BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 622 (Hernandez) - Optometry
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|Version: May 4, 2015 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 9 - |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: May 18, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy |
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This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: SB 622 would expand the scope of practice for
optometrists by authorizing specially certified optometrists to
perform certain tests, provide certain immunizations, and to use
lasers for certain procedures.
Fiscal
Impact:
Costs of less than $150,000 to develop and update regulations
by the Board of Optometry (State Optometry Fund).
Minor costs to grant certifications to certain optometrists
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and enforce licensing regulations on those optometrists (State
Optometry Fund). The Board of Optometry anticipates that a
small number of optometrists will seek additional,
post-graduate certification to perform additional procedures
under the bill. Therefore, the additional licensing cost to
issue those certifications and any additional enforcement
activities relating to those new duties are expected to be
minor.
Minor costs for the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development to oversee a future Health Workforce Pilot Project
relating to optometry. Under current practice, the costs of
developing and managing a pilot project are borne by the
sponsoring academic institution. The costs to the Office to
authorize and review any new pilot project are minor.
Background: Under current law, optometrists are licensed and regulated by
the California Optometry Board. Current law establishes the
scope of practice for optometrists and indicates what services
an optometrist is authorized to provide to patients. In general,
optometrists are trained and authorized to diagnose mild to
severe eye problems, to prescribe corrective lenses, and provide
other, specified services. An optometrist may apply for
certification to provide certain additional services, such as
the treatment of primary open angle glaucoma.
Proposed Law:
SB 622 would expand the scope of practice for optometrists by
authorizing specially certified optometrists to perform certain
tests, provide certain immunizations, and to use lasers for
certain procedures.
Specific provisions of the bill would:
Add the provision of habilitative services to the practice of
optometry;
Authorize the Board of Optometry to allow optometrists to use
nonsurgical technology to treat any authorized condition under
the Optometry Practice Act;
Authorize an optometrist certified to use therapeutic
pharmaceutical agents to collect a blood specimen, perform
skin tests, and to use mechanical lipid extraction of certain
glands;
Require the Board to grant an optometrist certified to treat
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glaucoma a certificate for the use of specified immunizations;
Authorize an optometrist to be certified to use anterior
segment lasers and to be certified to perform minor
procedures;
Require the Board to charge specified fees to cover its costs;
State legislative intent that the Office of Statewide Health
Planning and Development authorize a health workforce pilot
project relating to expanded roles for optometrists with
respect to diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia.
Related
Legislation: SB 492 (Hernandez, 2014) would have created an
advance practice certificate for optometrists, allowing
certificated optometrists to perform additional procedures. That
bill died on the Assembly Floor.
Staff
Comments: By expanding the scope of practice for optometrists, this bill
will allow optometrists to provide more care to patients.
Additional care provided by optometrists may increase overall
utilization of health care, to the extent that patients are
currently unable to get care from other practitioners, such as
ophthalmologists or primary care physicians. On the other hand,
patients may substitute care from an optometrist for care from
another practitioner. In addition, to the extent that patients
are currently unable to access primary care services, those
patients may ultimately end up receiving care in another
setting, such as an emergency room, urgent care facility, or
community clinic. Care provided in those settings is likely to
be more costly than primary care (for those patients who require
such care). The overall impact on health care spending
(including for state-funded programs) from this bill is not
likely to result in significant costs or savings.
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