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O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | A U G U S T 2 0 1 4
for staff to arrange
and code correctly for
charge purposes, and
it increases the time
patients spend in
post-op — which isn't
a billable expense,"
says the director of
perioperative services
for a Southwestern
hospital.
On the plus side,
premium services
take very little time.
Even laser cataract
surgery takes only an
extra 5 minutes or so
in most facilities,
because the laser is
located in a different
room from where sur-
gery will be done. Our
respondents think the
premium services are
a little more prof-
itable for the sur-
geons, although most
say they're not privy
to what surgeons
charge. Half say these
P R E M I U M C A T A R A C T S U R G E R Y
About what percentage of your patients currently
pay an additional out-of-pocket fee for some premi-
um product or service related to cataract surgery?
• None
2.9%
• Less than 10%
35.4%
• 11% to 20%
26.8%
• 21% to 30%
14.4%
• 31% to 40%
9.1%
• More than 40%
6.7%
• Don't know
4.8%
SOURCE:
Outpatient Surgery Magazine Reader
Survey, July 2014, n=212
READER SURVEY
Paying for
Premium Products
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
