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This has certainly not been a dull year so far. We have had some changes both in the office and in our lobbying team. I would like to thank all the Board of Trustees for pulling up their sleeves and doing a lot of hard work to make things run better. I would also like to thank the members who have been supportive of the leadership team and their decisions. I can relay to you that we are having a very productive year creating a stronger infrastructure. We are also having a very productive legislative agenda this year. There are a lot of things happening in optometry and I hope everyone is paying attention not only to our local issues but also to our country's capital healthcare reform agenda. We have two optometrists running for office, Dr. Alice Sterling from the Orlando area and Dr. Mark Marciano from the Palm Beach area. I hope everyone has donated to their campaigns. I can't stress enough how valuable it would be to have an optometrist in office serving the public and the optometric community. Please take some time to read the article named, “Practice of Optometry” by our legislative chair Dr. Ken Lawson in this edition of the Insight. This article will give you an insight into how far along we are legislatively this year and how much work both Dr. Lawson and Dr. Foreman have put into getting our bill referenced to committees in the House. Please, if you know any of the members on the Health Regulatory Committee give them a call to ask them to support our bill and maybe even cosponsor it. Remember, we can't accomplish our goals without your help. We need your support throughout this whole process. Take some time to make some calls to your representatives, attend fundraisers in your area to show legislators that we care or at the least send us a check if you are unable to attend. Certainly there are issues that will affect you within the very near future, whether it comes from Tallahassee or Washington DC. Some will be positive and some negative, hopefully more positive than negative. What's important to remember is that we need to stick together and not lose sight of the big picture. We cannot overcome some of the hurdles that lie ahead without uniting as a profession. Please don't forget to pay your FOA membership dues. We make every effort to spend your dues wisely and hope to give you a big return on your investment. Best Wishes, Emilio H. Balius, O.D.
As most of you are aware, our 13 drug bill has been officially named "Practice of Optometry" and is on file as HB135 in the House of Representatives and SB330 in the Senate. HB135 is sponsored by Speaker Pro Tem Representative Ron Reagan. Several co-sponsors have already signed on to HB135 including Rep. Ambler; Rep. Drake; Rep Glorioso; Rep. Kreegel; Rep Mayfield; Rep. Van Zant and Rep. Zapata. SB330 is sponsored by Senator Bennett. Furthermore, we have commitments from Sen. Rich and Sen. Detert for co-sponsorship in the Senate. With these legislators your FOA leadership team is fully engaged in the legislative process to move our bill forward. To amplify this effort your FOA has recruited several new Lobbyists and as a combined force we are currently discussing our bill and fostering its support from additional co-sponsors and many legislative members. Our legislative message has been strong and well received just as our goal in passing this bill is simple and altruistic: "We wish to provide our patients with greater access to eye health care at reduced cost in terms of eliminating wasted time and money from specific oral drug related redundant referrals." Further championing us in this effort, legions of MD's have written letters of support in direct favor of our bill and attesting to its benefits to the patients of Florida. In moving forward ,we strongly wish to encourage all of you to speak to your local legislators as soon as possible about signing on to support our bill especially if they are a member listed below. Please use the legislative message listed above when discussing the intent and merit of our bill and include the bill number as HB135 or SB330 . Please let us know what feedback you receive from your local legislators regarding our bill by e-mailing Dr. Lawson @ DOCJSL@AOL.COM or Dr. Foreman @ DR4MAN@AOL.COM . Now is the time to reach out as constituents to the local legislators that represent you in the political arena. Lastly, at this time I wish to openly thank the members of the FOA Board of Trustees as they work tirelessly to serve as the "New Face" of Optometry in Florida. I would also like to thank all of our FOA members that have mobilized to assist us thru multiple campaign contributions, MD letters of support and volunteered time, effort and energy. Together we have an excellent opportunity to make a difference to patient eye care and economics in Florida.
