Practice Management

San Francisco-Attention to safety, speed, staffing, standardization, simplicity, and suppleness is the key to efficiency and effectiveness in the operating room (OR), explained Bradford J. Shingleton, MD, at glaucoma subspecialty day during the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.

Falls Church, VA-Ophthalmologists can justifiably feel as if they are on an endless treadmill, because forces such as personnel shortages and reimbursement cuts are forcing them to become "more gerbil-like every year," according to William L. Rich III, MD, FACS, secretary for federal affairs, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Falls Church, VA. The way out of this bind involves several strategies, from advocating changes in federal reimbursement policy to improving practice productivity, he said.

Washington, DC-The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) supporting reimbursement for intravitreal injections of bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) whose disease has not responded to other therapies.

Sacramento, CA-Obtaining reimbursement and resources forvision screening seems to be a thankless task with little return.However, there are strategies that can be used to give pediatricvision screening a fair share of the available health-care funds,according to James Bradford Ruben, MD.

Baltimore-A new class of compounds has been making headlineslately as a potential treatment of choroidal neovascularization(CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration. Genetictherapies can block messenger RNA (mRNA) coding for vascularendothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prevent VEGF synthesis.

Consultative services form an important part of most ophthalmology practices. A somewhat detailed understanding of consultation codes is needed to report these visits appropriately. The necessary knowledge base includes familiarity with the perspectives of payers (especially Medicare).

Ophthalmologists in private practice face unprecedented challenges to the financial success of their practices. In the current state of medicine and reimbursement, practices may struggle to make ends meet--let alone turn a profit. In the next few years practices will have to make substantial changes in and be open to new business opportunities to stay profitable.

Wilmette, IL?Pre-procedure processing of patients, appropriate staffing and purchasing practices, scheduling, and billing and collection methods contribute to the efficiency of ambulatory health-care centers, according to a non-clinical study of cataract surgery in such centers.

Fashion Optical Displays presents its latest Master Catalog featuring new dispensary designs and furnishing collections. The 132-page catalog showcases the company's newest product lines, including the Oasis, Aspire, and Paramount collections of contemporary and traditional dispensary displays and furnishings.

Padua, Italy?Two of Europe's fashion trendsetters, Safilo Group, a leader in high-end eyewear, and Hugo Boss, Metzingen, Germany, one of the leading international groups in the high-fashion market, have signed a license agreement in force through Dec. 31, 2013 for the design, production, and worldwide distribution of Boss and Hugo eyewear collections.

Multiple educational resources are available on the site.

Baltimore?The Medicare reimbursement system may seem like a bowl of alphabet soup, but physicians can't afford to ignore what lies behind the acronyms because of the enormous impact on their practice bottom lines, said Michael X. Repka, MD, secretary for federal affairs for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).

Physician advocates argue that a problematic formula (SGR) is being used to calculate the Medicare budget, and the AAO is . . . calling for its repeal.

Chicago—The question of whether electronic medical records (EMRs) are cost effective in single or multiple offices is answered with a resounding "yes" by J. Gregory Rosenthal, MD, who outlined various reasons.

The Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library (NOVEL) is a digital library produced through collaboration between the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library (EHSL) at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS), Minneapolis.

In the continual quest for a better understanding of vision, the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, is presenting its annual Current Concepts in Ophthalmology series.

Advances in techniques and technology for cataract surgery and IOL implantation have continued through the past year. Those innovations combined with changes in reimbursement have improved the practice setting, contributed to an overall air of increased optimism among ophthalmologists, and have made the contemporary era of cataract surgery more of a golden age than ever before, said I. Howard Fine, MD, reflecting on the state of cataract surgery as the year 2005 nears its end.

Now that practices in ophthalmology and other specialties have adopted electronic billing systems nearly universally, the next step for many is to explore office management solutions that can further improve efficiency, reduce overhead, eliminate considerable paper shuffling, and integrate a range of functions.

Rancho Cordova, CA—Eyefinity will integrate its Web-based services with Professional Practice Systems (PPS) Inc.'s OPTO practice management software.

Where can one preview the latest products from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), get answers to specific coding questions, talk to Washington insiders about reimbursement, personalize patient-education DVDs, get a first look at the academy's new Maintenance of Certification (MOC) products, and learn the ins and outs of acquiring and installing an electronic medical records system? There's only one place and it happens only once a year—the annual meeting, where all these resources and much more can be found at the academy resource center and technology pavilion.

Fraud and abuse in the ophthalmologist's optical dispensary are difficult to detect. Once suspected or even discovered, it is even more difficult as well as time-consuming to assess what is really happening, and to what extent it is having a negative impact on the practice and dispensary.

It behooves physicians to understand what conditions breed tyrannical managers, and how to cultivate civil, yet effective ones instead.

Where can one preview the latest products from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), get answers to specific coding questions, talk to Washington insiders about reimbursement, personalize patient-education DVDs, get a first look at the academy's new Maintenance of Certification (MOC) products, and learn the ins and outs of acquiring and installing an electronic medical records system? There's only one place and it happens only once a year—the annual meeting, where all these resources and much more can be found at the academy resource center and technology pavilion.

Chicago, host to the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2005 annual meeting, has so much to offer including world-class museums, entertainment, shopping, dining, and recreation. There is something for everyone.

Must ophthalmologists understand procedural coding? Perhaps a staffer or even a computer program could do the job? Unfortunately, the answer today is that physicians need to remain involved, understanding and then overseeing the process in their offices.

Parsippany, NJ—Safilo USA has named Timothy (Timm) Parker as its new director of product development.

Orlando—An independent amblyopia clinic staffed by orthoptists could decrease physician workload. It would also be well received by patients, according to David Morrison, MD.

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.