Legislature(2009 - 2010)BARNES 124
02/26/2010 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB245 | |
| HB340 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 245 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 340 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 245-LICENSING FOR OPTOMETRY
3:27:08 PM
CHAIR OLSON announced that the first order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 245, "An Act relating to licensure as an
optometrist; establishing a retired status optometrist license;
and providing for an effective date."
3:27:20 PM
KACI SCHROEDER HOTCH, Staff, Representative Bill Thomas, Jr.,
Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of the prime sponsor,
Representative Bill Thomas, paraphrased the sponsor statement,
which read [original punctuation provided]:
HB 245 makes some necessary changes to the licensure
criteria for optometrists in this state.
Currently, Alaska has three levels of licensure for
optometrists:
1.) Basic License (no pharmaceuticals)
2.) License with Pharmaceutical Endorsement (in-office
eye drops)
3.) License with Pharmaceutical Prescription and Use
Endorsement (prescribing authority).
The Board of Optometry would like to have a standard
level of care that everyone receives from
optometrists. Therefore, some adjustments need to be
made in statute to require the highest level of care.
HB 245 brings Alaska statutes in line with current
educational levels. Students graduating from optometry
schools within the last five years have already
received the level of education necessary to obtain a
license at the highest level currently provided in
Alaska. Further, most licensed optometrists in Alaska
have already obtained the level of education necessary
for the highest level of licensure. There are only a
handful of people who have not received that education
and most of these optometrists are nearing retirement
age. These optometrists would be issued a restricted
license which would allow them to continue to practice
but still not allow them to provide services that go
beyond their level of education.
The level of education required in HB 245 has been
standard in most optometrist schools across the
country and older optometrists have already obtained
this level of education on their own. Many states are
currently working on or have already passed similar
legislation. Our citizens deserve the most current and
highest level of care possible; allowing the licensure
of optometrists with less than the standard education
levels puts our citizens at risk. HB 245 remedies this
problem by standardizing the licensure requirements
for optometrists in Alaska.
3:28:29 PM
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH presented a section-by-section analysis of
HB 245. Section 1 outlines the education requirements required
for licensure, including that the applicant must pass written
exam, and complete course work on ocular diseases,
pharmaceutical agent injections, or other course work outlined
by the board. Section 2 would allow an applicant to retake the
exam if he/she previously failed the exam. Section 3 would
require applicants for licensure by credential to possess a
license from a state that has licensure requirement equivalent
to Alaska, to pass the Alaska state exam, as well as the
National Board of Examiners of Optometry's exam.
3:29:27 PM
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH explained that Section 4 relates to renewal
of licenses, including that licensees must meet the minimum
number of continuing education, consisting of 8 hours related to
prescription of pharmaceutical agents and 7 hours related to
injection of non-topical therapeutic pharmaceutical agents, and
meet other requirements outlined by the board through
regulations. Section 5 would establish the status of retired
license, which does not need to be renewed, and can be
reactivated upon application and upon meeting continuing
education requirements.
3:30:04 PM
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH explained that Section 6 and 7 would remove
references to certain classes of licenses that are being
eliminated. Section 8 would provide transition for a person who
is not currently licensed at the highest level of optometry
licensure to continue to practice until he/she has met the
additional education requirements. Section 10 would establish
an immediate effective date.
3:30:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH referred to Section 3, and inquired as to
whether this would require applicants to pass a national exam.
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH answered yes.
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH asked whether the board referred to in the
bill is the state board.
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH answered yes. The board referred to in HB
245 is the State Board of Examiners in Optometry.
3:31:25 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH referred to Section 8, to the grandfather
clause and asked for clarification.
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH referred to page 5 of the bill. She
explained that an optometrist who did not wish to upgrade
his/her license could opt for a restricted license.
3:32:17 PM
CHAIR OLSON asked for an estimate of the number of optometrists
who would be grandfathered in and would not choose to upgrade
their licenses.
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH anticipated that 25 people would be affected
by this section of the bill.
3:32:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asked for clarification on the term
"injectables." He recalled his own personal eye surgery and an
injection he received.
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH deferred to Ms. Geering to discuss
injections.
3:33:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE T. WILSON referred to page 2, line 23 of HB 245,
noting that an applicant could retake a portion of test, but
that the bill would require applicants to retake the entire
examination.
