- SightLine at ASCRS back for second year, examining how ophthalmology works with the government
- Medicare pinch—what’s a cataract practice to do?
- ‘WTH Is Going On at the FDA?!’
- Making a case—and building a practice plan—for interventional glaucoma
SightLine at ASCRS back for second year, examining how ophthalmology works with the government
ASCRS Executive Director Steve Speares kicked off SightLine at ASCRS on Thursday, April 9, welcoming attendees to Washington, D.C. He first emphasized the importance of the meeting’s sponsors, thanking those who have made the meeting possible.
This meeting focuses on the financial health of practices. This is not an innovation meeting, Mr. Speares said. SightLine at ASCRS brings together three major stakeholders: surgeons, administrators, and industry partners. There will be times when all three of these stakeholders will be in opposition with different interests, but we have to be comfortable having that dialogue, he said.
Medicare pinch—what’s a cataract practice to do?
The picture of where we’re headed in terms of practice financial viability can be depressing, said Cathleen McCabe, MD, leading a session at SightLine at ASCRS.
“How do you boil 10,000 frogs? We have a lot of surgeons who are making small cuts and making adaptations to make their practices financially viable. It just doesn’t make sense anymore,” Steven Dell, MD, said about practicing in the age of significant cuts to Medicare reimbursement for cataract surgery.
The internal distribution of Medicare funds has shifted dramatically over the years, Dr. Dell presented. We are now in an 18-year downward trend in professional fee reimbursement, which is in part due to cataract surgery being the highest volume procedure for Medicare’s budget-neutral system and thus an obvious target for cuts. The facility fee, he noted, has gone up while professional fees have taken a dive.
‘WTH Is Going On at the FDA?!’
A panel discussion on the SightLine at ASCRS program highlighted what’s going on at the FDA. The session was moderated by Robert Stanislaro with FTI Consulting. Panelists included John Berdahl, MD, Neera Clase with Tarsus, Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH, Barrett Thornhill with Forbes Tate Partners, and Steve Usdin with BioCentury.
Making a case—and building a practice plan—for interventional glaucoma
The second annual ASOA ASCRS Business of Interventional Glaucoma program on Thursday, April 9, began with a packed room of attendees motivated to have a better understanding about the interventional glaucoma (IG) mindset and how to implement such a mindset in their own practices.
“Today’s session is designed to be one part presentation, one part workshop,” Matt Jensen said, explaining that attendees will leave with 1) a “belief that interventional glaucoma is something we have to harness because we have a real problem with how we’re treating our patients today. … In fact, we’re under-treating them. And 2) you will leave with a blueprint of how you will implement this when we go home.”
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