SCOPE Update
By Dr. Kevin Johnson
Are you sick of Maryland’s antiquated scope of practice law that forces us to refer our patients for care we are more than qualified and trained to provide? I am. Do you find it insulting that ophthalmology claims our proposed scope expansion “would unnecessarily and significantly lower the quality of eye care Maryland residents currently have available to them? ” I do. Maryland arguably has the 49th worst scope of practice law and I personally will not stand for it a moment longer. We will bring the fight to Annapolis next year and every year thereafter (if necessary) until we prevail and modernize our scope law. The terms of our success however depend on you, and the time to act is NOW!
The past two years have been all about patience and strategy, which has paid off. Supported by an ever-growing grassroots network and the influence and access our new lobbying team brings to the table, MOA’s targeted advocacy and education efforts have been successful. Important new relationships with key policy makers have been developed and existing ones have been strengthened. Awareness of our cause has been elevated and support within Annapolis and within the M.D. community continues to grow. We have the legislators’ attention, now we just need their votes.
While many legislators we meet understand that the current law is outdated and realize the position of organized ophthalmology is illogical and unfounded, some do not. Some will never be with us, but others sit on the fence. Facilitating meaningful interaction with those who are undecided is critical to our success. Legislators listen to constituents and to organizations that support them and their communities. To tip the scale in our favor, we need more key policymakers on our side, which means we need your help. If you have not supported our legislative efforts listed below, please do so now! PLEASE MAKE A DIFFERNECE WITH JUST ONE CLICK!
- Donate to the MOA PAC and P.O.P. Fund
- Know who represents you in Annapolis
- Refer a colleague - increased membership strengthens our position in Annapolis as the organization that REPRESENTS Maryland optometrists
- Volunteer to help with summer grassroots efforts Contact Kevin Johnson or MOA Executive Director Jennifer Levy.
I want to thank everyone who has already donated to the PAC and POP campaign, recognized in this newsletter and our existing network of Key ODs, who like me have attended dozens of fundraisers over the past two years. You have helped get us where we are today, which is a lot closer to the finish line. With the help of our colleagues who I hope will read this and take action today, we can get there and vastly improve the way we practice tomorrow!