OPW News Alerts and Links
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- 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Includes A 2.5% Physician Pay Increase For Most US Optometrists - 11/25/25
- 2026 AOA Codes for Optometry - 11/18/25
- InfantSEE Week | 2025 Proclamation - 9/25/25
- Children's Vision and Learning Month | 2025 Proclamation - 8/12/25
- AOA President reaches millions in back-to-school media tour - 8/11/25
- AOA advocacy yields Medicare pay, tax fairness wins - 7/21/25
- Clinical Report: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1RAs) and Ocular Health: Guidance for Optometric Practice - 6/27/25
- AOA Expected To See Female President, President-Elect And Vice President Assume Leadership Roles - 6/27/25
- Bolstered by courts, AOA demands VBM cease anti-doctor policies - 6/19/25
- AOA Statement on Tariffs - 4/15/25
- Optometrists Should Be Allowed To Perform Simple Laser Procedures, Expert Says - 4/10/25
- Advanced Procedure Endorsement - 2/10/25
Additional sources for optometry news and updates:
2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Includes A 2.5% Physician Pay Increase For Most US Optometrists
Healio (11/24, Cooper) reports a press release from the American Optometric Association states that “next year’s Medicare Physician Fee Schedule includes a 2.5% increase in physician pay, promising a ‘slight’ bump in earnings for most U.S. optometrists.” AOA said the pay increase resulted from “last-minute advocacy” from themselves and other physician organizations. Rebecca H. Wartman, OD, a volunteer member of AOA’s Coding and Reimbursement Committee, “told Healio that physician fee increases have not kept ‘pace with inflation in many, many years.’” She said, “Some studies [Sibia et al.] have shown approximately a 12% decrease in office-based services and approximately a 22% decrease in surgical services from 2013 to 2023. A long-term fix is clearly needed.”
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2026 AOA Codes for Optometry
The AOA offers its 2026 Codes for Optometry and Common Optometric ICD-10 Codes quick-reference card as digital downloads exclusively for AOA members. These resources have been updated to reflect the latest updates from CPT, ICD-10 and HCPCS, and are essential coding resources for optometric practices.
As an AOA member, you have access to a collection of resources, online education and expert advice that can help practices navigate medical coding and reimbursement.
Here are three other AOA member-benefit resources:
- AOA Coding Today. Use this online database to quickly and accurately address your coding questions in real-time, from CPT to ICD-10 and HCPCS, or enjoy region-specific coding information.
- Ask the Coding Experts. Have a complicated question or seeking clarification on a best practice? Submit your questions to AOA’s Coding Experts for tailored coding and reimbursement insights or read their frequently asked questions and answers column in the AOA Focus content hub.
- AOA EyeLearn. Do you or your staff want to learn more about coding and reimbursement issues, and how they affect your practice? The AOA EyeLearn Professional Development Hub offers self-paced, recorded webinars to bring your team up to speed.
Learn more about how your staff can earn a certification in coding.
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InfantSEE Week | 2025 Proclamation
The week of September 21–27, 2025, has been officially proclaimed InfantSEE Week in Washington State.
Governor Bob Ferguson has signed a Proclamation acknowledging the importance of early detection of vision problems.
InfantSEE®, a public health program now in its 20th year, offers a one-time, no-cost eye assessment for infants 6 to 12 months of age. Learn more about InfantSEE here: www.infantsee.org
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Children's Vision and Learning Month | 2025 Proclamation
First declared in August 1995, Children's Vision and Learning Month is a national observance to help increase awareness among parents and educators on the prevalence of undiagnosed or misdiagnosed vision problems. Take a look below at the Washington State 2025 Proclamation, signed by Governor Bob Ferguson.
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AOA President reaches millions in back-to-school media tour
On July 24, AOA President Jacquie M. Bowen, O.D., led a five-hour satellite media tour, participating in 21 interviews with TV, radio, and online outlets across the country. Reaching an estimated 18.5 million Americans, the campaign emphasized the importance of back-to-school eye exams and the critical role doctors of optometry play in children’s overall health.
Speaking directly to parents, Dr. Bowen reinforced three key messages: vision screenings at schools or pediatrician offices are not substitutes for in-person, comprehensive eye exams; early detection and treatment are vital to prevent long-term vision problems; and the best way to ensure children are ready for the school year is to schedule a yearly eye exam with a local AOA doctor.
This effort is part of AOA’s always-on media advocacy strategy to elevate optometry and reinforce the value of in-person care. By spotlighting the profession’s essential role in primary health care, the AOA continues to drive public action by encouraging families to visit AOA’s Doctor Locator and prioritize their children's vision as part of back-to-school readiness. See more.
Resources for doctors – The AOA offers back-to-school videos, social content, and customizable press materials to help doctors educate patients about children’s vision—available in the Children’s Vision section of the Educate Your Community page.
