Northern Sights Newsletter North Dakota Vol. 30 Issue 4 August 2018 Optometric Association President’s Message ~ Dr. Darin Johnson 921 South 9th Street, Ste. 120 Bismarck, ND 58504 Phone: 701-258-6766 Wow, summer is Secondly, we are working on the health Fax: 701-258-9005 flying by. I hope eve- care trust. This could be a great option for E-mail: [email protected] ryone has had the our members to have a potential cost saving Website: www.ndeyecare.com opportunity to get out alternative for reliable health insurance. and enjoy the beauti- Nancy has been working hard to make sure 2018 NDOA OFFICERS ful North Dakota we can offer this benefit, and keep it afforda- Dr. Darin Johnson weather. I feel as if ble for our members and their employees. time is slipping by, President Lastly, I am working on a more consistent and I have not accom- 1525 31st Ave. SW, Ste. E and repeatable sponsorship form. There is plished much for the Minot, ND 58701 some stress about our questionable future of NDOA this summer, 701-857-6050 sponsorship, and support from members in but we have many irons in the fire. We [email protected] our industry. It is our obligation as optome- would like to say thank you to our members trists to make sure we recognize our spon- Dr. Nate Shilman who were able to make the NDOA spon- sors, and thank them for their continued sup- President Elect sored golf outing in Bismarck. It was a suc- port of the NDOA. Please speak to all your 2273 3rd Ave West cess as far as the number of attendees, and Dickinson, ND 58601 vendors, and always mention how much we we always have great sponsorship for this 701-225-7886 appreciate their continued support and en- event. [email protected] gagement with the active members of the First, I would like to discuss our recent trip NDOA. Dr. Krista Heil to Denver for Optometry’s Meeting. Nate Vice President I look forward to seeing many of you at and I had a great meeting and we feel as if 111 E Century Ave our fall meeting. As always, please feel free the AOA is well placed, and prepared for the Bismarck, ND 58503 to reach out to me with any questions, con- long battle ahead. The biggest battle I feel 701-222-1420 cerns or ideas on how we can continue to we face as optometrists is the unregulated [email protected] keep our organization engaged and active. dispensing of glasses and contact lenses. The Dr. Leslie Hellebush AOA is using every option they have in Secretary/Treasurer fighting this dangerous practice. We all In This Issue: 204 W Century Ave know how risky this is, and how misleading President’s Message Bismarck, ND 58503 and uninformed these companies are, as they 701-255-0186 are distributing these medical devices ille- Executive Director Message [email protected] gally under current law. Please make sure NDOA Golf Outing you are reporting any violations to the AOA, Patch Start Up Dr. Amy Mitzel DuBois and if you have any questions about report- 115th NDOA Annual Past President Congress– Tentative Agenda 3232 13th Ave. South ing you can contact them directly by calling 1-800-365-2219. Optometric Success Story Fargo, ND 58103 Opternative in the News 701-280-3000 [email protected] Classified Ads Northern Sights August FROM THE DESK OF YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Quote: “ It is not the strongest, or the most engagement of association initiatives and connect the dots intelligent, who will survive, but those with networking opportunities. (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Y who can best manage change.” Don’t put etc.) In addition, I’m feeling a lot of anxiety, as to a percep- this off, but instead prepare to manage tion and future support by industry that contract for exhibit change! space, if minimal attendance is not realized at the NDOA Statistically speaking, the demand for Annual Congress November 1-2, in Bismarck. Make my corrective devices and services continues life less stressful and please plan to attend! to grow, driven by the population growth We and you all are approaching the time of year when in North Dakota, an aging population and steady product “It’s Back to School”! As a Leadership Sate that supports upgrades. Important to note, you should be seeing the de- the Think about Your Eyes Campaign, did you know: mand for medical eyecare services are growing at a pace of Nearly 50 % of parents with children under the age of 6 nearly three times the growth of comprehensive eye exams. have never taken their child to the eye doctor? In the past year, you all have experienced an impact on 3, the number of eye exams recommended for children the eyecare demand in one way or another by managed care by the age of 6. and government, by realizing the facts of: 60% of parents