Medicaid Corrects Reimbursement Inequity for ODs

After months of work by the Illinois Optometric Association and the Illinois Eye Institute, Medicaid recently corrected an error that was causing unequal treatment in the Medicaid system between optometrists and medical doctors. Following the state’s implementation of the SMART Act in 2012, the reimbursement rates of many services, including those provided at the IEI, were reduced by 2.7 percent. Going forward, this reduction will apply only to vision exams and optical services provided by both ODs and MDs. Medical services provided by both professions will now be paid at the full reimbursement rate, rather than just for services provided by MDs, as had previously been the case.