HEALTH CARE REGULATION POLICY COMMITTEE Representatives:
Sincerely, Dr. Emilio Balius FOA President
Legal Corner: Beware of Email Pitfalls by Carson & Adkins, FOA Legal Council Email has become a fundamental communication tool in today’s society. However, inattention to email habits can lead to unexpected problems. Common sense dictates that you do not say anything in an email you would not want published on the front page of a newspaper. Contrary to popular belief, notwithstanding all of the disclaimer language at the bottom of the last page of the email, emails are not confidential. Emails do not disappear after being read by the recipient, and are easily forwarded, intentionally or unintentionally, to others. Emails can be subject to a subpoena in litigation and can be retrieved even when deleted. The following guidelines can avoid many of the pitfalls associated with email usage:
Finally, Florida has a very strict open government law that prohibits 2 or more public officials sitting as a collegial body from communicating with each other outside of a public meeting on a matter likely to come before them for consideration. By way of example, copying multiple members of the Board of Optometry on an email concerning an issue or topic that may come before the Board places those Board members in an awkward position and potentially creates the impression that the Board members are acting contrary to law. Do not copy or forward an email to a Board member if there is a reasonable expectation that the topic included in the email will come before the Board for discussion.
Deter the Crime. Defend the Victim. Defeat the Criminal. Identity theft is the fastest growing and most lucrative crime in the United States, claiming millions of new victims each year. Everyone is vulnerable. Identity theft is devastating and can take, on average, 330 hours to reverse the damage done to its victims. Most people believe identity theft is just about credit card fraud, it’s not, it’s about using your personal information to gain employment, open utilities in your name, open new credit, buy homes, or vehicles in your name and even gain access to your health care services. Medical Identity theft has spiraled out of control claiming over half a million victims each year. Unlike traditional identity theft, medical identity theft is very hard to detect and, if you have become a victim, it is much harder to repair the damage. Every time a thief uses your medical identity to obtain medical care, it creates records with their medical information that could be mistaken for yours – a different blood type, a history of drug or alcohol abuse, test results that aren’t yours, or a diagnosis of an illness you don’t have. Unlike credit reporting agencies, health care providers are not required to delete or correct incorrect information on your medical records. Crimes relating to Identity theft have accelerated in 2008 and are expected to worsen in 2009. In addition to traditional methods, criminals are using more sophisticated schemes targeting the unemployed, consumers with poor credit and homeowners facing foreclosure, especially in our troubled economy, according to a report issued by the Identity Theft Resource Center, a national advocacy group of experts based in San Diego, CA. Fortunately, the FOA has taken the necessary steps to proactively combat this growing problem. The FOA is dedicated to our members by providing quality insurances at highly discounted rates. As part of our commitment, we have partnered with iSekurity - an industry leader employing more than 200 former federal agents from the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, ATF, US Customs, IRS, and Postal Inspectors committed to fighting identity theft and fraud. iSekurity provides victim insurance coverage, credit and restoration services, and a promise to aggressively go after the criminal and seek justice should you become victimized. iSekurity provides complete identity theft protection solutions with the tools to deter the crime, defend the victim, and defeat the criminal. Identity theft affects 10 million people per year, costs businesses over $50 billion, and unsuspecting consumers nearly $5 billion to restore the mess that has been made of their credit and legal identity. Identity fraud against consumers has reached epidemic proportion and consumers are looking for a solution. By choosing iSekurity, you will be a part of that solution. Below is a brief description of iSekurity and it's services: · Sekure Scan ℠ - iSekurity’s proprietary scan searches multiple databases to create your comprehensive “life history” report to detect suspicious activity early. This report is more than just a credit check and includes everything from your entire address history, all financial account information to criminal acts committed in your name. As an iSekurity member you will receive a Sekure Scan annually. · 24/7 Victim Hotline - anytime access to and assistance from iSekurity’s victim hotline. · Criminal Investigation- an expert iSekurity agent will be assigned to manage your case and launch an aggressive investigation to identify the person(s) responsible for stealing your identity, including assisting law enforcement in the arrest and prosecution. · Financial Recovery- reimbursement up to $25,000 per year of identity restoration costs, legal defense expenses and lost wages. · Reverse Bounty Guarantee- if iSekurity cannot identify the person(s) responsible for the crime against you within 12 months of the start of their investigation, iSekurity will pay you an $11,000 bounty. iSekurity has the most comprehensive identity theft protection service in the market today. They provide early detection, insurance coverage, credit and identity restoration services in the event a member becomes a victim, similar to other providers. Unlike other providers, iSekurity will investigate the fraud against their members and identify and locate the criminal and assist in their arrest and prosecution. Identity theft is a crime and both iSekurity and FOA know that the only real way to stop the impact of a crime is to stop the criminal. The Florida Optometric Association has recently contracted with iSekurity to offer the most revolutionary identity theft protection service on the market to all FOA Members, family, staff and friends at highly discounted pricing. All information regarding iSekurity and it's services can be found at www.floridaeyes.org or, for more information regarding identity theft and what you can do to protect yourself, please contact our NEW identity theft protection provider, iSekurity, at 877.838.5734 Monday thru Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm EST.
