Author: Healio ophthalmology

Physician responsibilities for suspected Medicare overpayments

From international law firm Arnold & Porter LLP comes a timely column that provides views on current regulatory and legislative topics that weigh on the minds of today’s physicians and health care executives.Have you ever heard someone in your office say, “I think Medicare may not have paid these claims correctly?” After that statement, did the relevant documents get buried in a pile on a desk — never to be reviewed again? Be careful. Earlier this year, CMS issued a final rule governing the responsibility of providers to report and (Read more...)

Presence of MGD has minimal effect on ocular surface in medically treated glaucoma

No additional effect on ocular surface parameters was seen in patients with medically treated glaucoma with or without meibomian gland dysfunction, according to a study.The cross-sectional study included 70 patients with glaucoma on long-term (longer than 1 year) topical hypotensive medications. Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is “frequently encountered” in these patients, according to the researchers, with mild to moderate disease detected in 47 of the 70 patients and minimal signs detected in nine.

FDA approves CyPass micro-stent system for use with cataract surgery

The FDA has approved the CyPass micro-stent system for use in combination with cataract surgery to reduce IOP in adult patients with mild to moderate primary open angle glaucoma, according to a news release from the agency’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The CyPass micro-stent system model 241-S (Alcon, a division of Novartis) includes the CyPass micro-stent, a loading device and a stent delivery tool. The micro-stent is placed in the angle of the eye with the distal end residing in the supraciliary space to allow outflow of fluid (Read more...)

Publication Exclusive — Unsung heroes of dry eye care: Technicians make or break a dry eye clinic

The other day I was hanging around “Sky Bar,” the tech station at SkyVision. Do you have kids? When I am quietly standing there, I am kind of like the parent driving the school carpool: After a short while you become one with the furniture, and the kids talk around you as if you were not even there. My technician teammates were chatting about dry eye patients at the time. This is not all that unusual, in that at least one-third of our patients are active dry eye patients. You (Read more...)

Xiidra first FDA-approved drug for signs and symptoms of dry eye disease

The FDA approved Xiidra for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye disease in adult patients on July 11. Manufactured by Shire, Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution 5%) is the first prescription eye drop medication in a new class of drugs, a lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 antagonist, to be approved by the FDA for dry eye disease, according to an FDA press release. The drug’s safety and efficacy were assessed in more than 2,500 patients in four separate, randomized controlled studies. The results of the studies found that patients (Read more...)