Global Optometry

Melissa and I are honored to have been invited to the Korean Optometric Association this week to discuss the globalization of optometry.
I’ll try to keep everyone updated on our travels. I’m typing this from Tokyo with one more leg to get us to Seoul.
Pete

Focus on the future

As my presidential year draws closer to the end, I will have had the honor and pleasure to have been an official visitor to every school and college of optometry in the United States throughout my tenure on the AOA Board. Long before my daughter decided that optometry would be her future (she finishes in 2011), I realized that the students and the faculty that mold them are critical to the future of our profession.

I’m pleased to report that the future of optometry is in good hands. Clearly, the last 40 years in our profession have delivered tremendous changes, all to provide better care to our patients. 

The next 40 years will present new and exciting opportunities for our profession. Growth and change is sometimes uncomfortable and history tells us that our shift to treatment of eye disease did not come without some push back. However, the focus was always on the patient, and ultimately the profession has grown to meet the needs of our patients.

With optometric board certification once again on the horizon for the profession, most doctors would agree on three points: 

• #1 “I don’t want to take more CE,”
• #2 “I don’t want to take a test,”  
• #3 “I don’t want to spend a lot more money.”

However, if you ask your patients one question: Do you expect and want to know that your optometrist has the knowledge and is practicing in 2009 like an optometrist should in 2009? Their answer nearly 100 percent of the time would be: of course!

The leadership of your AOA and the other five organizations that make up the Joint Board Certification Project Team (JBCPT) believed, and still do, that with the emphasis on QUALITY and VALUE in health care as the focus in Washington, in every state capital and commercial insurance carrier, our profession cannot stand idle while health care changes could potentially create a new discrimination challenge for optometry.   Yes, optometry is different. However, we are currently participating in a health care system that claims 85 percent board-certified physicians at a time when agencies and payers recognize board certification as a measure of quality and value.

The discussion online and off-line about board certification for optometry will evoke many emotions. However, the important thing to remember throughout the process is that our profession has never stood idle and allowed others to dictate our future. Can we take that chance at this important crossroad in health care reform?
 
I urge you to visit www.aoa.org to learn about the why, the what and the how of the model of optometric board certification that has been presented. Ask questions of your state association leadership, your AOA and the project team.

Once you’ve done your homework, I’m sure you’ll reach the same conclusion as your AOA leadership – that optometry has come too far to take the risk of not participating fully in the new health care system coming to America.
 
And speaking of health care reform for America, rest assured that your entire AOA staff and volunteers are working overtime and through many different channels to ensure that optometry is included fully in whatever system is developed for the future.
 
Our Washington, D.C., plate is very full:  Jan. 1, 2010, represents a potential 21 percent cut in Medicare fees for all physicians and we must be sure that optometry is included in any electronic health records, e-prescribing and quality measures that are adopted.
 
And of course we have the Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009 and optometric inclusion in the National Health Service Corps to help graduates with their debt obligations to name just a few of the important issues for optometry every day.
 
We need your help to focus on the future by:  investing in AOA-PAC by visiting www.AOApac.org; becoming an active state and/or federal keyperson for your elected officials; and planning to attend the AOA’s Congressional Conference June 22-24 and participating in “Optometry Takes Capitol Hill” on June 24 as one of many highlights during Optometry’s Meeting® in Washington, D.C.
 
And finally, we need your help in recruiting the doctors who benefit from all the state and federal wins for our patients and our profession, but who, unlike you, currently don’t pay dues.
 
As students, the focus is on the next test, National Boards or the first real patient. As practitioners, our focus is on our patients and our profession; let’s continue to look far into the future, and do what it takes to make sure the next 40 years is just as successful as the last 40 years!
 
Until next time, Pete

5 Nights 4 Schools

I have spent the week visiting the following optometry schools: SUNY in New York, PCO at Salus University in Philadelphia, NECO in Boston and tonight just finished a private practice club at IU in Bloomington, IN. In the morning I’ll be givng the 3rd year class of Dr. Steve Hitzeman an update on the AOA.
The future of our profession is in good hands. The students I’ve met this week are bright, inquisitive and most importantly – have passion for their profession and our future.
Soon I will have officially visited every US School or College of Optometry while serving on the AOA Board. This is an experience I wish every practicing optometrist could share. It gives you incentive to want to continue to push our forward ahead for our patients, our practices and our profession.
Until next time,
Pete

Priceless

• A new color, cut and hairstyle: $150
• A trip to the dentist for teeth whitening: $499
• The VALUE we as optometrists provide to our patients every day: PRICELESS!

Last week, as I retold the story of “Gracie” (you remember: her retinoblastoma was found through an InfantSEE® exam in 2006) to a room full of ophthalmic industry executives, I watched their body language as they leaned forward on their chairs, their eyes and ears intently listening to the story of how our program — InfantSEE® — literally saved the sight and potentially the life of Gracie.
 Their sincere interest and questions afterward reminded me of how proud I am to be the president of the AOA, representing the profession that changes and improves the lives of thousands of patients every day.

