Author: Healio ophthalmology

Surgical trainees can safely perform femtosecond LASIK

With the guidance of an experienced surgeon, surgical trainees can safely perform femtosecond LASIK, yielding good visual outcomes, according to a study.In a retrospective case series comparing femtosecond LASIK outcomes of 72 eyes operated on by resident and fellow trainees and 157 eyes operated on by an attending surgeon, only flap thickness was found to be significantly different between the two groups, with the attending group achieving thinner flaps (P

Digital health records not upholding promises on lower costs, better care

Electronic health records have not brought the expected reductions in costs or improvements in health care, according to a RAND Corp. analysis.The report concludes that current systems were slow to be adopted and “neither interconnected nor easy to use.”A 2005 analysis by RAND researchers predicted that a broad adoption of health care information technology could eventually save $81 billion annually in US health care costs.The latest report cites the need for health care providers to “re-engineer” processes based on a “compelling vision” that could still meet the original promise of improved care at lower cost.

CMS announces formation of new ACOs in Medicare

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that 106 new Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) were created that the agency predicts could give 4 million Medicare beneficiaries access to high-quality health care and save $940 million over the next 4 years under the Medicare Shared Savings Program.“Accountable Care Organizations save money for Medicare and deliver higher-quality care to people with Medicare,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated in a CMS press release. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more doctors and hospitals are working together to give people with Medicare the high-quality care they expect and deserve.”