OAR 852-020-0060
Optometric Physician Responsibility, Supervision, and Delegation
(1)
The optometric physician carries the sole responsibility for the patient’s care. Delegation of duties does not discharge an optometric physician’s responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the work delegated.(2)
An optometric physician may delegate tasks that are not prohibited to well-trained technicians who are under the direct supervision of an optometric physician or medical doctor actively practicing at that location.(3)
No optometric physician may enter into a contract, lease agreement or other agreement that requires the optometric physician to delegate the allowed tasks of an optometrist to a technician who is not under direct supervision.(4)
Direct supervision as used in ORS 683.030 (Persons and practices not affected) means the technician’s activities are overseen and approved by an optometric physician or medical doctor at the practice site who retains the responsibility for patient care and with an appropriate intervention protocol in place. The delegating optometrist must have authority to remove that technician from patient contact at any time.(5)
An optometric physician may not delegate ophthalmoscopy, gonioscopy, final central nervous system assessment, final biomicroscopy, final refraction, or final determination of any prescription or treatment plans.(6)
An optometric physician may not delegate final tonometry for a patient who has glaucoma.(7)
Therapeutic procedures involving pharmaceutical agents may not be delegated other than to instill medication or provide educational information as instructed by the optometric physician.
Source:
Rule 852-020-0060 — Optometric Physician Responsibility, Supervision, and Delegation, https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/view.action?ruleNumber=852-020-0060.