Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 16 views

    Proposal To Allow Florida Optometrists To Prescribe Approved Oral Medications For Eye Treatment Continues To Gain Momentum

    Uploaded by

    api-157539785
    The Florida Optometric Association supports a bill that passed the House Health and Human Services Committee that would allow Florida optometrists to prescribe approved oral medications for eye treatment. The bill aims to increase access to eye care for Floridians by aligning Florida with most other states that allow this. It includes provisions to ensure patient safety, such as prohibiting optometrists from performing surgery or prescribing certain controlled substances. The companion bill in the Senate also advanced recently.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Proposal To Allow Florida Optometrists To Prescribe Approved Oral Medications For Eye Treatment Continues To Gain Momentum

    Uploaded by

    api-157539785
    16 views2 pages
    The Florida Optometric Association supports a bill that passed the House Health and Human Services Committee that would allow Florida optometrists to prescribe approved oral medications for eye treatment. The bill aims to increase access to eye care for Floridians by aligning Florida with most other states that allow this. It includes provisions to ensure patient safety, such as prohibiting optometrists from performing surgery or prescribing certain controlled substances. The companion bill in the Senate also advanced recently.

    Original Title

    Untitled

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The Florida Optometric Association supports a bill that passed the House Health and Human Services Committee that would allow Florida optometrists to prescribe approved oral medications for eye treatment. The bill aims to increase access to eye care for Floridians by aligning Florida with most other states that allow this. It includes provisions to ensure patient safety, such as prohibiting optometrists from performing surgery or prescribing certain controlled substances. The companion bill in the Senate also advanced recently.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    16 views2 pages

    Proposal To Allow Florida Optometrists To Prescribe Approved Oral Medications For Eye Treatment Continues To Gain Momentum

    Uploaded by

    api-157539785
    The Florida Optometric Association supports a bill that passed the House Health and Human Services Committee that would allow Florida optometrists to prescribe approved oral medications for eye treatment. The bill aims to increase access to eye care for Floridians by aligning Florida with most other states that allow this. It includes provisions to ensure patient safety, such as prohibiting optometrists from performing surgery or prescribing certain controlled substances. The companion bill in the Senate also advanced recently.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 7, 2013 Contact: Sarah Bascom, [email protected], 850.294.6636 Celina Parker, [email protected], 850.443.

    9965

    Proposal to Allow Florida Optometrists to Prescribe Approved Oral Medications for Eye Treatment Continues to Gain Momentum
    Committee Substitute for House Bill 239 Passes House Health & Human Services Committee, Now Ready for House Floor Tallahassee, Fla. The Florida Optometric Association (FOA) today commended the passage of a committee substitute for House Bill 239, sponsored by Representative Matt Caldwell (R-Lehigh Acres), and is encouraged by the momentum garnered by this legislation to allow for greater access to primary eye care for Floridians. The proposed legislation supported by the FOA would align Florida with 47 other states in the nation that have already allowed optometrists to prescribe approved oral medications for the treatment of eye diseases and conditions, and includes provisions to allow for the highest level of patient safety. The strike-all amendment to HB 239 that was adopted today by the House Health and Human Services Committee addressed concerns raised by members of the legislature to prepare it for the House floor. The momentum this legislation has earned is indicative of how well this proposal resonates with members of the legislature and the general public, said Ken Lawson, FOAs legislative chair. This bill is about Floridas patients who deserve the opportunity to get the most appropriate treatment for a condition, which their local optometrist is more than qualified to prescribe. Removing this unwarranted restriction on licensed optometrists will help alleviate a shortage in supply of providers in Florida, in the most cost-efficient and safe manner. We made some changes to the language of the bill to address the main concerns that were being brought to me by my colleagues and impacted parties, and I believe the bill now, as amended, provides a framework of additional, specific provisions that go to ensure patient safety, said Representative Caldwell. Allowing Florida optometrists to prescribe oral medications for treatment of the eye, which are the same medications they already prescribe in topical or gel forms, will help guarantee Floridas patients will get proper access to the care they need and deserve. I am thankful to my colleagues in the House for their support of this good bill, and I look forward to a healthy discussion with the full chamber, as the bill now heads to the floor. The proposed legislation now includes a definition of the term surgery, and expressly prohibits optometrists from performing any action that could be considered a surgical procedure according to the definition. The bill would only allow licensed optometrists to prescribe oral medications to treat the eye and its appendages, and strictly prohibits optometrists from prescribing schedule I and II controlled substances. The legislation supported by the FOA only seeks to provide greater access to primary eye care for Floridians, and in particular, to those Floridians in medically-underserved areas, who do not have access to an ophthalmologist, said Lawson.

    (MORE)

    FOA PAGE 2

    The Senate companion bill, Senate Bill 278 by Senator Garrett Richter (R-Naples), passed its second committee of reference yesterday and has one more stop to go before reaching the Senate floor. The Senate bill reflects safety provisions that have been amended to the bill that will further restrict what medications will be approved to be administered orally by licensed optometrists. To learn more about the FOA, please visit www.floridaeyes.org. ###

    You might also like