TITLE: Relating to the establishment and maintenance of a glaucoma comanagement registry.

SUMMARY: Relating to the establishment and maintenance of a glaucoma comanagement registry.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to the establishment and maintenance of a glaucoma comanagement registry. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 153, Occupations Code, is amended by adding Section 153.017 to read as follows: Sec. 153.017. GLAUCOMA COMANAGEMENT REGISTRY. (a) The board shall: (1) establish and maintain a registry of ophthalmologists engaged in the comanagement of patients with therapeutic optometrists under Section 351.3581; and (2) make the registry available to the public through a link on the board's Internet website. (b) The registry must be searchable by: (1) the name of the ophthalmologist; (2) the name of the therapeutic optometrist; and (3) the county that an ophthalmologist in the registry lists as a primary practice location. (c) An ophthalmologist engaged in the comanagement of patients under Section 351.3581 shall provide to the board the name of each therapeutic optometrist with whom the ophthalmologist is comanaging patients for inclusion in the comanagement registry maintained under this section. (d) The board shall establish procedures to allow an ophthalmologist who provides information for inclusion in the comanagement registry maintained under this section to update the information through the registry's Internet website. The board shall require the ophthalmologist to update the information at least annually. SECTION 2. Not later than March 1, 2020, the Texas Medical Board shall establish the registry required by Section 153.017, Occupations Code, as added by this Act. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.