Maintaining the Edge

Larry E. Patterson, MD
From the Chief Medical Editor

When I first decided to become an ophthalmologist toward the end of medical school, I was attracted to the cool technology, the specialization of performing microsurgery on the eye and the amazing ability to restore sight for my patients. Most of my introduction to the field came from an older private practitioner who still performed intracapsular surgery.

I was initially attracted to ophthalmology by the physical and mental challenges of surgical technique, the innovative technological advances in equipment and implants and the remarkable potential outcomes. That said, I've been pleasantly surprised by the satisfaction I've derived from owning, equipping, managing and operating an ambulatory surgery center that's dedicated exclusively to the treatment of ophthalmic patients.

After all, when I made my ophthalmology career decision, there were only about 1,200 ASCs in the United States, with only a couple hundred serving eye patients. Since then, ASCs have grown in number — thanks to the establishment of a Medicare ASC reimbursement benefit in the early 1980s, advances in ophthalmic equipment and implants, payer and patient demand for less expensive care and the entrepreneurial spirit of pioneering surgeons in ophthalmology and other specialties. These changes coalesced to foment a quiet revolution in health care.

Today, my ASC in Crossville, Tenn., is just one of almost a thousand ophthalmic ASCs that, quite remarkably, perform more than 60% of all cataract surgeries in the nation. And that percentage is growing. That said, we can never be complacent or lose our edge.

The Ophthalmic ASC, created by the publishers of Ophthalmology Management, is about maintaining our edge in the marketplace — with our patients and with the payers. Our readers will recognize this issue's contributors as top experts in their fields. They will address contemporary topics of concern to progressive ophthalmologists and ASCs, such as:

How do we meet infection control standards?

What do we need from an EMR system?

How do we measure our ASC's performance?

I hope you'll enjoy reading these articles and come away with important pearls that can benefit you and your patients.