This commentary is by Dr. Dean Barcelow, an optometrist with offices in Bethel, White River Junction and the Veterans Adminstration Medical Cener. He is president of the Vermont Optometric Association.
There is one clear and simple step to advance access to eye health and vision care for the almost 650,000 people who live across our small but mighty state: Support Senate Bill 158 (S.158).
As Vermonters, we know the meaning of community and working together for the common good, which is one of the reasons we are consistently at the top of health care rankings nationally. And the almost 100 doctors of optometry across the state take pride in our role in preserving that health care and strive every day to elevate the well-being for everyone across the state.
I know I do. A third-generation Vermont doctor of optometry, I want to continue in my family’s footsteps to progress patient eye health and vision care.
That is why S.158 is so important. Doctors of optometry are critically aware of the need for important access to care and treatment for those who have eye health and vision conditions — and those who may not even be aware that they may have a health issue.
The number of vision problems in Vermont is pervasive. When you look at all patients who may have conditions, from cataracts to diabetic retinopathy to glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration, there are an estimated 200,000 cases across our population. Doctors of optometry are at the front lines of diagnosing and delivering care to these patients.
S.158 delivers an important solution to this challenge by enabling doctors of optometry to deliver care they are trained to deliver.
During the past several decades, optometric health care education, training and innovations have advanced exponentially. Doctors of optometry have had the education and training since the 1990s to practice the care S.158 will enable them to deliver.
And during the past two years, more and more states have taken decisive steps to advance legislation that expands optometric scope of practice to meet our skills. In addition, a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Labor has made clear recommendations that “states should consider changes to their scope of practice statutes to allow all health care providers to practice to the top of their license, using their full skill set.”
S.158 is an important solution to the challenges our eye health care system and our patients face. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is not taking acute consults. The University of Vermont Health Network has a wait time of three or more months to get an appointment. This leaves some of our residents no choice but to head to Concord or Boston for eye care when they could stay closer to home.
The bill also opens the doors for more doctors of optometry to come into Vermont. Graduating students and residents are looking across the country for states where they can practice the care that more closely matches their education and training. S.158 will position Vermont as a state to go to for patient care.
Through the bill, our patients will have:
- Increased access to straightforward, office-based procedures in the appropriate primary care setting.
- Enhanced choice of available qualified providers.
- Reduced redundancies in the provision of care.
- Eliminated facility fees charged to many Vermonters by surgeon-owned ambulatory surgical centers, as well as in- and out-of-state hospitals.
- Reduced and/or eliminated lost income by needing to take additional time off work.
Unfortunately, there are those who continue to fight progress and S.158 with tired claims that have been asserted for more than two decades — unproven claims that have not come to fruition in states that have expanded scope to match modern optometric skills.
S.158 paves the way to more efficient and collaborative patient care with the 39 ophthalmologists across Vermont. Instead of maintaining the limited access patients have today, ophthalmology should consider investing resources and time in ensuring their profession continues to grow, thrive and truly collaborate with fellow doctors of optometry to advance patient care.
Please ask your legislator to support S.158 to advance the practice of optometry. This is good for patients and good for Vermonters.
