Review: Student Engagement

By Michael Wallerich, NYSOA Student Society President On August 27, 2015, the NYSOA student officers, student state associations (New Jersey, Connecticut, California) and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) orchestrated a first-year presentation with SUNY Professor, Dr. Joseph Stamm. Dr. Stamm outlined the optometric profession from inception to present day optometric scope by explaining the scope of practice for optometry is dependent upon state and federal laws, commonly referred to as a legislative profession. At the end of the presentation, Dr. Aleksandra Wianecka from the NYSOA, Dr. George Veliky from the NJSOP and Dr. Maria Pribis of CAO, articulated the importance of being part of the family of optometry and being part of the future conversation. Following the presentation, doctors attended a networking event with over 150 in attendance to show their support of students’ development.

This year, the college and student leaders in organized optometry have continued to partner up to succinctly present the importance of organized optometry. In an effort to show this importance, programs are created to focus on educating, equipping and informing students the ways to network, become involved and impact their future profession positively. On September 30, Dr. Aleksandra Wianecka and Dr. Anu Yennamandra, NYSOA members, both attended a lunch meeting to educate students about what their membership means to them and why it has been extremely helpful for their professional development. In the evening, the NYSOA student executive team and Student Optometric Association for Private Practice (SOAPP) organized a LinkedIn Evening Workshop with one of LinkedIn’s strategic communications experts, Jessica Guro. Ms. Guro visually showed the enormous potential of professional networking in a highly dynamic and digitized world. Following the workshop, students enjoyed catered food from a local restaurant while also having the opportunity to get a high-resolution professional photo.

As suggested earlier in the workshop, incorporating a

professional photo into a LinkedIn account will yield an additional 15x more connections.

In early October, the NYSOA student group selected a committee of 11 members to begin planning for the Vision Expo East program for April 16, 2016. Dr. Mitchell Horowitz, NYSOA member, continues to collaborate with students to bring a highly successful event incorporating many exciting elements to the program titled, Emerging Technology in an Integrated Practice Environment. The program will feature components of future practice and how to stay current with an expected 350-400 students in attendance.

On November 19, the student state associations (NYSOA, NJSOP, CAO), the Career Development Center of SUNY, and SOAPP put on the 3rd Annual Networking with Doctors event at SUNY-College of Optometry.

Continued On Page 14

                             



            



    



 

    

N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM

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REASONS TO JOIN AND USE VISION WEST

Vision West is the Preferred Eyecare Business Group of the New York State Optometric Association.

To date, Vision West has provided over $320,000 in non-dues revenue support.

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NO MEMBERSHIP FEES, hidden contracts or minimum purchase requirements

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27 YEARS STRONG

SUPPORTING the Independent Eyecare Provider to run better businesses

INTEGRITY—Live, friendly customer service team committed to helping you reduce your cost of goods. We pass on 100% of the negotiated discount from our vendor partners. Our team will provide an honest analysis of vendor programs and discounts to help your practice.

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SUPPORT TO ORGANIZED OPTOMETRY—what does that mean for you? With more than $8million dollars in support back to State Associations, Schools and Groups, this provides non-dues revenue to help with legislation, dues and education. A percentage of your purchases billed to your Vision West account provides $ support to NYSOA.

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FOUNDED BY OPTOMETRY FOR OPTOMETRY

BUYING POWER—with more than 3,000 members nationwide, Vision West can access some of the best discounts and programs in the industry from over 200 vendors.

EFFICIENCY—consolidated purchases on 1 statement. Flexible payment options and invoice details available online with 24/7 access to help you and your staff save time and manage information.

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EXCLUSIVE REBATE PROGRAMS—from many of our top vendors

RESOURCES for you and your staff. Our team is here to help with resources and information on a wide number of topics including webinar education library, online CE, top-selling frame info and much more.

For more information and to join today, contact a Customer Service specialist at: 800.640.9485 • www.vweye.com

P ROS P ECTUS | V OL 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

Page 14

Continued From Page 12 Fifteen doctors and the executive directors were in attendance representing all three states and a diverse set of practice modalities. Approximately 70 students rotated from table to table, speed-dating style, asking as many questions as possible. Following the program, students and doctors continued to mingle as conversation brought exciting energy about the extraordinary opportunities after optometry school.