On the flip-side, their questions reminded me of how many people in America (including within our own industry) don’t fully understand what an optometrist in 2009 can do for our patients every day.

 Bottom line:  We are engaged, every day, in changing lives. Giving a mother the assurance of a normally developing baby through an InfantSEE® exam and taking the time to educate her about a lifetime of healthy vision for the entire family is a great beginning.
 We’ve all had the school-age child who returns to share that once he received his new glasses he can see the chalkboard or finally enjoys reading. Or the teenager who is now the captain of her softball team since being fit with contact lenses and completing a vision therapy program.

We offer patients immediate relief from a painful foreign body or help them achieve a life-changing experience by co-managing (or providing in Oklahoma) a successful refractive surgery. Presbyopes (me included) get their lives back when we implement Doctor-Driven-Dispensing and recommend from the exam room the very best spectacle or contact lens options for their lifestyle.

But — and here’s where I expect you to lean forward in your chair — we also have the opportunity, every day, to save people’s lives — just as an optometrist saved Gracie.    More and more adults are not controlling their diabetes, and every day optometrists take the opportunity to counsel diabetics (and work with primary care physicians) to improve diabetes control.  This additional counseling from their optometrist will not only improve their eye health, but potentially extend their lives.
 
Diabetes care is just one example. 

As our patients reach the “mature” years, we co-manage their cataract surgeries, treat their glaucoma, monitor their macular degeneration and provide (either directly or through referral to our low vision optometry colleagues) spectacles and optical aids to allow them to continue to see the pictures of their grandchildren.  Studies prove that if we keep our patients’ eyesight sharp, we can keep them from life-shortening stumbles and falls as well.

Because of our excellent education, our dedication to life-long learning and the uniqueness of our profession, optometrists can and do provide compassionate care throughout our patients’ lives.   Many of our patients recognize and tell us and others about how valuable the care we provide is to them. While only about 30 percent of Americans see their eye doctor each year, that’s almost twice as many people who see a physician.  You are very possibly the only primary health care provider an at-risk patient sees each year.  That truly puts you, me, and all of us on the frontline.
 
Meanwhile, we are faced with a huge opportunity.     There are 70 percent of Americans who don’t see any doctor in a typical year.  We need to get the message to those Americans on the value — beyond money — optometry can provide through a lifetime of healthy vision.
 
As the leader of the AOA, I believe there are two things that must drive all we do: one, ensure that all people have access to our services, whether through panels that pay fairly, government plans or by running our practices in a way that ensures patients seek us out. And two, we must always remember the value we provide – measurable and immeasurable – and ensure that we are treated fairly and compensated properly for these invaluable services. 

None of us should ever forget optometry’s value to our patients: PRICELESS!

Until next time,
 

Pete

Board Certification Model presented to state leaders

In a presentation that included two hours of questions and answers, more than 150 state optometric association and affiliated organization leaders heard representatives of the Joint Board Certification Project Team explain how board certification in optometry could be implemented. The project team includes representatives of the American Academy of Optometry, the AOA, the Association of Regulatory Boards in Optometry, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, the American Optometric Student Association and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. 

December President’s Column: Take back the dispensary!

At almost every lecture I attend, the phrase: “Medical Model” is discussed. I cringe every time I hear that because the words seem to imply that we should ignore what made, and makes, our profession so special and why most of our patients present in our offices.
 

My preference has always been the “Optometric Model,” which by my definition means “Total Patient Care.” While there are some lecturers who talk about the Total Patient Care model, I’d like us to consider resurrecting an old concept to be sure we meet ALL of our patient’s needs: “Doctor- Driven Dispensing.”
 

Optometrists will always make the decision on what drug to prescribe for their patient’s diagnosed condition. And rarely would an optometrist allow a staff or dispensary decide which contact lens is most appropriate for their patient. However, many optometrists don’t “prescribe” or recommend specific spectacle lenses for their patients.
 

During a comprehensive exam that includes refraction, you’ve discovered the specific visual demands of your patient and their lifestyle needs. Patients come to us for solutions to the visual and eye health needs. They expect us to know what lenses will provide the very best visual solutions for their specific visual needs; and they want us to make the specific “Doctor-Driven Dispensing” recommendations.
 

Based on your findings and your patients’ visual demands, your recommendations may include multiple solutions: everyday eyeglasses, computer eyeglasses, sunglasses, or even sport or hobby eyewear. What better place to present your spectacle recommendations than in the exam room, as you present your visual and eye health findings and final recommendations to your patient.
 

Whether you own your own dispensary or not, as that patient’s optometrist, don’t leave lens decisions to “stylists” who may or may not fully understand the specific visual needs of your patient.  Ideally, you would make the specific lens recommendations to your patient with a dispenser in the exam room to be sure your instructions are followed.
 

