Eyeworld

EW RESIDENTS 62 April 2015 logistical benefits to the patients and fair compensation to the ophthal- mologist and surgery center. Aside from the economic impact, the au- thors acknowledge one of the major limitations of this study is the inade- quate number of subjects to mean- ingfully compare the safety and ef- ficacy of same-day bilateral cataract surgery. Of note, multiple studies on same-day bilateral cataract surgery outside the United States report low adverse events and similar long-term outcomes compared to sequential bilateral cataract surgery. 4–8 Addi- tional limitations include the lack of randomization, as well as any comparative data regarding patient preference and satisfaction. Rush et al. provides insight into the socioeconomic considerations behind same-day versus sequen- tial cataract surgery, and paves the way for others to further study and quantify the cost effectiveness of same-day cataract surgery. Larger prospective studies or meta-analysis will be necessary to better assess and compare the safety and long-term outcomes between the 2 groups. EW References 1. CDC National Center for Health Statistics Office of Communication: Ambulatory Surgery in the United States, 2006. 2. Arshinoff, SA. Same-day cataract surgery should be the standard of care for patients with bilateral visually significant cataract. Surv Ophthalmol 2012; 57:574–9. 3. Henderson BA, Schneider J. Same-day cataract surgery should not be the standard of care for patients with bilateral visual- ly significant cataract. Surv Ophthalmol 2012;57:580–3. 4. Chung JK, Park SH, Lee WJ, et al. Bilateral cataract surgery: a controlled clinical trial. Jpn J Ophthalmol 2009; 53:107–13. 5. Sarikkola AU, Uusitalo RJ, Hellstedt T, et al. Simultaneous bilateral versus sequential bilateral cataract surgery: Helsinki Simultane- ous Bilateral Cataract Surgery Study Report 1. J Cataract Refract Surg 2011; 37:992–1002. 6. Arshinoff SA, Strube YN, Yagev R. Simulta- neous bilateral cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg 2003; 29:1281–91. 7. Sharma TK, Worstmann T. Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg 2001; 27:741–4. 8. Ramsay AL, Diaper CJ, Saba SN, et al. Simultaneous bilateral cataract extraction. J Cataract Refract Surg 1999; 25:753–62. Contact information Goshe: goshej@ccf.org Shao: shaoj@ccf.org The economic comparisons between the 2 groups yielded very different results. The total number of patient visits, distance traveled, and cost to the third-party payer were significantly lower in the same- day bilateral surgery group. The total cost to the ambulatory surgery center, however, was significantly higher in the same-day bilateral cataract surgery group while total reimbursement for the physician and surgical center was significantly lower. Not recorded, however, was any potential economic benefit to the ophthalmologist by reducing the total number of unreimbursed postoperative visits. The authors of this study conclude that same-day bilateral cat- aract surgery demonstrated signifi- cant potential benefits to the patient and third-party payers but was eco- nomically disadvantageous to the ophthalmologist and surgery center based on current reimbursement reductions for same-day bilateral surgery. The authors propose that reducing the reimbursement penalty for same-day bilateral surgery from 50% to 10% on the second eye could still offer a small cost savings for third-party payers while providing Review of continued from page 61 > No Capital Commitments, No Maintenance Costs > Reliable, Up-To-Date Equipment when you need it > Dedicated Onsite Support from Trained and Credentialed Technicians > Marketing Support Drives Patient Adoption and Practice Development The time to adopt Laser Cataract Surgery is NOW. CATALYS ® The Precision Laser System has gone Mobile. MobileCATALYS.com | 1.800.963.7101

• Cover