NYSOA Elected Officers

As evident, the optometric profession will continue to dynamically evolve and students understand that it is important to be part of that important conversation moving forward. I would like to thank the NYSOA student executive team (Katie Sokol ’18 – Vice President; Erica Shuder ’17 – Secretary; Lisa Chute ’17 – Technology Liaison; Kiranjeet Sran ’17 – EyeCup Editor) for their time and commitment making the events possible and the many more to come in the spring semester. Students also appreciate the commitment the doctors that continue to support students’ development at the college. If you would like to participate in upcoming events at the college or come speak to students for a lunch meeting, please feel free to contact me directly at Michael.

Wallerich17@gmail.com or be part of the conversation at: facebook.com/groups/NYSOAStudentSociety/

President-Elect Dawn Chivers, OD Glens Falls, NY drchivers@ drsklineandboyd.com

President Michele Lagana, OD Honeoye Falls, NY rocheyedoc@gmail.com

Vice President Ken Sorkin, OD Plainview, NY sorkod@aol.com Secretary/Treasurer Jeffrey Calhoun, OD Williamsville, NY drjeffreycalhoun @gmail.com Immediate Past-President Christopher Colburn, OD Jamestown, NY ccolburn@stny.rr.com

Staff Speed dating at SUNYCO

Executive Director Jan S Dorman nysoa2020@gmail.com Prospectus Editor-in-Chief Denise Whittam, OD denisewhittamod@msn.com Prospectus Managing Editor Cutina Griffin Graphic Designer Josh Crystal jc@crystaljdesign.com

N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM

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P ROS P ECTUS | V OL 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Weslie M. Hamada, OD, FAAO, Associate Director, Professional Affairs You live in a fast-paced world and demands on your time never seem to decrease. Do you ever feel challenged to keep up? If you’re like most ODs you juggle family, practice demands, and professional development, not to mention personal enrichment and healthy living. With all those demands who has time to keep up with all the latest advancements in contact lens innovation? And can you ever get the full story from the science behind innovation to practical application to embrace innovation and capitalize on its value in your practice? If this illustrates your demanding professional life don’t miss the Special Edition of Optometric Management sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. In this edition the science of ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses takes center stage; providing practitioners with a breadth of information that is impossible to get in a visit to an exhibit booth, in a sales rep call or a one hour presentation at a conference. Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. was pleased to sponsor this edition to bring practitioners an in-depth look at the technology behind our most recent product launches.

for them away from simple modality conversations to the more rewarding conversations that personalize your prescribing leading to exceptional patient experiences.

So if you tend to stack up those journals for the day when you have some free time in your busy schedule we’d like to encourage you to put this OM Special Edition at the top. Make it your priority to invest in learning about what differentiates contact lenses in the ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses Family and become a practitioner that is known for being leading edge. And if you’re that on-the-go person who likes to keep up digitally, here is a link to the complete edition online. http://optometricmanagementsupplements.epubxp. com/i/587112-innovation-insight-2015 Enjoy the read, and tell us about your stories with ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses. You never know what will become our next inspiration.

You’ll read about the insights we’ve learned from contact lens wearers that drove innovation in product development. You’ll better understand the science that leads to strong performance clinically. You’ll get advice from colleagues who have been successful leading with innovation in their practices. Most importantly your patients will benefit as your product understanding increases allowing you to focus your recommendations

To keep your membership in good standing, please be sure to submit your payment before the end of each quarter. Payments can be submitted at your convenience online or by contacting us directly at: 800-342-9836 N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM

P ROS P ECTUS | V OL 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

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WHY JOIN NYSOA? MEMBER BENEFITS ADVOCACY Legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels - giving you the ability to stay current on legislative issues and to contact Congressional representatives regarding federal legislative issues affecting the profession

VoterVoice advocacy tool– allows members to contact their legislative representatives about specific issues affecting optometry

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:

INSURANCE & BUYING

Comprehensive malpractice liability insurance policies at competitive rates

Access to Vision West, Inc., an ophthalmic group buying plan

JOBS & NETWORKING EDUCATION & NEWS

Access to the NYSOA member website and job posts

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

Continuing education courses to fulfill state licensing requirements

OPPORTUNITY

Subscription to the association’s digital newsletter, Prospectus, featuring current professional topics and issues. Reminders of upcoming meetings, events and legislative alerts.

