Missouri optometrist urges passage of HB 2897 to expand office-based procedures, citing rural access gaps
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Summary
At a House committee hearing, Dr. Kelly Dearing testified HB 2897 would let qualified optometrists perform a short list of office-based procedures to reduce travel burdens and wait times in rural Missouri; opponents questioned whether the bill guarantees rural practice and urged caution.
Dr. Kelly Dearing, an optometrist who practices in Chillicothe, told the House Committee on Professional Registration and Licensing she strongly supports House Bill 2897, which would permit optometrists to perform a specified list of office-based procedures. "I strongly support House Bill 28 97," Dearing said, describing the training and clinical experience that she said prepare optometrists to perform the procedures covered by the bill.
Dearing said Missouri faces a provider shortage in rural areas: "Approximately 70% of Missouri counties, roughly 80 to 85 counties do not have a resident ophthalmologist," she said, adding that in her community an ophthalmologist visits about once a month. She described current wait times for a laser capsulotomy as "three months" for a local patient and said some elderly patients cannot reasonably travel 90 minutes for earlier care. Dearing told the committee that by their fourth year optometry students "see over 2,000 patients, have put in 10,000 hours," and that programs include hands-on practical exams and supervised externships.
Supporters framed the bill as an access and workforce measure. Dearing said expanding the scope would reduce travel burdens for elderly and rural patients, improve local continuity of care, and help retain graduates in Missouri, noting some students choose out-of-state programs because of broader scopes elsewhere.
Jacob Scott, a registered lobbyist for the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, testified in opposition. Scott told the committee HB 2897 "doesn't guarantee that we're gonna see optometrists performing these procedures in rural areas" and cautioned that the bill could allow expanded practice anywhere in the state without specifically addressing geographic distribution. Scott also pointed members to related legislation (House Bill 2999) and urged a broader negotiation before acting on HB 2897.
Committee members asked Dearing about clinical distinctions and training. In response she said suspicious lesions are sent for biopsy by both optometrists and oculoplastic specialists, and that practitioners in states where the scope is broader similarly follow referral practices for biopsy and specialty procedures.
The committee closed the public testimony on HB 2897 and received no final vote during this session.