If your practice setting or staffing don’t afford you that luxury, be sure to take a few moments to fully explain each of your eyewear recommendations (and write a prescription) and how they relate to their specific visual needs.  This is no different than explaining your findings and recommendations for treatment of a patient’s dry eyes, conjunctivitis or glaucoma. And to the patient who presented “because things aren’t as clear as they used to be,” you’ll be fully meeting their expectations.
 

I’m sure many of us skip over the magazine articles about the “latest lens technologies.” Just as the technology to diagnose and monitor glaucoma has changed dramatically in the last decade, progressive addition lenses and lens materials have changed at an equal pace.
 

Young or old, our patients want the “high-definition” visual experience, just like they do with their TVs, crocheting, reading or sports.  

Optometrists have the unique education that allows us to understand the optics of the new lens technologies and how they can benefit our patients’ visual experience. We need to deliver on our patients’ expectations and “Take Back the Dispensary.”
 

I challenge you to attend a CE class in person, online or from a magazine on the latest spectacle lens technologies.
 

Ask to meet with your lab or lens representatives to learn about the specialty lenses that will best benefit your patients’ specific visual demands.
 

In the exam room, be sure to learn of all the visual demands of your patient and make recommendations to your patient that will BEST solve their visual needs.
 

And the bottom line: as optometrists, we have the knowledge, the expertise and patients’ wanting our recommendations. Transform the “Optometric Model” to the “Total Patient Care” experience and practice “Doctor-Driven Dispensing” for all your patients’ needs, including spectacles. It will be good for your patients, your practice, and our profession!

Happy Holidays!

November President’s Column: Can we all do more?

As I type this column, I’m flying home from Washington, D.C.  I represented the AOA at The National Changing Diabetes® Program (NCDP) Member Association and Partner Leadership meeting.
Fortunately for the AOA and optometry, our previous leaders and staff recognized at the launch of NCDP, in 2005, that optometry plays an important role in the lives of patients with diabetes and offered to be a sponsoring association.  Read more….

October 6 President’s Column: Be Prepared

Unfortunately, two close friends’ “real” disasters in their professional lives and the uncertainties that followed their disasters give my partner and I pause to rethink our own ability to restore our practices quickly in the event of a disaster. So far we’ve been blessed to avoid what our friends have encountered,
but we need to be better prepared.

Season’s Greetings And Best Wishes to All!

     2008 is coming to a close and hopefully everyone will arrive safely at their destinations with family and friends this Holiday Season. Nearly the entire country is experiencing “winter weather” and yet many young and old wish for a “white Christmas” so we have much to be thankful for.
     For me, 2008 has been an incredible year. I’ve spent the last six months representing 34,000 members of the greatest profession in the world – the American Optometric Association. I’ve been blessed to work with 10 board members that are dedicated to our professions’ future beyond compare and nearly 100 AOA staff that work tirelessly for our profession nearly every day of the year!
     Melissa has been an incredible first lady of optometry and is often mistaken for an optometrist because of her passion and knowledge of our profession. I’m blessed with three great children, Vincent, Alexandra and Kathryn – a wonderful daughter-in-law and the “little one” Madalyn who makes it fun for “Bookie” to come home and see how fast 2 years grow!
Melissa and I have met hundreds of incredible optometrists, staff, optometry family and other healthcare colleagues as we’ve traveled coast to coast. Our circle of friends has expanded beyond imagine and the new and old friendships are the best gifts of the season.
     Thank you for allowing me to represent the AOA and optometry in America and abroad. Happy Hanukah and Merry Christmas to All and may God bless you this Holiday Season and throughout 2009!

Optocrats Unite – Post November 4th

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama. Congratulations to the newly or re-elected US House and Senate members.

As an Optocrat, I’m thrilled that optometry’s grassroots network, the AOA Federal Keyperson Program, and AOA-PAC were more active and effective than ever before in this historic election.  We achieved an amazing 95% success rate on Election Day and directly helped to elect and re-elect 341 candidates to the U.S. Senate and House or Representatives, including our colleague, Rep. John Boozman of Arkansas.  

If only we could predict the stock market as well!

Clearly only 52% of the country voted for P-E Obama, which means that nearly half didn’t. However, he is going to be our president, and as a premier health care profession, optometry must work closely with the Obama administration and the new Congress to insure that the public has equal access to optometry for the full scope of care that we can provide AND with equal reimbursement for equal services.

Many of the winners last week will have campaign debts to satisfy. AOA PAC needs your help. Please visit www.aoapac.org and make a new OR additional investment in YOUR profession, so when our friends ask for financial assistance, we can deliver for optometry. Many Obama supporters visited his campaign website multiple times and contributed small amounts – AOA PAC will accept multiple investments throughout the year or you can set up an automatic monthly debit to your checking or credit card – EASY!

God Bless America on this Veteran’s Day!

Pete