Optometry in Minnesota

[mpp]

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Heads up for you Optometry folks,

There is a bill in the Minnesota state legislature (both house and senate) to give optometrists in the state of Minnesota prescription drug rights. I only know of it because I am a member of the American Medical Association and they sent out a bulletin asking us to call our state legislators and askthem to vote "no" on the bill -- don't worry, I won't -- I'm not entirely sure where I stand on the issue. But, I thought you folks might like to know about it. I'll keep you informed as to if the bill passes or not.

 

[cpw]

yeah, definitely keep us posted mpp. Texas has had therapeutics since '91. I can't believe minnesota is so far behind. 🙁

 

[mpp]

I think Minnesotan optometrists currently have the right to use topical medications but no oral drugs. This new law (which the AMA is calling a "Blank Check" law) would give them the same prescribing rights as physicians, including controlled substances.

 

[cpw]

Originally posted by mpp
I think Minnesotan optometrists currently have the right to use topical medications but no oral drugs. This new law (which the AMA is calling a "Blank Check" law) would give them the same prescribing rights as physicians, including controlled substances.

well.. we have orals too, but it's a limited formulary. (some controlled substances, but they're such a pain to get almost no one uses 'em)

 

[rpames]

I hope the AOA gets a national OD policy passed some day. That would give the profession a new face and help improve its image to MD/DOs.

In WI ODs can perscribe pretty much anything (topical and oral) as long as they can show that it can effect the eye in some way. The ocular effects can be sited in literature, or just in theory. Just as long as they can prove they were treating the eye.

My father wrote me a Rx for Clariton last summer because for the first time in my life I appeared to have an allergy of some sort. He could write it because not only was I sneezing, but my eyes itched. 😱

 

[r_salis]

It seems like the states with many medical schools (or highly ranked ones like Mayo in MN) have some of the most stringent regulations for optometry. Is this just a coincidence?

 

[mpp]

I think it is more that states with many physicians have more stringent laws in regards to what other professions are allowed to encroach on their territory. A large part of what the national medical associations (the AMA in particular) and the state medical associations do is lobby legislators in medicolegal issues. Minnesota has many, many physicians as an overall percentage of its population in part due to the huge concentration at the Mayo Clinic (over 3,000 M.D.'s work or are in training there). They do have 3 O.D.'s working at the Mayo Clinic in the Department of Ophthalmology.

 

[J.opt]

Originally posted by mpp
I think it is more that states with many physicians have more stringent laws in regards to what other professions are allowed to encroach on their territory.

I think you are right. Maybe one of the reasons why in Oklahoma they allowed optometrists to perform procedures that optometrists can?t do in other states is because a lot of people here don?t have access to a good ophthalmologist. For example, there is a little college town close to where I live where there is no ophthalmologist in town, so 2 optometrists manage all the visual issues of the whole place (including laser surgery, etc). One is pretty good in low vision stuff, and the other one specializes in eye disease. For major procedures, an ophthalmologist visits once a month at the local hospital.