Advocacy News

There are more scope bills being considered than ever before, many allowing optometrists to perform surgery after a mere 32-hour training course.  

The House of Representatives plans to vote on legislation that would fund the government for the rest of 2025 but ignores the Medicare cuts that took effect on Jan. 1.

The Academy’s Health Policy Committee consulted with Academy staff on many of the top advocacy issues arising from the January 2025 Federal Secretariat meeting.

Responding to members’ request for assistance, the Academy is fighting policies that assign lower reimbursement for certain high-level services.

The heads of national veterans service organizations urged congressional action to protect veterans from unsafe surgical policies in two hearings this week.

We acted following member reports of claim denials for dual administration of geographic atrophy and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs.

It starts with making connections. Our new Surgical Scope Fund Committee Chair K. David Epley, MD, calls on every ophthalmologist to introduce themselves to their state lawmakers.

Stay updated with the latest information on threats to safe eye surgery in New Mexico. All New Mexico ophthalmologists are urged to contact your state representative using the Academy’s grassroots system.

Lee Snyder, MD, discusses her time chairing the Academy's Surgical Scope Fund Committee and why all ophthalmologists should support the fund's campaign to protect surgery by surgeons.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will apply the automatic extreme and uncontrollable circumstances (EUC) policy to eligible physicians in Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated counties in California.