Current Legislation
An Act Relative to the Modernization of Optometric Patient Care
This is the refiling of our scope of practice bill that will allow optometrists, who have met certain standards, to treat glaucoma, to prescribe oral medications and to administer epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis.
An Act Relative to Reciprocity for Licensing Optometrists
This bill would allow optometrists licensed in a state where the requirements for registration are "reasonably equivalent" to those of the Commonwealth, upon passage of a jurisprudence exam, to have their license recognized in Massachusetts. This bill would also permit use of the term “optometric physician”.
An Act Relative to the Independent Practice of Health Care in the Commonwealth
This legislation would allow various health care providers’ board of registrations to set each professional scope of practice through regulation. The regulations would be based on the national standards of care for each profession.
An Act Relative to Assessing the Commonwealth's Eye Care and Vision Health Needs
This bill would establish a special commission on the eye care and vision health needs of the Commonwealth. The commission will report on the current status of and foreseeable needs for eye care and vision health in the Commonwealth. The commission will also identify strategies for addressing the Commonwealth’s unmet eye care and vision health needs in children and seniors.
An Act Relative to the Consumer Choice of Vision and Eye Care Services
This legislation, which is modeled after recently passed legislation in other states, aims to address the most common discriminatory contracting practices in the area of eye care and vision insurance benefit plans. This legislation targets discrimination between classes of eye care providers with respect to co-pay, cost, reimbursement and participation schedules as well as unreasonable contracting practices, such as provider agreements that require uncompensated discounts for non-covered services and materials.
This is the refiling of our scope of practice bill that will allow optometrists, who have met certain standards, to treat glaucoma, to prescribe oral medications and to administer epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis.
An Act Relative to Reciprocity for Licensing Optometrists
This bill would allow optometrists licensed in a state where the requirements for registration are "reasonably equivalent" to those of the Commonwealth, upon passage of a jurisprudence exam, to have their license recognized in Massachusetts. This bill would also permit use of the term “optometric physician”.
An Act Relative to the Independent Practice of Health Care in the Commonwealth
This legislation would allow various health care providers’ board of registrations to set each professional scope of practice through regulation. The regulations would be based on the national standards of care for each profession.
An Act Relative to Assessing the Commonwealth's Eye Care and Vision Health Needs
This bill would establish a special commission on the eye care and vision health needs of the Commonwealth. The commission will report on the current status of and foreseeable needs for eye care and vision health in the Commonwealth. The commission will also identify strategies for addressing the Commonwealth’s unmet eye care and vision health needs in children and seniors.
An Act Relative to the Consumer Choice of Vision and Eye Care Services
This legislation, which is modeled after recently passed legislation in other states, aims to address the most common discriminatory contracting practices in the area of eye care and vision insurance benefit plans. This legislation targets discrimination between classes of eye care providers with respect to co-pay, cost, reimbursement and participation schedules as well as unreasonable contracting practices, such as provider agreements that require uncompensated discounts for non-covered services and materials.