Sec. 1451.154. PARTICIPATION OF THERAPEUTIC OPTOMETRIST. (a) In this section:

(1) "Medical panel" means the health care practitioners who are listed as participating providers in a managed care plan or who a patient seeking diagnosis or treatment of a medical disease, disorder, or condition is encouraged or required to use under a managed care plan.

(2) "Vision panel" means the optometrists, therapeutic optometrists, and ophthalmologists who are listed as participating providers for routine eye examinations under a managed care plan or who a patient seeking a routine eye examination is encouraged or required to use under a managed care plan.

(b) A managed care plan must allow a therapeutic optometrist who is on one or more of the plan's vision panels to be a fully participating provider on the plan's medical panels to the full extent of the therapeutic optometrist's license to practice therapeutic optometry.

(c) A therapeutic optometrist who is included in a managed care plan's medical panels under Subsection (b) must:

(1) abide by the terms and conditions of the managed care plan;

(2) satisfy the managed care plan's credentialing standards for therapeutic optometrists;

(3) provide proof that the Texas Optometry Board considers the therapeutic optometrist's license to practice therapeutic optometry to be in good standing; and

(4) comply with the requirements of the Controlled Substances Registration Program operated by the Department of Public Safety.

(d) A managed care plan may charge a participating therapeutic optometrist:

(1) any reasonable credentialing costs associated with the therapeutic optometrist's being included in the managed care plan's medical panel; and

(2) a one-time administrative fee not to exceed $200 for expenses incurred in adding the therapeutic optometrist to the managed care plan's medical panel.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 728 (H.B. 2018), Sec. 11.044(a), eff. September 1, 2005.