don’t feel an eye exam is an essential Third-party payers account for 70+ percent of ECP rev- part of a child’s healthy checkup schedule. enue. 1/2 of parents falsely believe only children who need Insurer consolidation increasing leverage over provid- glasses or contacts need to see an eye doctor. ers (BCBSND/ VSP) During the restructure of your NDOA, be mindful that in Expanded patient access to care; reduced provider ac- the interim we are still taking advantage of absolutely every cess to patients (Online exams and Optical Retailers) window of opportunity that may exist, such as a ND School Deflationary reimbursements Nurses Association Executive Committee Meeting last As of early February, I, your NDOA Board, the Vision week, where Dr. Danielle Moch and myself addressed the Advisory Committee, and a few very agitated members, need to close the gap on school vision screenings; those have worked feverishly, to address adverse issues regarding children identified as failing the screening and follow up the BCBSND/VSP Vision Plan Transition. After BCBSND care. announced in early February, their decision to partner with In closing, I would like to solicit volunteers to serve on a VSP, during a conference call with the Vision Advisory Task Force to meet the immediate needs of association ac- Committee, I feel like Dr. Dori Carlson stated after the an- tivities: (minimal time commitment) nouncement, “excuse me, I’ll make comment after I pick 1. Education Chair and Co-Chair : Dr. Kristin Kosir has myself off the floor…”! The effective date of the transition served for at least 10 years. Thank you so much Dr. was July 1, 2018. Some members will transition on their Kosir! anniversary dates July-December , with the full transition 2. Legislative Committee—NDOA PAC. Form grassroots by January 2019. To keep you informed going forward we connections within the NDOA. will provide periodic updates via email. 3. NDOA Conference Coordinating Committee. Bismarck We have a lot of restructuring to do within the NDOA in and Fargo. Social Activity planning. the next year, to address changes occurring within the pro- 4. NDOA Communications– Co-author namely the bi- fession; the majority of those that one cannot accomplish monthly, or quarterly NDOA Newsletter and Website. success alone. One such issue to tackle immediately , is to We want to deliver timely and Relevant information, so stage a successful 2018 NDOA Annual Congress Novem- a practicing members input is so much appreciated, ber 1-2 in Bismarck. We all realize that there are few North than staff second guessing what communication you Dakota licensees that have not already obtained the re- have already received from other sources. quired 50 hours of CE for the 3 year cycle ending 12-31- 18. In addition, the number of hours of education provided The Self Funded Health Insurance Plan along with the by online formats, local clinics and the regional/ national ND Pharmacists Association is well on its way to becoming destination conferences have recently deemed to have a a reality in January 2019, as a member benefit. We’ll keep dramatic affect on the NDOA’s ability to coordinate events, those interested informed as best we can. The NDOA has that have for many years provided 30% of your associa- 146 currently insured employees, plus 58 potential new tion’s operating budget as non-dues revenue. The NDOA insured, for a total of 204. staff and Board have the fiduciary responsibility to balance Happy “Dog Days of Summer” and as always feel free to an annual budget, as well as compliance to the NDOA By- contact the NDOA Office, or preferable your NDOA Board Laws , to conduct an Annual Meeting. We are working dili- with questions or concerns on “Defining The Future of Op- gently to stage an Annual Meeting that we hope will entice tometry and Your NDOA!” you and your staff to continue support of your NDOA, Northern Sights August 2 Northern Sights August 3 2018 NDOA Golf Outing Paraoptometric resources benefit the entire practice Staff knowledge is vital, and that’s why more AOA doctors We had a great time getting together this year for the NDOA are taking advantage of a member benefit that helps doc- Golf Outing. It was a chance to reconnect with fellow OD’s, tors revolutionize the hiring and training of their care team. see what is new in the field of optometry, and have some fun as well. We had a good turn out this year with 7 teams. Paraoptometrics can enroll as AOA associate members – at Congratulations to the winning teams! no cost to member doctors – to access educational and de- 1st Place velopmental resources available through the Paraoptomet- Jason Schaff, Blaine Burdick, Mike Koeppe, and Josh Blikve ric Resource Center.