In “The Year of the Eye Doctor,” we must continue to find ways to improve our efficiency.

I have had opportunity to welcome my colleagues to a new year — or, as I say, the Year of the Eye Doctor. However, the year 2020 also means reduced reimbursements for the same job we’ve been doing from the previous year.

As you are probably aware, reimbursement for non-complicated cataract surgery (CPT code 66984) and complex cataract surgery (CPT code 66982) dropped about 15% and 6%, respectively. Because of this, we all need to become more efficient doctors or businesspeople — or both.

PEARLS FOR IMPROVEMENT

In our February cataract issue, we allow leaders in ophthalmology to discuss “pearls” from their practices. Larry E. Patterson, MD, provides tips and technqiues in the surgery suite (page 14), and Stephen V. Scoper, MD, offers ways to improve efficiency in the practice (page 18).

Hopefully, these ideas can help transform your practices. I am not suggesting that your ship isn’t sailing in the right direction, but there is always room for improvement.

“I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS DOING IT DIFFERENTLY.”

Multiple surgeons and office administrators have visited my surgical, refractive and general practices hoping to find more options to streamline their processes. In many cases when they ask, “How long have you done it like that?” I reply, “I didn’t know I was doing it differently.”

Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger once said, “Even while they teach, men learn.” I find we never stop learning when it comes to medicine. That is why we “practice” it.

In this new year, it’s not just about learning new diagnostics, drugs or technologies. We are also learning better ways to streamline the cataract surgery process without patient care suffering for it. OM

Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, is a cornea and refractive trained surgical specialist and the director of The Laser Center in Greensboro, N.C., which he joined in 2005. Also, he is a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of North Carolina and assists in the refractive and refractive cataract surgery training of the residents in the department of ophthalmology.