Eye banking and corneal transplantation are best served when legislators and regulators are informed about the profession, including the policies and processes mandated by EBAA’s Medical Standards, the implications of proposed regulations on the practice of eye banking and transplantation and the benefits eye banking provides to corneal recipients and donor family members.
Reimbursement Advocacy
Payers and facilities are often confused about reimbursement policies for corneal tissue. EBAA has developed a number of tools and resources that eye banks and physicians can use to educate these entities and secure appropriate reimbursement for their services. To learn more, please go to our resources page.
Regulatory Outreach
A variety of federal agencies oversee eye banking and transplantation; these include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among others. EBAA routinely interacts with these agencies by commenting on proposed policies and guidelines, sharing pertinent research and statistics and holding formal liaison meetings with regulators.
Legislative Education
EBAA’s eye banks touch residents of all 50 states, so it’s essential that legislators understand how our members’ work affects their constituents. Since the implementation of our most recent strategic plan, EBAA has visited over 300 House and Senate offices. The relationships we establish through these meetings bring members of Congress into closer contact with their local eye bank, and have led a number of legislators to visit their eye bank in person.