Despite many hurdles, we can still accomplish our goal to help patients.

I would like to thank Ophthalmology Management for the opportunity to be the guest editor in this month’s issue.

When I think back on simpler times and the reason why I went into medicine, I imagine that my mindset was very unoriginal: to help people. Nevertheless, that mindset was universally shared and is still my most pervasive drive today. I would further argue this singular goal we all share is critical in navigating a successful career in medicine, and the corruption of that goal is one of the main reasons for physician burnout.

A GROWING LIST OF HURDLES

The biggest hurdles in wearing the title of physician and helping people as a doctor used to be graduating medical school and perhaps also getting through residency. Fast forward 30 years and we can now list: maximizing clinical throughput, work documentation, employee retention, QA/QI processes, insurance billing, prescription plan restrictions, and the list goes on.

Physicians can feel powerless in the mechanization of medicine, and the ever-declining reimbursement for our services sends the message that what we do is not valued.

ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS IN YOUR PRACTICE

It’s easy to lose hope against this onslaught when all we are trying to do is help people. But in clinging to our mindset, we achieve great things.

This issue of Ophthalmology Management is about those great things we do to help people and how we continuously move forward to bring the benefits of new technologies and science to our patients. Working new techniques and technologies into our very busy practices can be quite disruptive, but we do it for our patients.

Advances in complex cataract surgery (page 16) are making these procedures more accessible and affordable for many. Recently introduced glaucoma treatments are preventing blindness in countless individuals (page 24). Newer drugs are making cataract surgery safer for the masses (page 30). Finally, new devices and techniques in refractive cataract surgery, including the Light Adjustable Lens (page 36) and corneal topography (page 40), are helping us to deliver better outcomes for our patients.

This month, many experts provide their advice on how to overcome some of the learning curve in bringing these cutting-edge tools and procedures into your practice.

A VICTORY TOWARD BETTER CARE

Obstacles in the name of better patient care will continue to come. As physicians who aspire to help people, we will be there to meet them. We are the ophthalmic healthcare leaders as well as the patients’ advocates who should decide what is better and what is not.

Recently, Aetna rescinded its requirement for cataract surgery prior authorization for all but two states. This decision was made not because they knew the process wrongly denied necessary care for patients. The change was made as a consequence of confrontation from ophthalmologists steadfast in helping their patients. The policy was rescinded because they were met by the strength of our universal mindset. Kudos to us. OM

Denise M Visco, MD, MBA, is medical director at Eyes of York (Pa.), president-elect of CEDARS/ASPENS, a not-for-profit society of anterior segment surgeon educators, and immediate past president of the American College of Eye Surgeons.