Home / Member Center / Member Resources

Member Resources

WELCOME TO THE MEMBERS ONLY CENTER

Here you may find helpful links and information available to members only. Enjoy our links and feel free to contact us for more information. If there are member services you'd like to see here, please let us know! Contact us at Katie@ioaweb.org.

CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

CE requirements for the 2022-2024 Licensing Cycle:

30 hours are required for renewal:
12 hours must be tested (TQ or CEE)
18 hours must be regular CE:
- Of which, no more than 4 hours can be practice management
- A maximum of 4 hours per pre-renewal period for verified self-instruction or self-instruction by electronic meansthat is sponsored or co-sponsored by any approved optometry college, institution or national or State optometry association.
- 1 hour of an in-person CPR course may be counted towards your regular hours. The course must be certified by the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, an Illinois licensed hospital, an approved medical or optometric institution, or a licensed CE sponsor. CPR is no longer a requirement for license renewal.
1 hour of sexual harassment CE must be taken by all licensed optometrists at each renewal.

1 hour of implicit bias awareness training must be taken by all licensed optometrists at each renewal.

1 hour of training on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias must be taken by all licensed optometrists who provide services to adult populations age 26 and older at each renewal.

3 hours of safe opioid prescribing CE must be taken by all optometrists who hold a Controlled Substance license in order to renew the license.

Sexual harassment training, implicit bias training, dementia training, and safe opioid prescribing may all count towards your 30 hours of required CE.

First-time renewal applicants are exempt from CE requirements at the time of their first renewal. However, if the licensee holds a controlled substance license, they must comply with the 3-hour opioid CE requirement, even if this is the first renewal.

Please note, these requirements may change before the 2024 renewal.
The IOA will publish any changes to CE requirements in InSight, the IOA Journal, and through email communications.

MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING

Accurate billing and coding has become an increasingly complicated matter. Medical record rules, Medicare changes and rejected claims all have a direct impact on the success of your practice. We are committed to assisting your practice with solutions to these challenges! Just send an email with your question to the IOA!

Read the most recent Q & A. Questions are sorted by topic to make it easier to find the answer you are looking for. Please click the topic you are looking for to see the Q & A.

HEALTHCHOICE ILLINOIS MCO UPDATE

Effective January 1, 2018, Illinois expanded its Medicaid managed care program from 30 counties to include all 102 counties statewide. The program is called HealthChoice Illinois. Click here for information on the MCO plans.

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE/DEA LICENSE UPDATE FOR SCHEDULE II

Hydrocodone has now been moved to a Schedule II prescription drug. In order to continue prescribing it, you must renew your Illinois Controlled Substance license, followed by your federal DEA license. You will be required to submit your original Controlled Substance license with your application - make sure you make a copy on hand at your office until the new license arrives. We have created a form to send to the Department of Professional Regulation to update your controlled substance license. CLICK HERE to print the form.

Once your Controlled Substance license has been updated, you may update your DEA license online. CLICK HERE for the DEA license update page and go to "Registration Changes". The DEA will then reissue your license reflecting Schedules II, III, IV, and V.

INSURANCE COMPANIES CONTACT INFORMATION

Need to contact a specific insurance company? Click here for a list of insurance companies and their contact information.

PUBLICATIONS

The IOA distributes a journal and weekly InSight eNews to keep our members informed. If you would like to submit to these publications please email katie@ioaweb.org.

In order to receive our publications, please make sure we have your updated mailing and email address!

VISION REQUIREMENTS FOR DRIVERS LICENSE RENEWAL

Click Here to read more information about vision requirements for DL renewals and the role of the OD.

MANDATORY SCHOOL EYE EXAM

Read PDF here to learn more information about mandated school eye exams.

SALES TAX ANALYSIS

Click here for a sales tax analysis guide on how to collect and pay sales tax on goods sold in Illinois.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Click here to see a list of frequently asked questions we receive at the IOA. You might have the same one!

FORMS