April 27, 2023 — The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (HCAPS) has released a statement commending Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) for introducing the Contact Lens Prescription Modernization Act, which would prohibit robocalls from being used as a method for verifying patients’ prescriptions.
 
By modernizing the contact lens prescription verification process, this legislation would make it safer for millions of Americans who purchase their lenses online. The Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act (FCLCA) allows patients to make these purchases online, but as a safeguard, the law requires online sellers to verify the validity of prescriptions with the patient’s doctor before fulfilling an order.
 
The Federal Trade Commission interpreted the FCLCA to allow for robocall verification in addition to telephone, fax, and email. According to HCAPS, robocalls have proven to be ineffective in accurately verifying contact lens prescriptions.
 
HCAPS shares that the Contact Lens Prescription Modernization Act will enhance patient safety by prohibiting prescription verification via robocall and establishing a paper trial that requires online sellers to use direct communication, ensuring prescriptions are accurate.
 
“Today, Americans know the benefits and expect the convenience of modern technology,” says Rep. Burgess. “Patients deserve the choice to safely purchase contact lenses without the risk of receiving the incorrect prescription. Unfortunately, online contact lens sellers are still allowed to verify prescriptions using an automated voice message or robocall. This can result in incorrect prescriptions and sometimes permanent eye damage or blindness. The Contact Lens Prescription Verification Modernization Act prohibits robocalls for contact lens prescription verifications and extends HIPAA protections to correspondence between a patient and an online seller. This bill will maintain consumers’ freedom while ensuring that physicians can safely verify their patients’ prescriptions.”
 
“I would like to thank Representatives Burgess and Blunt Rochester for reintroducing this important legislation,” says David Cockrell, O.D., chairman of the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety. “This is a major step to protect contact lens patients from potentially harmful practices currently utilized in the contact lens marketplace.”
 
For more information: patientsafetytoday.com.