JOIN TODAY AT

w w w .NYSOA. o r g Doctor Locator - NYSOA’s online optometrist referral directory

Business Partner opportunities and information on practice management

Questions?

Contact us at: nysoa2020@gmail.com or 1-800-342-9836

N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM

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P ROS P ECTUS | V OL 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

President’s Year in Review: Your Membership in NYSOA/AOA Michele Lagana, OD, NYSOA President As the year draws to a close we can sigh in relief that we made it through the implementation of ICD-10 without too many issues. However, we still have registry and value based modifiers in our future along with other obstacles.

Yet, these challenges seem less daunting when we all work together and face them as a group. That is what the AOA and the NYSOA do for each of us: they help us by protecting what we enjoy doing every day, by uniting us to fight the challenges that we face, and by helping us stay informed on critical issues affecting the practice of optometry.

In the past 12 months, the NYSOA volunteer doctors, staff and legal/legislative team have been working diligently on your behalf. We have taken action, and have either completed or are working toward the following:

• Enacting legislation that will authorize optometrists to prescribe certain oral medications (e.g., the Orals bill) • Enacting legislation that will allow optometrists to become partners with ophthalmologists and other physicians in a multidisciplinary practice • Developing legal and programmatic responses to address on-line and in-home “eye exams”

• Successfully opposing legislation that would have impaired the ability of optometrists to sell and dispense contact lenses related to opponents’ efforts to prohibit the contact industry’s recently implemented Unilateral Pricing Policy (UPP) • Engaging in negotiations with State regulators and insurance plans to restrict the use of non-covered services in vision care contracts

• Focused on legislation that would allow for direct credentialing by insurance companies

• Securing final approval from the State Education Department and the Department of Health on CLIA waived clinical lab tests by optometrists • Finalized language that ensures that doctors of optometry can order laboratory tests and receive test information

• Received State Health Department approval for optometrists to be able to use amniotic tissue bandage (Prokera) for patient treatment In order for us to be successful in promoting the optometric profession and to continue to protect our patients’ health and vision, we need you to be part of that effort. By renewing your membership for 2016 today, we can achieve these and other goals. Please remember that your dues are payable by January 1st each year. The AOA dues collection process requires that all members be current on a quarterly basis or risk losing their AOA membership and privileges.

For your convenience, you can now pay your dues online at nysoa.org. Or, if you prefer, you can pay by check, credit card or post-dated checks. If there are extenuating circumstances preventing you from joining or renewing your membership please contact the NYSOA office at 1-800-342-9836.

Thank you for your continued active membership to promote organized optometry! We look forward to working with you and for you to improve the optometric profession in New York State.

N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM

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P ROS P ECTUS | V OL 41 | ISSUE 4 | 2015

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Thank You NYSOA Business Partners DIAMOND

PLATINUM GOLD SILVER

BRONZE

WINDSOR OPTICAL

Become a NYSOA Partner!

Interested in putting your business in front of New York’s Optometrists?

Contact the NYSOA for details about our Business Partner Program!

518-449-7300 or nysoa2020@gmail.com

New York State Optometric Association 119 Washington Avenue, Second Floor Albany, NY 12210 Toll Free: 800-342-9836 Fax: 518-514-1537 nysoa2020@gmail.com www.nysoa.org Prospectus (ISSN 1055-7407) is published by the New York State Optometric Association, Inc., 119 Washington Avenue, 2nd Floor, Albany, NY 12210. All issues are electronic. The views and opinions expressed are those of the signed author and in no way should be construed to reflect the opinions or position of the editorial staff of Prospectus, or the New York State Optometric Association, its officers, local affiliate societies, or administrative staff. All submissions are subject to editorial change with regard to clarity or length. Final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of any submission lies with the editor.

N YS O A. ORG | 8 0 0 . 342.9836 | NY SOA2020@GMAIL.COM