InFocus WAEPS Member Newsletter - Spring 2024

President's Corner

Jane Myung, MD
WAEPS President

It has been a wonderful learning experience to serve on the WAEPS board the past few years, first as a Trustee and then as Membership Chair. I am excited to now take on the role as President of WAEPS for 2024-2025.

When I first joined the WAEPS board in 2020, it was such a tumultuous time in everyone’s lives trying to navigate the COVID pandemic, and I was impressed by WAEPS’ efforts to keep members informed and connected to one another to help guide best practices. I am eager to carry on WAEPS’ dedication and commitment to its members through legislative advocacy at the state and national level and enabling us to deliver the highest standards of patient care and safety.

Of course, none of this can be done without a team effort. We are fortunate to have a leadership team with years of knowledge and experience but also fresh members to keep us diverse and sustainable. I am excited to be joined by two new trustees of the WAEPS board, Dr. Alex Beazer and Irene Lee. I would also like to welcome Dr. Chris Fortenbach as our WSMA Liaison, Dr. Matt Cardinale as our Military Liaison and Dr. Karine Bojikian as our UW Liaison. I would like to thank Dr. Stephanie Cramer for all her hard work and leadership as President for 2023-2024 as well as recognize her advocacy efforts, which fortunately she will continue as Legislative Chair. I would also like to give a special thank you to Dr. Russell Van Gelder who served most recently as the UW Liaison for over 16 years but also contributed several years to WAEPS as past President and member of the WEF board. Dr. Van Gelder’s contributions to the board, leadership and advocacy for our patients and members will be greatly missed.

With this team, WAEPS remains steadfast in its commitment to patient safety by remaining vigilant in the rule making process for the optometry expanded scope of practice bill, SSB 5389, allowing optometrists to perform lid surgeries as well as other procedures. We are committed to advocating for our profession and addressing the challenges we face such as declining reimbursement, coding changes and insurance audits through our legislative efforts. Even with this great team, we need your help, too. I encourage members to make contributions to the WA EyePAC, Safe Surgery Fund and/or WEF. Your contributions ensure we can continue these crucial activities.

I am grateful for this opportunity to help represent WAEPS, and I look forward to meeting you at our next Annual Meeting at the Meydenbauer Center on March 13th and 14th. If anyone would like to be more involved in WAEPS, please feel free to reach out to me or anyone on the WAEPS board.

Jane Myung, M.D.
President
[email protected]

WAEPS Monthly Meeting Series

Debarshi Mustafi, MD, PhD
WAEPS Monthly Meeting Chair

2024-2025 Monthly Scientific Meeting:

This year we are pleased to welcome the following esteemed speakers for our Monthly Meeting Series:

• Jacque Duncan, MD, UCSF, October 9-10, 2024
• Prem Subramanian, MD, University of Colorado, November 13-14, 2024
• Tom Oetting, MD, University of Iowa, December 11-12, 2024
• William Katowitz, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, January 15-16, 2025
• Steve Mansberger, MD, Devers/OHSU, Feb. 12-13, 2025
• Gary Holland, MD, March 19-20, 2025, UCLA
• Laura Huang, MD, University of Washington, April 9-10, 2025
• Phil Rizzuto, MD, Brown University, May 28-29, 2025

2025 WAEPS Annual Meeting: March 13-14, 2025

Paul Griggs MD, Chair
WAEPS Annual Meeting Chair

We had another outstanding program for our 2024 Annual Meeting with tracks specifically designed for ophthalmologists, their medical personnel, practice managers and administrative staff. We were at the lovely Meydenbauer Center in downtown Bellevue. It was great to be back in this familiar and excellent setting. Thank you to all who attended and contributed to make this another excellent time of learning, coordinating, and connecting with the ophthalmologic community.

Save the date for the 2025 Annual Meeting Venue: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, WA

Our 2025 conference promises to be another outstanding event and I look forward to seeing everyone on March 13 and 14, 2024.

