You are not logged in.

  




Review of Optometric Laws and Regulations for the State of Oregon

Gregory Kautz, O.D.

 

Contents

Introduction from the Oregon Board of Optometry

The Oregon Board of Optometry has promulgated an administrative rule that requires all optometric physicians to have 1 hour of continuing optometric education in ethics or Oregon law and administrative rules for license renewal beginning in 2005.

The Board made this decision for the following reasons: (1.) Our society has seen what occurs when those in positions of leadership whether in business, political life or healthcare fail to act ethically. There is now a demand that there be assurances and institutional safeguards to ensure that leaders act responsibly. (2.) Licensing boards, professions and professional associations have all begun to renew the allegiance to ethical standards for their members. Particularly in healthcare - where doctors make decisions that can intimately impact patients' lives - it is vital that they have a framework on which to base those decisions. Society holds optometric physicians and other medical professionals to high standards of conduct; ethical decision making plays a large role in helping physicians to meet those standards. (3.) The increased scope of practice for optometric physicians puts them in situations that would not have been contemplated even a few years ago. This is part of the ongoing knowledge and increased sophistication with which optometric physicians need to practice. The use of oral medications now make it imperative that optometric physicians are even more aware of the laws and requirements that come with increased responsibility.

The increasing choices and implications in healthcare decision making are becoming more complicated and nuanced. Knowledge of Oregon law and administrative rules and ethical guidelines help optometric physicians make the critical decisions that keep their patients - the citizens of Oregon - safe and well served.

March 8, 2004 David Plunkett, Executive Director, Oregon Board of Optometry

 

Introduction

The Oregon Board of Optometry requires a course that reviews the Oregon laws as it relates to Optometry or an ethics course every other year when a licensee applies for renewal. Successful completion of this course will satisfy the review of Oregon law requirement. The course is an adaptation of the wording from Oregon law. It is not meant to replace the actual wording in the law. If one needs to reference the actual language, the source of the information is given in parentheses. One might say this is the Good News interpretation of Greek and Hebrew scriptures.

Review and Approval

The material in the course has been reviewed and approved by the Oregon Board during April 2006, but laws and regulations are subject to change. If an optometrist practicing in Oregon has a question of significant consequence regarding laws and regulations, it is recommended that the Oregon Board of Optometry Web site (http://www.obo.state.or.us/) be consulted for the most recent versions of the laws and regulations.

Change in Designation for Optometrists

A recent change to the Administrative Rules was made by the Oregon Board of Optometry. “On April 1, 2006, all optometrists who have been certified to use, administers and prescribe from the nontopical formulary and have received the “AT” designation following their license number will be issued new licenses with the designation “ATI” following the license number. Effective with year 2009, license renewal, beginning January 1, 2009, all active status licensees practicing optometry in Oregon shall have obtained certification to use “topical and nontopical therapeutic pharmaceutical agents” as a condition of license renewal (AT license).” (OBO Update, April 2006, Vol 7, No 1)

Course Perspective

The goal of this course is to offer a pragmatic approach to the law and the responsibilities we all share and the requirements to comply with Oregon laws, statutes and administrative rules. This course will limit itself to these specific laws. There are other statutes that govern treatment of optometrists in other venues, but not treatment by optometrists. An example is the insurance statutes that define non-discrimination against professions that have overlap in treatment privileges.

 

next >>