EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/511377
81 May 2015 EW MEETING REPORTER & Congress All of us are remarkably fortu- nate to practice a unique specialty, Dr. Lewis said. "Giving back the gift of sight never gets old." The satisfaction of what we do is never surpassed, he said. After Dr. Lewis officially tran - ferred the presidency, Dr. Cionni acknowledged the efforts that Dr. Lewis has made over the past year, and shared his plan to continue steering the society in the same direction as Dr. Lewis and other leaders before him. When Dr. Cionni was finishing residency, he was wondering if he was ready to practice ophthalmolo- gy. He was considering a non-surgi- cal specialty because he didn't think he had the surgical skills necessary to take care of his patients. However, he got involved with ASCRS after a recommendation by Robert Osher, MD. "It was with the influence of ASCRS that I began moving forward from borderline surgical competence to where I am today," he said. "I combining IOL rotation or exchange with a glaucoma procedure," Dr. Rhee said. Editors' note: Dr. Rhee has financial interests with Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Alcon, Glaukos, and other ophthalmic companies. Dr. Samples has financial interest with Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Alcon, Allergan, and other ophthalmic companies. Dr. Tham has financial interests with Abbott Medical Optics, Alcon, Allergan, and other ophthalmic companies. ASCRS•ASOA Special Joint Government Relations Session features Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) The Special Joint Government Re- lations Session at the ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress featured Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Ma- jority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. McCarthy started by talking about his background, including where he came from and how he became interested in poli- tics. Then, he moved into speaking about the workings of Congress, his opinions on policy and the process, and his thoughts on the future. "Yes- terday was the first 100 days of the new Congress," he said. Although on the outside it may look like things couldn't be worse, he said that the recent passage of the bill to repeal and replace the SGR shows that there has been some success. "We have done some things that for the last decade Congress could not achieve." He added that it's being done in a bipartisan manner. "We were able to negotiate, Republicans and Democrats together, without the world finding out," Rep. M - Carthy said. He went on to explain the new law moves the system away from volume-based to one based on quality, outcomes, and efficie - cies. In addition, he stressed the importance of the inclusion of real Medicare entitlement reforms, such as means testing. Rep. McCarthy said he is tired of all the "cliffs" that the government has created. Every time you have a cliff, it builds up and you can't think of bigger policy, he said. "We have to think differently," he said. Instead of just thinking in a 10-year timeframe, we have to look at a bigger picture. When you think of the way you get entitlement reform, you may get some saving in the first decade, but in the second, third, and fourth decade, the savings are expo- nential. "When you start thinking that way, you can achieve bigger items." Achieving the repeal and re- placement of SGR also came down to timing and scheduling, and Rep. McCarthy said it materialized at the right time. This approach can be applied to other problems going forward, he said. One challenge Rep. McCarthy said he has in Washington is that he is a conservative, but he is not one who believes there should be no government. It should be effective, efficient, and accountable, he said. Rep. McCarthy finished by sharing that he has portraits of both Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan in his office. He believes that there are 2 types of leaders who become president: thermometers or thermostats. A thermometer will take the temperature and gauge positions based on that, but a ther- mostat can take the temperature and can also change it. "Thermostats are leaders who transform," he said. Annual meeting kicks off with Opening General Session The ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress officially kicked off in San Diego with the Opening General Session, followed by the Binkhorst Lecture. Edward Holland, MD, Cincin- nati, chair of the ASCRS Program Committee, started off the session with a welcome to the 7,000 attend- ees from more than 100 countries. There are countless opportunities to learn from world-renowned sur- geons at the meeting and to partici- pate in 1,500 papers, posters, cours- es, and symposia, as well as special sessions, skill transfer sessions, and the annual Film Festival, he said. Following Dr. Holland, the out- going president of ASCRS, Richard Lewis, MD, Sacramento, Calif., and the incoming president of ASCRS, Robert Cionni, MD, Salt Lake City, both gave addresses to attendees. More than 40 years ago, ASCRS was founded to promote innovation and education in anterior segment surgery, Dr. Lewis said. "The focus on innovation remains as strong now as it was then." This past year was one of the best years in the history of the organization, he said. Dr. Lewis stressed the importance of maintaining a positive relation- ship with the FDA, of humanitarian service, and of embracing change occurring in healthcare. continued on page 82 Dr. Holland presents the Binkhorst Award to Dr. Tan.