Practice Management

In our continuing look at the highlights of this year's annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Oct. 15 to 18, we look now to new courses and offerings, practice management, a special program for young ophthalmologists, and new advances in technology that will benefit ophthalmic patients.

Madison, WI—An association between mortality and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was found in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). All-cause mortality increased with increasing severity of disease, with category 4 AMD having a significantly increased association with death compared with category 1 AMD. A protective effect was seen for zinc in participants randomly assigned to therapy with the mineral.

Folsom, CA—Eyefinity has expanded its offerings by integrating practice management software with its online services.

You can help influence the reimbursement level for specific CPT codes by participating in the Five-Year Review of Work Values, a comprehensive review of all physician relative work values conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Washington, DC &#8212 The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) issued a paper last year regarding the mission to deliver safe and effective cataract surgery services to all Medicare patients and that all beneficiaries have the right to "essential services," explained Priscilla P. Arnold, MD, immediate past president of ASCRS and the chairman of the government relations committee.

Washington, DC &#8212 It's an annual rite of spring: each year the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) passes the baton from one leader to another. Roger Steinert, MD, assumed the presidency of the society during its general session Saturday morning.

East Hanover, NJ—Novartis Ophthalmics is offering its Visudyne Access Network to help patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) get information about their disease.

Fairfax, VA—Three practice administrators have received the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators' (ASOA) third William E. Rose Jr. Pinnacle Award honoring excellence in Medicare billing practices.

Physicians have chance to learn about latest advances in surgical techniques, technology, practice management

New York—Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc. is offering to help physicians and patients seeking Medicare reimbursement for pegaptanib sodium injection (Macugen) treatment.

The cost to process a credit card payment is around 50 cents for an average copayment, as opposed to about 35 cents for a check. Credit cards become more cost-effective when the costs of bounced checks and unpaid invoices are factored in.

Washington, DC—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced that as of Jan. 1, 2005, the Medicare Part B allowable for pegaptanib sodium (Macugen, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals) is 106% of average sales price (ASP), or $1,054.70 per injection.

If you want to rev up your revenues, pay attention to the post-cataract eyewear sales opportunities in your optical dispensary.

New Orleans—Patient adherence to prostaglandin analogue or prostamide therapy for glaucoma is high but not perfect. There are still opportunities to improve adherence to therapy with these drugs, according to Jacob Wilensky, MD.

As the practice of ophthalmology continues to evolve, it is important for physicians to remain up to date with the latest advances and discoveries in ways to preserve and protect their patients' vision.

Twenty-five percent of the population in the United States is under the age of 14. What’s more, one-quarter of these children have some type of visual need.

Voters in Florida approved a "three-strikes" law last fall in an amendment to the state's constitution.

Implementing new technology for biometry and IOL power calculation represents an important investment for the surgeon.

Reviewing the evidence for photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a vital tool in the treatment of predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Neil M. Bressler, MD, suggested that it was the best currently available treatment despite limitations, while Jack O. Sipperley, MD, questioned whether PDT was cost-effective.

Target expenditures can be calculated once the sustainable growth rateis known.

The extranet is a private network that uses Internet protocol to act as an electronic customer relationship system. The network can securely share business data or other relevant operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses.

The breadth of offerings at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Resource Center and Technology Pavilion at the first joint meeting with the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) is extraordinary. Physicians can try the demo for the Basic and Clinical Science Course on CD-ROM, flip through the latest patient education products, get help with critical business issues such as coding, and learn the ins and outs of acquiring and installing an electronic medical records system.

The nation's medical liability crisis has yet to waver, according to the American Medical Association (AMA). With the addition of Massachusetts this summer, the AMA's official crisis chart is now composed of 20 states-up from 12 in 2002.

Ophthalmic heritage encompasses a wide variety of ways to remember the past. One may collect images of famous people, articles that they wrote, study the environment and the settings in which they practiced, collect books or artifacts from days gone by, or just read about history. Here are my ideas about developing a historical collection of antiques.

Financial control is vitally important to any well-run business. Financial control mechanisms ensure that the organization continues to progress toward achievement of its financial objectives. Effective financial control allows the organization to detect problems at the earliest possible stage.

Yonkers, NY-Wise Optical will distribute several Metzler International Inc. eyeglass and sunglass collections to the professional optical trade under a distribution agreement that covers the United States.

Systems provide improved tracking and management of daily business functions

AdvaMed works to clear policy hurdles, making it easier for device manufacturers to bring their products to the marketplace.