(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (HCAPS) celebrates a significant milestone for patient safety as the 119th Congress included critical language in the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the final Appropriations package signed into law today. This provision marks a major step forward in HCAPS’s long-standing efforts to modernize the contact lens prescription verification process and eliminate the use of automated robocalls.
The statement specifically directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to brief Congress on a plan to “reevaluate the Contact Lens Rule and protect patients from the potential health risks of non-compliant automated telephone verification such as the substitution of lenses not prescribed by a patient's doctor.” By requiring this briefing, Congress has signaled a commitment to addressing the loopholes that have allowed automated robocalls to bypass the essential expertise of optometrists.
The use of automated verification methods like robocalls can result in prescriptions being filled without proper medical confirmation, as these calls are frequently directed to incorrect numbers or fail to provide adequate information for doctors of optometry to confirm prescriptions within the narrow eight-hour passive verification window. Such failures can lead to serious, sight-threatening complications from incorrect contact lenses, including microbial keratitis, corneal edema, and ulcers. Today’s legislative success reinforces the importance of closing regulatory gaps to prevent avoidable vision loss and protect patient safety.
HCAPS remains steadfast in its position that a reliable contact lens prescription verification process that incorporates direct communication with a doctor of optometry is necessary to protect the safety of the more than 45 million Americans who wear contact lenses. To that end, the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety continues to advocate for the Contact Lens Prescription Modernization Act (H.R. 4282), which will enhance patient safety by prohibiting prescription verification via robocall and replacing it with a paper trail that requires online sellers to use direct communication.
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About the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (HCAPS):
The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety is a coalition of health care providers, industry leaders, and patient advocates working to advance high standards of care, protect the doctor–patient relationship, and ensure patient safety in the use of medical devices.
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