I know, I know. I just blogged on Google Glass a few weeks ago, but there’s more news. The Italian eyewear maker Luxottica recently announced an agreement with Google to design and produce eyewear specifically for Google Glass technology. This wearable computing technology already has massive appeal to a “geek-chic” market of nerds, many of whom regularly read my blog and can’t wait to get their hands on this device.
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Senate approves one-year SGR patch, delays ICD-10 billing codes
The US Senate voted Monday to approve a one-year temporary legislative patch to avoid looming 24% cuts to physician Medicare payments. The measure also delays the ICD-10 billing codes compliance deadline until 2015
SLT lowers IOP, has small risk of adverse effects in eyes with moderate POAG
Selective laser trabeculoplasty significantly reduces IOP in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma without inducing adverse effects, according to a study. The short-term prospective study included 64 eyes with moderate POAG. Medical treatment was not s…
BLOG: Practice lessons from naval submarines, part 1
Living in San Diego in the shadow of America’s nuclear navy, I once had the privilege of touring a real, live submarine, courtesy of an admiral friend. In 60 minutes, I learned more about the value of staff cross-training than I had learned in all the previous years as a practice consultant. I also picked up lots of other management pearls. I’d like to share a few of these insights with you. Virtually all members of a 135-man submarine crew (U.S. submarines are essentially all-male) are interchangeable, with the exception (Read more...)
Macular Health launches two ocular nutrition delivery systems
Macular Health has introduced two new products: MacuSpray, an intra-oral spray, and MacuStrip Premier, an oral thin film, according to a press release. The products are expected to deliver ocular nutrition for patients with age-related macular degenera…
InSite reports annual net income, but lack of operational funds imminent
InSite Vision reported revenues of $30.8 million for 2013, compared with $21.6 million for 2012, according to a press release. Net income was $5.8 million for the year, or $0.04 per share, compared with a net loss of $8.3 million, or $0.06 per share, i…
Debridement offers no advantage in treating microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis
Corneal debridement showed no distinct advantage in resolving corneal lesions and improving vision in eyes treated for microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis, a study found. The prospective, double-masked, randomized study included 120 patients with clini…
Ophthalmic Women Leaders announces award finalists
Ophthalmic Women Leaders announced the finalists for its annual Visionary Woman, Catalyst and Rising Star awards. The finalists for the Visionary Woman Award are Jane Rady, Candace S. Simerson, COE, CMPE, CAHCM, and Ellen Troyer, MT, MA. The finalists …
Rate of retinal nerve fiber layer loss greater in eyes with visual field damage
The rate of retinal nerve fiber layer loss is 2.5 times greater in eyes that develop visual field damage than in eyes that do not develop visual field damage, a study found. The prospective study included 454 eyes of 294 glaucoma suspects; 183 suspects…
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Be aware of important 2014 IRA updates
If your traditional IRA(s), SEP-IRA(s) or SIMPLE-IRA(s), alone or in combination, make up the majority of your retirement savings, and they do for most investors, then it is important to keep up with ever-changing tax laws.Failure to abide by recent IR…
Dept. of Justice scrutiny of physician-owned distributorships: Implications for physician investors
In a development that many predicted, federal authorities recently initiated what is likely to be the first of many investigations into a physician-owned distributorship (POD). PODs sell devices for use in procedures at hospitals and ASCs, and many focus on implantable devices, including orthopedic and cardiac devices. A POD’s physician-owners or investors typically perform procedures using devices sold by the POD to a limited number of hospitals or surgical facilities. The medical community has seen a rapid growth in PODs during the past several years, and these entities are reportedly (Read more...)
Treat-and-extend protocol for AMD improves visual acuity, eases treatment burden
A treat-and-extend anti-VEGF treatment regimen for neovascular age-related macular degeneration yielded visual outcomes similar to those of the ANCHOR and MARINA studies. The prospective study included 120 patients with subfoveal choroidal neovasculari…
Alimera resubmits Iluvien new drug application
Alimera Sciences has resubmitted its new drug application for Iluvien to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a press release. The company will provide information on the FDA’s acceptance of the resubmission and a Prescription Drug User Fee Act date as it becomes available, the release said.
BLOG: The rising cost of generic drugs, part 2 — what you can do about it
In my last blog post on this topic, we discussed the astronomically rising cost of generic drugs in the U.S. and why this is happening. Certainly it’s a frustrating problem for patients and doctors alike. Here are some tips that may be helpful in navigating the system. Partner with a pharmacy. In the past few years, my practice has approached neighboring pharmacies both large and small with a list of eye medications that we most commonly prescribe (like those used after surgery). We’ve asked them to give fair treatment to (Read more...)
New legislation would delay permanent SGR fix for another year
Legislation to avert a March 31 deadline to cut physician Medicare payments by 24% has been scheduled for a Thursday vote in the US House of Representatives. But the measure is another 1-year temporary patch and not a more permanent fix to Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula.Hopes for a more permanent solution were raised in February, when House and Senate negotiators reached a 5-year deal to provide physicians with a 0.5% annual increase in Medicare reimbursements, leading to optimism for a longer-term “doc fix.”
Prenatal diagnosis: A potential moral dilemma
Advances in fetal medicine helped by ultrasonography, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, and maternal and fetal cord blood sampling are well-established. This has been coupled with progress in maternal fetal medicine, as pregnant women are incre…
Novel endoscopic OCT system holds promise for future of vitreoretinal surgery
LISBON, Portugal – A novel endoscopic optical coherence tomography system specifically designed for the eye could provide important information during vitreoretinal surgery, improving anatomical and functional outcomes and reducing complication rates, according to one speaker. “It is only a prototype at the moment, but it will probably become the future of OCT-guided surgery,” Francesco Boscia, MD, said at the Controversies in Ophthalmology meeting.
BLOG: The rising cost of generic drugs and what’s causing it
You’ve either seen it or heard about it from your patients: The cost of generics drug at the pharmacy is rising dramatically. In the past 2 years, generic drug makers have raised their prices on many age-old generic medications such as doxycycline and pravastatin, each of which increased tenfold in price in 2013, according to a survey by the National Community Pharmacists Association. About one-third of generic drugs are affected by this change, according to a study by Pembroke Consulting, a Philadelphia research firm, but not every dose of every (Read more...)
AAO officially launches IRIS Registry
The American Academy of Ophthalmology has launched the Intelligent Research in Sight Registry, the specialty’s first comprehensive national database, the academy announced in a press release. Piloted in 2013, the Intelligent Research in Sight (IRIS) Registry is designed to store patient data for use in clinical care, clinical research and regulatory compliance. The AAO announced the registry’s launch at its annual meeting in November 2013. According to the release, 2,300 physicians in 47 states are participating in the IRIS Registry, which currently holds more than 5 million patient records and (Read more...)