Happy New Year! The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety welcomes 2021, a new presidential administration, and a new Congress, alongside some changes of our own.

FTC Contact Lens Rule Changes Delayed

COVID-19 relief legislation passed in the final days of 2020 included an APS-backed provision directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to delay enforcing changes to the Contact Lens Rule through March 31, 2021. The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations indicated in a report that its members were "disappointed that the FTC’s final amendments to the Contact Lens Rule do not sufficiently address the patient safety concerns the Committee has repeatedly outlined in report language for the past four years."

The delay, a significant victory for patient safety advocates, will give eye care providers more time to prepare their practices for the Rule, which was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an even more challenging and costly situation for physicians who are navigating the pandemic and working harder than ever to protect patients’ health and safety. Read more about the delay in our press release.

APS Welcomes New Chair, David  A. Cockrell, O.D

APS thanks founding APS Chair Dr. Deanna Alexander for her three years of leadership and wishes her well as she moves into a new role on the AOA’s Federal Relations Committee. Taking her place is Dr. David A. Cockrell, whose long history of advocacy for patient safety and the doctor-patient relationship includes terms as past president of the AOA, American Board of Optometry, Oklahoma State Board of Optometric Examiners, and the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians. Read more about our new Chair in our press release.

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Thank you for your continued support for patient safety. We look forward to a productive year.