Two options are sufficient for treating bilateral nasolacrimal duct obstruction in infants, according to a study.Fifty-seven infants who had bilateral nasolacrimal duct obstruction were randomized in the multicenter study; 31 patients received immediat…
Author: Healio ophthalmology
Sightpath to offer new phaco system
Sightpath Medical will offer Alcon’s Centurion Vision System as an option in its cataract surgery suite of equipment and services, according to a press release. A certified surgical technician will accompany the Centurion phacoemulsification system, the release said.
GlaxoSmithKline to end some direct payments to health care professionals
GlaxoSmithKline announced that it will no longer pay for health care professionals to speak on the company’s behalf or to attend medical conferences, effective in 2016.The company will continue to pay for consulting, advisory and market-research services, according to a press release.
Physicians fight back as insurers try to terminate contracts
Over the past several months physicians nationwide have been receiving notices from insurers, terminating their participation as panel members. Generally, this means that patients who wish to continue to see these physicians must pay a higher out-of-ne…
Corneal astigmatism commonly overestimated, underestimated
Four diagnostic devices overestimated with-the-rule astigmatism and underestimated against-the-rule astigmatism in cataract surgery, according to a study.The prospective study included 41 eyes of 41 patients. Preoperatively, 17 patients had with-the-rule astigmatism with a corneal steep meridian at 60° to 120°, and 24 patients had against-the-rule astigmatism with a corneal steep meridian at 0° to 30° or 150° to 180°.Investigators used five devices to measure corneal astigmatism before cataract surgery and 3 weeks postoperatively. Toric IOL alignment was recorded at the slit lamp during surgery and 3 weeks after surgery.
Glaucoma filtration device assigned Category I CPT code
Starting in January, a new Category I Current Procedural Terminology code will be used with the Ex-Press glaucoma filtration device, according to a press release from Alcon.The American Medical Association assigned CPT code 66183 to the device with the description, “insertion of anterior segment aqueous drainage device, without extraocular reservoir; external approach.”
Improvements made to FDA medical device recall databases
Improvements to public databases are expected to increase and improve access to safety information on marketed medical devices, according to a press release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.The 510(k) and premarket approval databases will now feature a Center for Devices and Radiological Health recalls hyperlink at the bottom of a record if there are recalls associated with that medical device.
Medicare SGR reform gains ground, but payment plan still undecided
The American Medical Association praised what it called “strong bipartisan votes” by two Congressional committees to replace the current Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and end the “annual cycle of draconian Medicare physician payment cuts and short-term patches” on physician reimbursement.The House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees both passed versions of the bill on Thursday, including what an AMA statement calls a plan to “consolidate and restructure existing quality improvement incentive programs to reduce the administrative and financial burden on physicians.”Action by the full House and Senate (Read more...)
Katena acquires IOP Ophthalmics
IOP Ophthalmics has been acquired by Katena, according to a press release.Katena manufactures ophthalmic surgical instruments and related ophthalmic products, with sales in more than 110 countries, while IOP Ophthalmics develops, commercializes and distributes specialty ophthalmic surgical devices and biologics.
Synergetics reports 6.2% increase in sales for first quarter
Synergetics USA reported total sales of $15.5 million for its first quarter, an increase of 6.2% over the first quarter last year, according to a press release.Net income was $900,000, or $0.04 per diluted share, a 30.8% decrease from $1.4 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, a year ago.
BLOG: ‘Tis the season
Not the holiday season, the heating season! If you live north of the Mason-Dixon Line and you take care of dry eye patients, you just got very busy. Why? Because furnaces all across North America went on sometime last month, and your patients have been slowly dehumidifying the air in their homes and workplaces. With that comes the “dry eye season,” as predictable in many areas as ragweed in the fall and corneal abrasions on Dec. 26.
VIDEO: Physician discusses HOME study
Carl D. Regillo, MD, discusses results of the HOME study for the use of the ForeSee Home device in patients at high risk of AMD.
Trifocal aspheric diffractive IOL improves near, intermediate and distance vision
A trifocal aspheric diffractive IOL restored vision at different distances after microincision cataract surgery, according to a study.The prospective study included 40 eyes of 20 patients with bilateral cataract. Patients underwent sutureless microinci…
BLOG: Testing for Sjögren’s
In some circles, there’s a persistent knock on our specialty: We are somehow not “real” doctors. You’ve heard this, I’m sure. Admit it: It hurts your feelings. I mean, c’mon, we went through the same 4 years of med school and 4 years of residency as our dermatology colleagues, and nobody talks about them that way. It’s just not fair.Some of this stems from our ability as a specialty to function outside of most of the rest of medicine.
Surgeon discusses current laser treatment options for retinal disease
Sam E. Mansour, MD, discusses the role of micropulse laser therapy in the treatment of retinal disease at the American Academy of Ophthalmology in New Orleans.
Novel procedure relieves dry eye symptoms, improves meibomian gland function
Debridement-scaling of the line of Marx and a keratinized lid margin significantly relieved symptoms and improved meibomian gland function in patients with evaporative dry eye, a study found.The study included 28 patients diagnosed with evaporative dry…
BLOG: Putting patients’ interests first solves a lot of problems
Last week in Connecticut, a federal judge placed an injunction on United Healthcare hours before the insurance organization dropped thousands of doctors from its Medicare Advantage plans. UHC, after unilaterally altering its physician contracts without consenting with the contracted physicians, sought to drop about 2,200 participating physicians, according to an article recently published on healio.com/ophthalmology. Two separate medical societies in Connecticut successfully petitioned the court for this injunction in the interest of maintaining patients’ access to care and requiring the payer to modify its contracts “the right way.”
QLT initiates phase 2 trial of impaired dark adaptation treatment
QLT initiated a phase 2a proof-of-concept trial of QLT091001, a synthetic oral retinoid, in adult subjects with impaired dark adaptation, according to a press release.Subjects in the randomized, multicenter, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study are…
Live updates on Thursday: Senate committee considers Medicare physician payment reforms
Reforming Medicare doctors’ pay takes center stage Thursday as the Senate Finance Committee meets in executive session to consider a broad bipartisan framework for reform.Without Congressional action, current law requires a nearly 24% reduction in physician payments next year.The new approach, revised by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month, would repeal the current sustained growth rate (SGR) formula for determining updates to the Medicare physician fee schedule.
Federal audit reveals EHR ‘cut-and-paste’ fraud vulnerabilities
A federal audit released today concluded that a lack of tight controls over electronic health records makes it easier to commit fraud.The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) said some EHR documentation features can result in “poor data quality or fraud.”Auditors administered an online questionnaire to 864 hospitals and conducted onsite structured interviews with hospital staff, including a demonstration of EHR technology at eight hospitals. Their goal was to determine how hospitals that received EHR Medicare incentive payments had implemented fraud safeguards recommended by RTI (Read more...)