State Law and Early Eye Drop Refills

Adhering to an eye drop regimen can be difficult—especially for elderly patients with glaucoma. Those same patients often face an unexpected additional barrier to care when they run out of their medication and are denied early refills by a pharmacy or coverage by their insurance carrier. In today’s episode, Dr. Kevin McKinney talks about how his own advocacy efforts at the state level helped protect early eye drop refills in Oregon. He advises what other US clinicians can do to advocate for their patients and empower them to receive the care they need, while also helping them administer eye drops effectively.

Resources

• The latest eye drop prescription refill legislation in your state (American Academy of Ophthalmology)
• Contact your state’s department of insurance (Forbes)
• Sample card for patients to use when requesting early refill of an eye drop prescription (Oregon Academy of Ophthalmology)

For all episodes or to claim CME credit for selected episodes, visit www.aao.org/podcasts.

CME Information

Release: November 16, 2023; expires November 16, 2026

Financial Disclosures:
Planner/Faculty: Dr. Pouw reports no relevant financial disclosures.
Faculty: Drs. McKinney reports no relevant financial disclosures.
Review Panel: Dr. Mazeyar Saboori receives consulting and lecture fees from Aerie Pharmaceuticals. The following reviewers report no financial disclosures: Jeffrey D. Henderer, MD; Danah Albreiki, MBBS; Ashiyani Nariani, MD, MPH; Annie Moreau, MD; and Allison Umfress, MD.

Learning Objective: Upon completion of this episode, the listener should be able to describe the legislative issues that impact patients on a prescription eye drop regimen.

Audience: This activity is intended for comprehensive ophthalmologists.

Accreditation: The American Academy of Ophthalmology is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology designates this internet enduring material for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Hardware/Software Requirements: This learning activity requires a current web browser and speaker or headset capable of playing streaming audio.