YO Section Update

Peter Kally, MD
WAEPS YO Co-Chair

2023-2024 Monthly Scientific Meeting:

This year's Young Ophthalmology events began in April with a hike in Tiger Mountain (photo below) and will continue throughout the year, offering an opportunity to connect with other early-career Ophthalmologists in Washington. If you're interested in joining any of the upcoming events, please contact Susanna Barnett at [email protected], and we'll provide you with more details and dates for the events listed below:

• May: Kayaking Event at South Lake Union
• June: Berry Picking in Carnation (Family Friendly)
• July: Financial Planning Dinner Event
• August: Park Picnic in West Seattle (Family Friendly)
• October: Bowling Event
• December: Donut Making Class

YO Hike in Tiger Mountain – April 2024

2024 AAO Update

Courtney Francis, MD
WAEPS AAO Counselor

I was joined by WAEPS members Stephanie Cramer, Michael Brush, David Epley, Aaron Weingeist, Russ Van Gelder and Steve Swedberg in attending the recent AAO Congressional Advocacy Day and Mid-Year Forum in DC. We met with Rep. Schrier and Sen. Cantwell as well as legislative aides for Sen. Murray and Reps. Jayapal, Smith, and Gluesenkamp Perez. Topics addressed included long-term Medicare payment reform, reducing the burdens of prior authorizations and step therapy, increasing funding for federal vision research, expanding loan repayment for pediatric subspecialists and protecting patient safety through limiting optometric scope expansion in the VA system. Rep. Schrier was also awarded the AAO Visionary Award for her work on Medicare repayment reform and Medicaid reimbursements for pediatric ophthalmologists. WAEPS and UW sponsored two advocacy ambassadors, Nicole Mattson MD and Zesemayat Mekonnen MD, both PGY3 ophthalmology residents at UW - we hope we've inspired them to continue advocacy work in the field of ophthalmology!

Seattle King County Clinic

Michael Brush, MD

Seattle King County Clinic:
The Seattle King County Clinic will be occurring the last weekend in April 4/24-4/27 – 2025

Legislative Update

Stephanie Cramer, MD
WAEPS Legislative & Government Relations Chair

WAEPS continues to meet with the Washington Board of Optometry and their SSB 5389 subcommittee to give our official thoughts and positions with regards to the rule making of the optometric scope expansion that passed the WA legislature last year. The procedures that SSB 5389 specifically allows optometrists to perform are not very clear, and the educational process by which they will be able to get the special endorsement on their license is even less so. Rulemaking is the clarification process by which a governing body determines the actual meaning of a bill.

Unfortunately, the governing body that SSB 5389 designated to interpret this bill is the Washington Board of Optometry. While WAEPS, WSMA and the WA medical commission can weigh in – and we have at every board and subcommittee meeting – the final decisions are made by optometry. So far, no final interpretation has been made. We expect a vote on the subcommittee’s recommendations at the WA Board of Optometry’s board meeting in June. I will update you at that time.

Dr Christopher Chambers, of the University of WA, also testified against the proposed increased scope of practice of Naturopathic providers at the Department of Health’s Sunrise Hearing. The Department of Health is currently contemplating increasing the scope of practice of naturopathic providers to include many procedures across the breadth of medicine. In our case, this could include injections and procedures around the eye. Almost every medical subspecialty was represented in testifying against this expansion. Thank you Dr. Chambers!

In April, WAEPS was well represented at AAO’s annual mid-year forum. WAEPS met with Senator Maria Cantwell and Representative Kim Schrier to talk about several issues that affect ophthalmology on a nationwide level. Our contingent also met with legislative aides of Senator Patty Murray, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Pramila Jayapal, and Adam Smith. WAEPS advocated for Medicare payment reform, decreasing the burden of prior authorizations, and the dangers and delays of medication step therapy. We also talked about the VA Supremacy Project and about how maintaining eye surgery standards for veterans is paramount. The group also advocated for increasing funding for the National Eye Institute during the next fiscal year. A highlight of the meeting was getting to award Washington Representative Kim Schrier with AAO’s Visionary Award for her strong support of medicine and her advocacy for patients. It is only given to one Senator or Representative a year from the Academy.

If you have not been to Mid-Year forum, I highly encourage you to attend. It is really invigorating to see the power of advocacy on a federal level and connects you with our ophthalmology colleagues across the nation. Donating to OPHTHPAC is also pivotal to advancing these efforts!