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Aug 2013Illinois Eye Institute Opens New Clinic at Stickney Township Medical Center
The Illinois Eye Institute and the Stickney Public Health District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 22 to announce the addition of comprehensive vision and eye care services for Stickney township residents. The new IEI clinic is located inside the Stickney Township Medical Center at 5635 State Road in Burbank, Ill. “We hope the addition of vision and eye care services makes it…
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Aug 2013InfantSEE Event On Campus Sept. 6
In partnership with the Allergan Foundation, the Illinois College of Optometry and the Illinois Eye Institute are hosting an InfantSEE event Friday, Sept. 6 to educate the public on eye and vision health in infants, particularly on the importance of early detection and treatment. Early detection is imperative in treating and preventing vision problems in infants and children, yet fewer than one in five infants…
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Aug 2013ICO Refinances Bonds to Facilitate Future Growth
ICO recently closed on the refinance of its long-term bond debt and locked in substantial savings for the institution for years to come. The college took advantage of low interest rates by replacing $42 million in bonds—at a fluctuating interest rate—with a fixed interest rate of 2.86 percent. These savings are a benefit to the institution and will be redirected to support and enhance its…
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Jul 2013Jonathan Dong ’16 Wins Second Place in Memmys Competition for “Thrift Opt”
It already went viral, with nearly 70,000 views and more than 1,000 likes on YouTube. Now, Jonathan Dong’s “Thrift Opt” video is an award winner, too, nabbing second in the University of South Carolina’s Medical Emmys competition. The first-ever student video contest drew 29 entries from health professions schools from across the country and around the world. ICO’s library will receive a $1,500 award as a result…
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Jun 2013Medicaid Corrects Reimbursement Inequity for ODs
After months of work by the Illinois Optometric Association and the Illinois Eye Institute, Medicaid recently corrected an error that was causing unequal treatment in the Medicaid system between optometrists and medical doctors. Following the state’s implementation of the SMART Act in 2012, the reimbursement rates of many services, including those provided at the IEI, were reduced by 2.7 percent. Going forward, this reduction will apply only…
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May 2013ICO Students Excel on NBEO Part I
The National Board of Examiners in Optometry recently released statistics on the Part I Basic Science exam, administered on ICO’s campus March 19 and 20. The pass rate for ICO first-time test-takers was 96.6 percent, and ICO’s overall pass rate was 95.3 percent. The national overall pass rate was 79 percent.
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Apr 2013Rep. Tammy Duckworth to Give Commencement Address
The honorable U.S. Rep. L. Tammy Duckworth will serve as the keynote speaker for the 170th ICO Commencement Ceremony to be held at 11:00 a.m., May 18, at Rockefeller Chapel. Duckworth will receive the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, during the ceremony. “Not only is Rep. Duckworth a distinguished member of Congress, she is a national hero and an amazing role model for our doctoral…
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Apr 2013First Optometrist Named to State Health Board
Dr. Valarie Conrad, the Illinois College of Optometry’s vice president of compliance and community-based services, has been appointed to the Illinois State Board of Health by Gov. Pat Quinn. She is the first optometrist to be named to the advisory group. The board’s responsibilities include advising the department director on public health policy, emergencies, and control of health hazards; reviewing department rules and program proposals;…
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Apr 2013Letter to the Editor: IEI Responds to “Scrubbing Medicaid”
This letter was published in the Chicago Tribune on April 10. To the Editor: “Scrubbing Medicaid” (editorial, March 31) highlights an important and overdue state initiative to purge ineligible people from the Medicaid rolls. But the audit process has had an unintended consequence: Some of our most vulnerable citizens are suddenly without the health care insurance they deserve. That’s because they are unaware that they…
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Apr 2013NAP Inducts Three Alumni
The Illinois Eye Institute’s senior director of government and external affairs, Vince Brandys, OD ’90, along with fellow alumni Timothy Wingert, OD ’79 and Pete Kehoe, OD ’84, have been inducted into the National Academies of Practice. They were installed Saturday, April 5 during the NAP Membership Banquet and Induction Ceremony in Alexandria, Va. The NAP is a nonprofit professional organization of distinguished practitioners…