Optometry Cares® – The AOA Foundation and the AOA are pleased to announce the 9th annual funding of the Healthy Eyes Healthy People® (HEHP) State Association Grants. The 2012 HEHP grants are made possible through a generous grant from Luxottica.
Over the course of the past eight years, the HEHP sponsors have contributed a total of $1,152,000 for more than 300 HEHP grants, which have gone directly to state association community outreach projects. Read the rest of this entry ?
Representatives of the Optometry Association of Louisiana (OAL) gather at the Presidents’ Council meeting. From left, Bill Gordon, O.D., OLA president-elect; Jim Sandefur, O.D., OLA executive director; Chris Wroten, OLA immediate past resident; and Jeff Anastasio, O.D., OLA president.
For the first time in recent memory, the meeting of leaders from affiliated optometric associations had representation from all 50 states plus the American Optometric Student Association and Armed Forces Optometric Association.
Attendees at the Jan. 27-28 meeting in New Orleans were intensely interested in AOA finances, trends in membership, the classifications of membership and the relationships between the affiliates and the national AOA. In fact, a presentation on those topics by AOA Secretary-Treasurer David Cockrell, O.D., slated for one hour lasted two full hours and could have continued longer.
Among the key topics of the meeting was an overview of Electronic Health Records and how the incentives for participation in those programs can help offset the costs of technology investments. State leaders credited the EHR “roadshow” by the AOA as an example of cooperative programs that directly benefit AOA members. Read the rest of this entry ?
The evaluation, management and treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has changed significantly in the past several years. With continued changes expected, the AOA Vision Rehabilitation (VRS) course titled “AMD A to Z” will provide the practitioner with the latest information concerning the genetics of AMD; diagnostic testing for AMD; medical, surgical, nutraceutical and vision rehabilitation treatment modalities available to preserve and enhance visual functioning for individuals with AMD or those at risk for developing this condition. Read the rest of this entry ?
STATEMENT BY DORI M. CARLSON, O.D.,
PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION
For Release: Saturday, February 11, 2012
I’m proud of our colleagues in California and around the country who are standing up to the latest effort by an outside group intent on seizing permanent control over how we deliver care for our patients. Only optometrists can truly advocate for optometry.
The AOA and our affiliates have long fostered a well-deserved and hard-earned reputation for honest, ethical advocacy, and we have acheived historic gains in patient access and scope of practice as a result. Through our relentless efforts in Washington, DC and state capitals, health care policy makers now view optometry as an essential part of the future of health care delivery. But, our profession’s future stands to be severely compromised if we allow profit-driven private corporations to define our role in health care as simply providers of refractions, glasses, and contact lenses. Read the rest of this entry ?
AOA President Dori Carlson, O.D., issues the State of the Profession address, available to view here . Read the rest of this entry ?
Vision plans can continue to play an important role in the health care market after health care reform. Conflicting messages about how vision plans are able to function after reform are circulating, causing considerable confusion and anxiety among optometrists and vision plan operators.
We believe that the facts about health care reform will clarify how plans can successfully adapt to the changes being demanded of all insurers by the Affordable Care Act. Vision plans hold the power to choose a proactive solution to benefit practicing optometrists who elect to participate as vision plan network providers. Unfortunately, for now, some vision plan companies resist the need to modernize and seek to keep vision care separate from medical care. We regret that these insurance companies are fighting any efforts to better integrate optometrists into the mainstream of care delivery and payment. Read the rest of this entry ?
The Chicago Theater is a legendary auditorium that hosts a variety of entertainment, including concerts, plays, dance, comedy and more. Optometry’s Meeting® 2012 will be hosted in the city of Chicago. Visit www.optometry smeeting.org for more information. Photo credit: © City of Chicago/GRC
From education to exhibits to networking – and of course the excitement of Chicago – there are countless reasons to attend Optometry’s Meeting® 2012. This June 27 through July 1, Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center will be home to all that’s innovative and exciting about our profession.
With so much that’s new for 2012, you’ll want to make your plans now so you don’t miss out on this must-attend event. These are just some of the highlights.
Expand your contacts
Your networking opportunities this year are better than ever, thanks to our partnerships with other premier optometry organizations. So while you meet and greet your AOA and American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) colleagues, you can also connect with old and new friends at these three concurrent conferences:
With the American health system rapidly adopting both advanced information technology and pay-for-performance reimbursement systems, the AOA Clinical and Practice Advancement Group (AOA CPAG) is launching its new Navigating Meaningful Use and Quality Reporting with Electronic Health Records (EHR) continuing education program to help optometrists better understand health information technology (HIT) and the often interrelated world of financial incentive programs. Read the rest of this entry ?
The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) last month announced that hospitals across the country will have new resources and support to make health care safer and less costly by targeting and reducing the millions of preventable injuries and complications from health care-acquired conditions. Read the rest of this entry ?
AOA President Dori Carlson, O.D., presents Tom Miller, executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), with an AOA Health Leadership Award honoring the organization’s service to blinded veterans as well as veterans with low vision.
Dr. Carlson also presented the BVA with an AOA check to support Operation Peer Support, through which BVA places combat-blinded veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam in contact with veterans who have lost sight as the result of wounds sustained in Iraq or Afghanistan. Read the rest of this entry ?
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Dori’s 20/20 Tour Maino’s Memos