The American Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines has identified annual dilated eye exams as an important part of health care for persons with diabetes. Eye care for the patient with diabetes requires a partnership between the primary physician, the eye care specialist, and the patient. While it is the responsibility of the eye care specialist to manage eye disease, it is also their responsibility to ensure that the primary physician is aware of the dilated eye exam and severity of retinopathy to assist in the management of the ongoing diabetes care. Tight control of blood glucose and associated hypertension is essential to delaying the progression of retinal complications of diabetes. Coordination of care among medical practitioners is an important element in the quality of the patient’s care.
Memo Pad Calendar
Optometric Career Opportunities http://www.nova.edu/optometry/placement/index.html Opportunity Listing/Posting Fill-in Listing/Posting Staff Listing/Posting Colleges/ Prof. Org. Other Links The opportunities on this website are posted by the NSU College of Optometry as a service to the profession. The positions/practices are not affiliated with the University or College, and as such, the College assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information, the appropriateness of any benefits, the practice description or the negotiations/transactions (including the legality of contracts) that might evolve. ONE-STOP SHOP for Doctors looking to hire & Optometric Staff looking to work. It’s Local, it’s fast and it works! “I’ve worked 7 years for other optometrists and many times I used this website to look for job opportunities. Now I am looking to hire employees and I need a fast way to hire! This website is the ideal way to get employers and employees connected.” Dr Cristina S. http://www.nova.edu/optometry/placement/index.html
Can My Web Site Serve Patients While Selling Products? It's quite common for practices to customize their web sites in an attempt to simultaneously achieve two primary goals: 1) to serve existing patients and capture new ones, and 2) to sell optical products such as frames and contact lenses online. The question is, can a practice successfully achieve both goals with a single web site? If properly built, a web site can certainly achieve the first goal of serving existing as well as new patients by including background information about the staff, the practice's location, and contact details, along with self-service tools such as questionnaires, appointment scheduling, and insurance forms.
Achieve One Goal at a Time Non-patients, who are actively seeking to buy a pair of eyeglasses, sunglasses, or to refill their contact lenses, are not interested in the background information about your practice that is most prominent if your web site is designed to serve patients. They will not see a web site that is geared toward purchasing optical products online. Therefore, it would seem that the two primary goals of an optical practice's web site - 1) serving patients and 2) selling products - are at odds with each other.
Two web Sites are Better than One If you try to force your web site to make everybody happy, you're likely to end up making nobody happy. The solution for achieving both goals is now fairly obvious; build yourself a second and separate web site that is 100% e-commerce focused. In this manner, you can better achieve your two primary goals: 1) Your first site can serve existing patients and capture new ones, and 2) Your second site is a perfect sales tool to sell optical products such as frames and contact lenses online. EyeCarePro.net is an FOA Service Provider for optometric web site services. We are pleased to see that EyeCarePro.net's technology and vision for developing and servicing optometrist web sites has led to its recent selection as an 'American Optometric Association Preferred Provider' of web site services. The AOA now refers any web site development inquiries to EyeCarePro, as do we.
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Employment Opportunities
Executive Director Position
The Florida Optometric Association seeks an Executive Director who
will serve the Association in such a way, as to: ensure the
financial stability of the Association, work collaboratively with a
Board of Directors, ensure the legal integrity of the Association
through the Association’s legal counsel, develop fundraising and
membership programs that provides a diverse, sustainable and
reliable revenue stream, provide a leadership and managerial style
that strengthens the Association and the profession of Optometry in
the State of Florida.
Qualifications: The successful candidate will have:
experience within the profession of optometry or equivalent advanced
professional field, strong, decisive leadership experience and
decision-making style based on collaborative relationships,
knowledge of and understanding of sound accounting principles,
experience and success working within fundraising and membership
development programs. Rank will be commensurate with past experience,
qualifications and responsibilities. For further information on the Florida
Optometric Association see:
www.floridaeyes.org Immediate availability; review of applications
begins September 15, 2009 and continues until position is filled.
Applicants should electronically send a resume, 3 personal
references and 3 professional references to:
EDsearchcommittee@floridaeyes.org.
The Florida Optometric Association is an
equal opportunity employer.
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