By Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Lawmakers received a briefing Sunday on opening West Virginia’s occupational licensing regulations to allow workers from other states to more easily work in the state and address shortages in ophthalmologists.
Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Government Organization heard a report at Parkersburg City Hall on the first day of September legislative interim meetings in Parkersburg.
Speaking to the committee was Edward Timmons, the director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center with the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. The Knee Center conducts research on government regulations, specifically looking at certificate of need for health care access, occupational licensing and scope or practice for certain professionals.
Timmons began with a talk about expanding the scope of practice for optometrists. While optometrists can perform eye examinations, diagnose issues and recommend treatments, ophthalmologists perform major medical and surgical procedures for eyes.
But in recent years, some states have been relaxing rules and regulations related to the kinds of medical services that optometrists are allowed to offer. Timmons said the number of ophthalmologists in West Virginia and across the nation is shrinking, but the number of optometrists remains steady.