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AOA advocacy yields Medicare pay, tax fairness wins
Optometry’s advocates achieved key wins as part of the multi-trillion-dollar budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including a Medicare physician pay increase and small business tax deductions. These key provisions were secured in the final package, signed into law on July 4:
- A 2.5% physician pay increase for 2026, included after intense, last-minute advocacy by the AOA and other physician organizations.
- Reversal of planned Medicare physician pay cuts for 2026, as well as laying the groundwork for longer-term reforms that would mandate annual positive pay updates.
- A full suite of tax benefits aimed at boosting small and mid-sized optometry practices, including a permanent extension of the 20% small business pass-through tax deduction, originally set to expire in 2026. Also, AOA fought against a provision to bar optometry practices and others from deducting state and local taxes at the pass-through entity level, preserving a critical financial tool for practices.
The AOA notes that it is monitoring future impact on patient access under federal health programs, health research and education loans, as well as important health care middlemen reforms.
Download the AOA’s 2025 tax law resource
The AOA offers a fact sheet with actionable strategies and tips for practices to consider because of this 2025 tax law.
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Clinical Report: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1RAs) and Ocular Health: Guidance for Optometric Practice
Given the increasing body of evidence linking GLP-1RAs to potential sight-threatening complications, doctors of optometry must play a pivotal role within the interdisciplinary care team. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), any patient initiating a GLP-1RA, especially those with diabetes or any form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), should have an in-person, comprehensive, dilated eye examination either within the 12 months prior to starting therapy or a baseline examination within one month of initiating therapy.
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AOA Expected To See Female President, President-Elect And Vice President Assume Leadership Roles
According to Women in Optometry (6/26, Natoli), “For the first time in its more than 100-year history, the American Optometric Association (AOA) is expected to see a female president, president-elect and vice president assume those leadership roles.” Incoming President Jacquie Bowen, OD, FAAO, anticipated incoming president-elect Teri Geist, OD, and the anticipated incoming vice president Terri Gossard, OD, MS, “say this is a reflection of the changing demographics, expanding opportunities and increasing interest in a profession that truly changes lives.” Speaking to Women in Optometry, Bowen said, “Seventy percent of optometry students right now are women, and it’s important for leadership at the AOA board level to reflect that.” The outlet adds that Bowen “wants to ensure her advocacy is informed by the experiences of today’s optometrists.”
In a separate article, Women in Optometry (6/26, Natoli) says Geist “embodies the spirit of leadership that the AOA seeks to promote,” and her “commitment to optometry extends beyond her practice.” Geist said, “We really need to have open communication and transparency. If we’re all in this together, we can strengthen our impact.”
In a third piece, Women in Optometry (6/26, Natoli) reports Gossard is expected to serve as incoming vice president “at a time when technology is advancing quickly.” Gossard said, “When you reflect on the advances we’ve made since the beginning, optometry, as a hands-on and nimble health profession, has been forward-looking, particularly when it comes to new technology that improves care. We’ve always embrace change.”
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Bolstered by courts, AOA demands VBM cease anti-doctor policies
AOA outside counsel delivers a cease-and-desist letter to VBM related to doctor-reported concerns of company business practices.
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AOA Statement on Tariffs
Tariffs impact optometry practices and the delivery of essential eye health and vision care. The AOA will maintain a continuous dialogue regarding tariff policy with White House and Federal agency officials and Members of Congress and will advise policy makers regarding any potential areas of harm to patients, doctors, critical medical device, equipment and related supply chains and the overall health care delivery system. Doctors with questions or concerns about incoming tariff-related communications they’re receiving from health plans and vision benefit managers (VBMs), manufacturers, suppliers and vendors are asked to contact AOA’s President, Dr. Steven Reed, at President@AOA.org.
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Optometrists Should Be Allowed To Perform Simple Laser Procedures, Expert Says
Edward J. Simmons, founding director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center and a senior research fellow with the Archbridge Institute, writes on his Substack (4/10) that ophthalmologists are currently the “lone provider in the market that can perform more invasive procedures like cataract surgery and LASIK.” He notes that an estimated 12% decline in ophthalmologists through 2035 coincides with a 24% increase in demand, and there are “no easy solutions to addressing this imbalance.” While optometrists “are not perfect substitutes for ophthalmologists,” Simmons advocates for “empowering optometrists to work to the full extent of their training.”
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Advanced Procedure Endorsement
The Board of Optometry has adopted rules related to advanced procedures and education standards. The rule amendments adopt new statutory provisions that allow optometrists to perform advanced procedures if they have a license endorsement. Click here to get started.
Background
This links to the WAC 246-851-515 addressing this endorsement: Advanced Procedures
Process
Print, complete, and submit the linked application: Optometry Advanced Procedures Application (also found here).
If you have additional questions, you can reach out to Optometry@doh.wa.gov
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