MS. SCHROEDER HOTCH deferred to Ms. Geering to answer the
question.
JILL GEERING, Optometrist; Chair, Board of Examiners in
Optometry, explained that injections, such as the one
Representative Lynn described, would rarely be used. She
remarked that the reason to leave the language in the bill is to
allow for expansion of the technology and techniques,
emphasizing that the current use of injections is limited.
3:35:00 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asked about injections performed for routine
cataract and laser surgeries.
DR. GEERING advised that those types of procedures would be
performed by an opthalmologist. The optometrists are not asking
to expand their practice to include surgery or other procedures.
3:35:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked for the definitions of optometrist
and opthamologist.
DR. GEERING explained that an opthamologist attends medical
school and completes a residency in opthamology and is also a
medical doctor (MD). An optometrist attends a four-year
optometrist's program in an Optometry school, with an optional
one year of residency, resulting in a Doctor of Optometry, or OD
designation. The primary difference between an opthamologist
and an optometrist in Alaska is that only an opthamologist can
perform surgery. The differences vary from state to state since
optometrists are licensed by each state. In Alaska,
optometrists are allowed to prescribe topical drops, oral
medications, treat glaucoma, and perform superficial injections.
3:36:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN related his understanding that HB 245
would affect an optometrist, but not an opthamologist.
DR. GEERING agreed.
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN referred to page 2, line 31, of HB 245,
and asked which schools are recognized by board.
DR. GEERING related that the Alaska Board of Examiners for
Optometry currently places a list of approved schools into its
regulations. She clarified that the board recognizes 13 or 14
Optometry schools in the U.S. and Canada. The Alaska Board of
Examiners in Optometry does not recognize programs from other
countries since the programs are not accredited for optometric
education in the U.S.
3:38:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked whether the board has ever denied
anyone licensure.
DR. GEERING did not recall anyone ever being denied in the six
years that she has served on the board. In further response to
Representative Neuman, she recalled that all of the applications
she has reviewed have been for candidates who graduated from a
U.S. school, which possess more stringent programs than the
programs in most foreign countries.
3:39:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE T. WILSON asked for the reason that applicants
retaking the exam would have to take the entire text instead of
a portion of the exam.
DR. GEERING explained that previously the Board of Examiners in
Optometry administered its own test, but now the board accepts
the national examination so this technically cleans up the
language to reflect that applicants take the national exam.
3:40:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH referred to the zero fiscal note attached to
the bill. He asked whether board members would be compensated
for attending board meetings.
DR. GEERING responded that the Board of Examiners in Optometry
(BEO) is comprised of four optometrists and one public member.
The BEO meets two times a year, once face-to-face, and once by
teleconference. She said the BEO may actually result in a
negative fiscal note since under HB 245 the level of licenses
changes. Currently, applicants can apply for one of three
levels of licensing, with each level having different
requirements for licensure. She remarked that this can be
confusing to applicants. Thus, the DCCED's staff must spend
considerable time with applicants and in issuing the
endorsements for each level of license. However, the number of
times the board will meet will not change.
3:43:24 PM
CHAIR OLSON, after first determining no one else wished to
testify, closed public testimony on HB 245.
3:43:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN moved to report HB 245 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no objection, HB 245 was reported from the
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.
3:43:58 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 3:43 p.m. to 3:46 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB245 ver A.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 245 |
| HB245 Sponsor Statement ver A.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 245 |
| HB245 Sectional Analysis ver A.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 245 |
| HB245 Fiscal Note-CED-CBPL-2-21-10.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 245 |
| HB245 Board of Op Examiners Annual Report.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 245 |
| HB245 Highest Level Req for Licensure Survey of States Jan2010.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 245 |
| HB245 Letter D Halverson 2-22-10.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 245 |
| HB340 ver E.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 340 |
| HB340 Sponsor Statement ver E.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 340 |
| HB340 Sectional Analysis ver E.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 340 |
| HB340 Fiscal Note-CED-CRA-2-24-10.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 340 |
| HB340 Leg Research Report 6-15-09.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 340 |
| HB340 Letter City of North Pole 2-26-10.pdf |
HL&C 2/26/2010 3:15:00 PM |
HB 340 |