Cost Analysis Summer Internship Opportunity
Agency name The New England College of Optometry
Agency Department N/A
Title of Position N/A
Address 424 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02115
Website: www.neco.edu
Agency description/mission statement: The mission of The New England College of Optometry is to serve the optometric needs of the public by educating optometrists to the highest level of proficiency, integrity, and professionalism.
Practicum description: A cost analysis of the use of doctors of Optometry to treat glaucoma in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, doctors of optometry regularly diagnose, treat, and manage a variety of eye diseases and conditions. They are trained and licensed to utilize and prescribe a wide range of topical medications to treat the eye and surrounding areas. Doctors of optometry are allied health professionals that are often among the first health care practitioners to provide preventative care for underserved patient populations. There is a greater availability of optometrists practicing in the state, due to the quantity of practitioners and the range of locales they typically practice in.
Glaucoma is a potentially blinding eye disease that is typically treated with topical eye drops to lower the eye pressure, thereby lowering the risk of progression of the disease. Doctors of optometry in every other state except Massachusetts are permitted to treat glaucoma with topical eye drops. In Massachusetts, doctors of optometry are trained and licensed to diagnose glaucoma and often participate in the management of the disease, but the prescriptive authority for this particular eye disease is explicitly held by medical doctors or nurse practitioners. As a result, patients in areas underserved by ophthalmology may not have access to a qualified professional to treat and appropriately manage this eye disease.
Allowing doctors of optometry to participate in the care of this particular eye disease represents a potential opportunity for increased access to qualified eye care in underserved communities. This analysis will compare the costs of the existing state of prescriptive authority for glaucoma in Massachusetts to the potential costs of implementing effective use of doctors of optometry in the treatment and management of glaucoma.
Scope of work: Gather information regarding the epidemiology and natural history of glaucoma, along with current techniques in diagnosis and treatment. Evaluate the costs associated with limited vision as well as the costs associated with no treatment or delayed treatment. Analyze current treatment costs and compare with potential costs of utilizing alternative providers.
Minimum skills required: Effective English language skills, familiarity with cost analyses preferred but not required.
Estimated start/end date: Potential to start immediately
Estimated days/hours: 10-15 hours per week, 10-12 weeks
Application deadline:July 1st
Number of students requested: One
Is a car necessary? No
Stipend: No
To apply and for more information: Contact Field Supervisor Dr. Beth Harper at harperb@neco.edu. Please include CV or resume.
