Survey Alert From the American Optometric AssociationPlease be aware that your association or your members may receive an invitation to participate in a survey requesting "assistance in helping to understand the practice patterns of eye care providers for the treatment of herpetic eye disease." Please note that this document is being sent by an Oklahoma ophthalmologist, James Chodosh, MD, MPH, of Dean McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma. There are two versions of this document, one directed towards optometrists and one to ophthalmologists. You and your members are under no obligation to participate in or assist this survey. Please forward this to your leadership and membership, so that they are aware of this survey. Please contact me (see below) or Sherry Cooper (SLCooper@AOA.org) if you have any questions. Thank you! Jeffrey L. Weaver, OD
Director, Clinical Care Group
American Optometric Association
Saint Louis, Missouri
(314) 983-4244
(800) 365-2219 Ext. 4244 |
April: Sports Vision Month There is a good opportunity to promote your practice to athletes who need a more personalized eye examination to help fulfill their potential. The American Optometric Association is helping you promote Sports Vision Month to your patients. It makes your patients think about their own athletic abilities and as importantly, those family members who could benefit from a specialized in-depth eye exam specifically targeted toward what athletes need. Also, marketing the use of protective eyewear for those soccer players, baseball players and other spring sports contestants is another sales avenue which helps you and your patients. A higher percentage of athletes, over the normal population, see better than 20/20. But an eye examination for an athlete is an in-depth process that goes into more depth and detail than an average eye exam. The UHCO Sports Vision Performance Center assesses the structure and performance of the visual system for athletes. With spring training for baseball underway and the lull in the football season, athletes are lining up to insure that they are performing to their potential. During Sports Vision Month, we will be running additional information from optometrists such as Kevin Gee, OD, FAAO, who are in the training areas with the athletes to help them perform even better and will have suggestions about how to handle exams. AOA Sports Vision Protective Eyewear |
Optometrist Mollie Armstrong Takes Her Place in HistoryHistorical Marker Placed in BrownwoodBy Gene Deason - Brownwood Bulletin Published: Sunday, March 16, 2008 2:52 AM CDT  | | Dr. Jay Vollett of Dallas (second from left), great-grandson of Dr. Mollie Armstrong joined TOA Executive Director Bj Avery, Randy Ethridge, OD, TOA President Brian Blount, OD and Kent Comolli, OD in Brownwood to unveil the marker honoring Vollet's great grandmother. |
The accomplishments of Dr. Mollie Armstrong, who was instrumental is establishing optometry as a profession in Texas in the early 20th century, were so numerous, they wouldn't all fit on the historical marker. "We had to write three or four versions," Brown County Historical Commissioner president Ronnie Lappe said at Saturday morning's dedication of the marker. "We couldn't get everything on there we wanted." But commission historian Alexia Bieniek was finally able to edit a lengthy biography to fit the Texas Historical Marker that local and state officials along with family members dedicated in front of the office of Brownwood optometrists Dr. Kent Comolli and Dr. Randy Ethridge at Austin Avenue and Avenue C. More on Dr. Armstrong Dedication |
Billing, Coding and MoreCMS has revised the Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN). Providers and suppliers could begin using the new ABN on March 3, 2008. CMS will allow a 6-month transition period from the date of implementation for use of the revised form and instructions. All providers and suppliers must begin using the new ABN (CMS-R-131) no later than September 1, 2008. Information and instructions are available at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/BNI/02_ABNGABNL.asp REVISED ABN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS| Q1. | What changes have been made to the current ABN? | | A1. | Some key features of the revised ABN are that it: - Has a new official title, the "Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN)", in order to more clearly convey the purpose of the notice;
- Replaces both the existing ABN-G and ABN-L;
- May also be used for voluntary notifications, in place of the Notice of Exclusion from Medicare Benefits (NEMB);
- Has a mandatory field for cost estimates of the items/services at issue; and
- Includes a new beneficiary option, under which an individual may choose to receive an item/service, and pay for it out-of-pocket, rather than have a claim submitted to Medicare.
| | Q2. | How long will the transition period be for use of the revised form? | | A2. | Providers and suppliers may begin using the new ABN on March 3, 2008. CMS will allow a 6-month transition period from the date of implementation for use of the revised form and instructions. Thus, all providers and suppliers must begin using the new ABN (CMS-R-131) no later than September 1, 2008. | | Q3. | Where can we access the revised ABN and instructions? | | A3. | The revised ABN and form instructions can be accessed online at www.cms.hhs.gov/bni. | | Q4. | May we translate the revised ABN into other languages? | | A4. | The ABN is an OMB-approved form and cannot be altered except as permitted by the accompanying instructions. The ABN is available in English and will soon be available in Spanish. Notifiers should choose the appropriate version of the ABN based on the language the beneficiary best understands. When Spanish-language ABNs are used, the notifier should make insertions on the notice in Spanish. For beneficiaries who speak languages other than English or Spanish, verbal assistance in other languages may be provided to help beneficiaries understand the notice. Notifiers should document any translation assistance that they provide in the "Additional Information" section of the notice. | | Q5. | Are there manual instructions for the revised form? | | A5. | We will post detailed manual instructions for the revised form to the Medicare Online Claims Processing Manual in the near future. Please check the BNI webpage for updates at www.cms.hhs.gov/bni. | | Q6. | Where can we send questions regarding the revised ABN? | | A6. | Questions regarding the revised ABN can be sent to RevisedABN_ODF@cms.hhs.gov. | | Q7. | Will SNFs be required to use the revised ABN? | | A7. | No, the revised SNFABN will cover all Part B items/services delivered in a SNF and will be available before September 1, 2008. Therefore, SNFs may continue using the current ABN-G for Part B items/services until the revised SNFABN is implemented. |
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2008 ELECTION DATES TO REMEMBERVoter Information Available: March 29 — Democrats and Republicans hold their State Senate District conventions. March 31-April 4 — Early voting for March primary runoffs April 8— Primary Runoff Election June 6-7 — Democrats hold their state convention in Austin June 12-14 — Republicans hold their state convention in Houston June 14 — Green Party holds its state convention; location TBA July 10-13 — Green Party holds its national convention in Chicago August 25 — Democratic National Convention opens in Denver September 1 — Republican National Convention opens in Minneapolis November 4 — General election for all national, state, and county offices Find Your Legislator:http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/  If you do not know who your legislators are, here is an easy way to find out by adding your address or county.
Please support your profession by voting in the Texas primary March 4 (early voting begins February 19) and the general election in November. |
| Thank you for reading our monthly e- news. Please send us your suggestions and comments or thoughts about stories we might include. We are working hard to insure that your dues dollars bring you the maximum benefits of membership. This is a work in progress. Email Bj Avery at the TOA office at texop@aol.com
Sincerely, Brian Blount, O.D., President The Texas Optometric Association Inc. |
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