1 0 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
C
omplex
cataracts
are becom-
ing more
common as
increasing numbers of
patients show up for sur-
gery with risk factors for
poor pupil dilation —
uveitis, diabetes, previous
eye trauma and advanced
age — and more men are
opting to take Flomax, an
alpha blocker that has
been shown to constrict
the iris sphincter muscle, to treat enlarged prostates.
Surgeons earn approximately $150 more for the time and effort it
takes them to perform these complex cases, but the reimbursement
remains the same for facilities — between $900 and $1,000 — that
must pony up for the devices and drugs used to maintain mydriasis,
hard costs that hit the bottom line in a specialty with IOL-thin profit
margins. Surgeons, especially non-facility owners, often don't think
twice about adding to the expense of cataract cases. Facility adminis-
trators in charge of monitoring the bottom line are more likely to take
a long, hard look at the cost of the drugs and devices that are used to
prevent pupils from constricting. Or are they?
Daniel Cook | Executive Editor
Considering the Costs of Complex Cataracts
There's a case to be made for adding to the
expense of procedures with already thin profit margins.
• EYE ON SAVINGS Consider the benefit of shaving valuable minutes off
challenging procedures performed in high-volume facilities.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
