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Sep 21 2015

CLIA Waivers

posted by: Janet Swartz, EdD

At the 2015 National Glaucoma Symposium, Rapid Pathogen Screening (RPS) displayed their AdenoPlus® diagnostic test for Adenoviral conjunctivitis and InflammaDry® rapid screening for dry eye. RPS representatives also discussed CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) with the NGS and asked for our assistance informing doctors about the CLIA process.

CLIA regulations were published by the CDC and CMS in 2003 to establish quality standards for all laboratory testing. Both of the RPS in-office screening tests are CLIA- waived procedures, indicating that they are simple laboratory tests that have a low risk of error. For more information about CLIA waivers, download the CDC document below or click on this link to the RPS website for information on how RPS staff can help with the CLIA waiver process: RPS CLIA Information.

Download CLIA Information from CDC

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Yearly memberships are no longer going to be a requirement for NGS. We will continue to offer Webinars on a regular basis, on a pay as you register event. Current active memberships will be honored until they expire. Thank you for your continued support.

NGS WEBINARS 2025

Webinars will begin in January 2025. Happy Thanksgiving

NGS PROGRAMS FALL 2023

The NGS Wednesday webinars will begin on September 13 with two webinars a month in September through December. There also will be an in-person program on October 8 in Malvern, PA with 8 hours of CE. All programs will be submitted for COPE approval. (Please Note: There are no NGS programs this summer.)

NGS WEBINARS SPRING 2023

NGS webinars will take place twice a month in March to May, 2023, followed by a break from the webinars over the summer.

NEW HAMPSHIRE INDICATES LIVE WEBINARS = FORMAL CE

The New Hampshire Board of Optometry announced in August 2022 that courses approved by COPE are automatically approved as Class I Formal CE. In addition, they clarified that live webcasts with real-time active participation by attendees are Formal CE, the same as in-person programs. In contrast, Alternative CE refers to lectures that are not live. More details are on the NH Board of Optometry website under Laws and Rules, Standing Orders.

COPE RULES FOR INTERACTIVE WEBINARS 2023

As of January 2023, COPE will include interactive webinars in the same category as in-person lectures, with no post-test required. CE will be categorized as either Synchronous (lecturer and learner are together at the same time, either in-person or virtually, with real-time communication) or Asynchronous (lecturer and learner are not together at same time, no real-time communication). Interactive webinars will be labeled Synchronous Virtual CE for courses and activities submitted after January 1 (interactive webinars approved before January 1 may still be labeled Online Interactive courses or Interactive Distance Learning events). Please Note: State Boards may restrict the number of Synchronous Virtual hours of CE allowed for license renewal; check with your State Board for the latest regulations.

LIVE WEBINARS = LIVE CE IN MASSACHUSETTS

At their December 15, 2021 meeting, the Massachusetts Board of Optometry specified that a live webinar where speakers and attendees can interact in real-time are considered to be live CE. The Board clarified that distance learning CE courses, which are limited to 6 hours per renewal cycle, are those where the licensees are reading content or observing media on their own with no interaction with the instructor. Thus, the COPE-approved interactive NGS webinars count as live CE for MA optometrists.

CE BROKER FOR TEXAS OPTOMETRISTS

The NGS will submit attendance data to CE Broker for Texas optometrists who attend our webinars. We will continue to mail CE certificates so attendees have a copy for their records and also will send attendance data to ARBO's OE Tracker.

PENNSYLVANIA CE REGULATIONS

The Pennsylvaia Board of Optometry will allow all CE to be online for the renewal period that ends November 30, 2022. Starting December 1, 2022, revised regulations allow for up to 50% of the CE requirements (15 out of 30 ours) to be online.

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