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 RUFFRIDGE,  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  not 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, with some spelling corrections]:                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     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  [opioid]  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                                                               
besides  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.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):                                                                                                       
                    CONFIRMATION HEARING(S):                                                                                
^State Medical Board                                                                                                            
                      State Medical Board                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:33:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX announced  the next  order of  business would  be the                                                               
confirmation  hearing on  the governor's  appointee to  the State                                                               
Medical Board.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:34:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
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.