03/21/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

        HB 309-DELEGATION OF ROUTINE OPTOMETRY SERVICES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:08:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.  309  "An   Act  relating  to  the  practice  of                                                               
optometry; and relating to the  delegation of routine services of                                                               
optometry."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:08:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JUSTIN RUFFRIDGE,  Alaska  State Legislature,  as                                                               
prime sponsor, introduced  HB 309, saying that passage  of HB 309                                                               
would  remedy the  exclusion of  optometrists in  the state,  and                                                               
that it would bring the request to the Board of Optometrists.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:10:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAMES  SEXTON,  Staff,  Representative Justin  Ruffridge,  Alaska                                                               
State Legislature,  on behalf of Representative  Ruffridge, prime                                                               
sponsor,  gave  a PowerPoint  presentation  on  HB 309  [hardcopy                                                               
included in the  committee packet]. He began on slide  one of his                                                               
presentation, explaining  that optometric practices do  note have                                                               
current statute  language defining  their authority.  He compared                                                               
other  healthcare professions  in Alaska  that do  have statutory                                                               
definitions of  their authority  and gave  examples of  the tasks                                                               
and  medical  duties  of  an optometrist.  He  said  the  current                                                               
challenges  faced  by  optometrists   are  rising  patient  load,                                                               
absence  of assistance,  and financial  burden. He  explained the                                                               
impacts of  HB 309, saying there  is great support for  this bill                                                               
and what the goal of the bill would be.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SEXTON  gave a  sectional  analysis  on HB  309[included  in                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1                                                                                                                
     (7)  authorizes  an   optometrist  licensed  under  the                                                                    
     chapter  to  delegate   routine  services  and  ensures                                                                    
     regulations  must   (A)  require  that  an   agent  not                                                                    
     licensed   under  the   chapter  must   meet  standards                                                                    
     established by the Board.                                                                                                  
     (B)  prohibits an  optometrist  from delegating  duties                                                                    
     related to pain management and opiod use and addiction                                                                     
     (C)   Defines   the   phrase   "routine   services   of                                                                    
     optometry".                                                                                                                
     Section 2                                                                                                                
     (a)  and (b)  refers  to section  1  services that  are                                                                    
     delegated by the Optometry Board.                                                                                          
     Section 3                                                                                                                
     Allows  for   the  practice  of  routine   services  of                                                                    
     optometry  as delegated  by  the  Board established  in                                                                    
     Section 1.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:15:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAMIEN   DELZER,   O.D.    President-Elect,   Alaska   Optometric                                                               
Association, He  explained that HB  309 is  legislation requested                                                               
by the Board  of Optometry, saying that it  addresses many issues                                                               
raised by  the board.  He said that  while many  states recognize                                                               
optometry as a  medical authority, Alaska does not.  He said that                                                               
assistance improves access  to nearly all types  of medical care.                                                               
He  said that  HB 309  would help  to decrease  patient cost  and                                                               
improve access. He  gave examples of what  optometrists do beside                                                               
eye  care and  explained that  HB  309 would  allow for  specific                                                               
language to create regulation on optometry.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:19:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SUMNER  asked what  routine  services  are in  an                                                               
optometrist's office.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
DR. DELZER said the assessment  of vision, taking a photograph of                                                               
the   eyes  for   interpretation,   performing   scans  for   the                                                               
interpretation of  the doctor, and  performance of  vision tests,                                                               
are some of the duties performed by a technician or assistant.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:20:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ELIZABETH   STEVENS,   Executive  Director,   Alaska   Optometric                                                               
Association, explained  what the bill  would do to  ease workload                                                               
in  optometrists' offices.  She stated  the association's  strong                                                               
support of HB 309.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:21:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATHLEEN RICE, representing self, voiced  her support for HB 309.                                                               
She said that Alaska optometrists  have had a long-time authority                                                               
to delegate  tasks to technicians  and assistants, and  that this                                                               
bill  would  allow   an  optometrist  to  delegate   tasks  to  a                                                               
technician  or assistant.  She said  it would  update statute  to                                                               
match  what optometrists  across  Alaska are  already doing.  She                                                               
said it would  relieve optometrists of many duties  that may take                                                               
away from their work as optometrists.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:24:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS asked  Representative  Ruffridge what  the                                                               
clean-up of statute would look like.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:25:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE said there is  none that he is aware of,                                                               
and that  he would  have to  look into  it. He  said that  is not                                                               
something he looked at in preparation for this bill.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:25:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  opened  public testimony.  After  ascertaining  that                                                               
there  was  no  one  who  wished to  testify,  he  closed  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:26:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BRADLEY CROSS,  Optometrist, said  that optometry  is responsible                                                               
for primary eye care in Alaska.  He said that optometry has shown                                                               
itself to  be safe, sustainable, and  economically beneficial. He                                                               
said  that HB  309 would  correct  the current  statute to  allow                                                               
optometrists to delegate tasks to  technicians and assistants, as                                                               
they are allowed to in other  places of the country. He said that                                                               
as Alaska's population ages, optometrists  will be more important                                                               
than ever, and that this bill would help solve that problem.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:30:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX announced that HB 309 was held over.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:31:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:31 p.m. to 3:33. p.m.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:33:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):                                                                                                       
                    CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):                                                                                
^Alaska State Medical Board                                                                                                     
                   Alaska State Medical Board                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  PAULSON, M.D.  Appointee, State  Medical Board,  explained                                                               
his history  in the medical  field and medical politics,  as well                                                               
as explained his focus as a board appointee.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:34:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA  said  that  there isn't  much    geographic                                                               
diversity on  the state medical  board and asked how  Dr. Paulson                                                               
would  address  rural issues  with  the  whole board  being  from                                                               
Anchorage.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
DR. PAULSON said he doesn't  specifically have a solution for it,                                                               
but it  should be  brought up  in a board  meeting to  bring more                                                               
attention to the issue.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:36:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS mentioned Dr.  Paulson's history with anti-                                                               
masking  during  the COVID-19  Pandemic  and  his history  taking                                                               
different sides on medical issues.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
DR.  PAULSON answered  that  he isn't  an  anti-masker, that  his                                                               
opinions aren't contrary to those of the medical community.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:36:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked  if Dr. Paulson came across  anything during his                                                               
time on the board that is of particular interest.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
DR. PAULSON  said that there are  some areas in virtual  care and                                                               
telemedicine  and Artificial  Intelligence (AI)  that need  to be                                                               
addressed.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:38:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  opened public testimony on  the confirmation hearing.                                                               
After ascertaining that  there was no one in the  room who wished                                                               
to testify, he closed public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:38:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DR.  PAULSON, in  response to  committee questions,  indicated he                                                               
would send additional  biographical information to Representative                                                               
Saddler and  responded to Representative  Fields that he  had not                                                               
been the one to redact information from [his resume].                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:41:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:41 p.m. to 3:43 p.m.