COA is advocating for an increase in reimbursement rates under the Medi-Cal program. Optometrists can no longer continue to accept Medi-Cal patients when reimbursement is far below the cost of providing care. Increasing reimbursement rates for optometry services under California’s Medi-Cal program would help address financial challenges faced by optometrists and improve access to quality eye care.
COA’s Access Team advocates for full integration of optometry in the health care system so that optometrists can be reimbursed for treating medical conditions and patients have better access to eye care.
Today’s optometrists are trained to do much more than they are permitted in California. Optometrists in other states are performing procedures, including the use of lasers to treat glaucoma with no increase in adverse events. COA is supports the State Board of Optometry’s Sunset Review bill amendments that would ensure the public has access to the treatments they need.
COA’s Children’s Vision Team is comprised of pediatric experts dedicated to improving access to eye care for children in California. COA representatives meet with school nurses, pediatricians and other organizations in an effort to promote optometric pediatric care. The team has also been advocating for more transparency in data showing disparities in access to children’s eye care.
COA is supporting and seeking amendments to four bills in 2025 that would improve the prior authorization process and improve transparency.
COA supports SB 351 (Cabaldon) and is seeking amendments to protect optometrists from private equity influence.
Kristine Shultz
Executive Director Advocacy & Government Relations
(209) 645-4481
COA Champion Supporters:
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Chief Strategy Officer
Dr. Lance Anderson is the Chief Strategy Officer at PECAA, where he is engaged in all aspects of company strategy. He co-founded PECAA in 2007 and helped lead the organization as it grew from a small local Portland study group to a national alliance of independently owned eye care practices. He served as a board member of Rev-360 from 2015 – 2021 and helped oversee the management and successful sale of Revolution EHR, Visionary Partners, and eventually PECAA.
He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University in 1991. He started his own optometry practice in 1993 in Hillsboro, OR, and was able to grow the practice into a busy three-doctor clinic. He retired from clinical care in 2021 and then moved to New York City where he was tasked with helping to integrate PECAA with the HEA buying group. He recently moved to Nashville, TN where he will continue to be actively involved in creating the future vision for PECAA as it is integrated into the VSP family of businesses.
Chief Member Experience Officer
Dr. Justin Manning is the Chief Member Experience Officer at PECAA, where he leads the member experience team, encompassing member education, the Member Business Advisory services, Events, and the Cold Start program. He is the founder and host of the Practice Advantage podcast. Prior to joining PECAA, he founded The Keratoconus and Scleral Lens Institute at Bettner Vision in Colorado Springs, and eyeLeader, a consulting company focused on leadership development, technology in eyecare, and population health.
He has contributed to Review of Optometric Business and has lectured nationally and internationally on specialty contact lenses, design thinking, population health, and the patient experience. He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University and completed a residency in Geriatric Optometry at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Tacoma, WA, a Master of Public Health degree at Salus University, and a graduate certificate in Customer Experience from the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business. He is driven to help all independent eye care professionals grow their businesses and enjoy their practices every single day.
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