State Board of Optometry meeting

The State Board of Optometry met on April 11, 2014, and discussed several issues of interest to doctors of optometry:
 
CURES: The state Department of Justice gave the board an overview of the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) reporting system and told the board that all health care providers who are authorized by law to prescribe scheduled drugs will be required to register to use the drug reporting system. This means all TPA- and TPG-certified doctors of optometry will have to sign up, even if they have never prescribed any controlled substance. While you must register, use of the system is voluntary, for now. There is no mandate to actually upload any prescription data or check the database before prescribing any scheduled drug.
 
Children's vision: The State Board of Optometry voted to send letters to the authors of SB 1172 (Steinberg) and AB 1840 (Campos), both addressing vision screening for school children, asking that the measures be amended to require a comprehensive eye exam before kids enter school rather than expanding the current vision screening system in California that has failed so many children. (See "Children’s vision legislation" in this newsletter.)
 
Election of new board officers: Alex Arredondo, OD, was re-elected to serve another term as president. Madhu Chawla, OD, was elected to serve as vice president and Donna Burke was elected to serve as secretary. COA congratulates all the new and re-elected officers!

Return to May