EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/78708
68 EW MEETING REPORTER June 2012 Highlights continued from page 67 Reporting live from the 2012 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress, Chicago ability to better predict refractive errors in the post-cataract patient. He suggested effective lens position can adversely affect vision quality; when using intraoperative aberrom- etry, "the aphakic measurement is the most important." He presented data from H. Burkhard Dick, M.D., Bochum, Germany, on the light adjustable lens that showed "superior results" at 18 months. "In their study, 0.5 D off target was an outlier," Dr. Olson said. Lastly, he advised surgeons to pay attention to refractive index shaping, as it has the potential to be used on every IOL material and can correct cylinder and sphere up to 2 D. ASOA OGS focuses on key role of practice administrators The ASOA Congress kicked off its meeting with an Opening General Session (OGS) that recognized out- going and incoming leadership and focused on the key role that practice administrators play in their prac- tices. Both outgoing ASOA president Lisa Gangi, C.O.E., Sarasota, Fla., and incoming president Robert Cherewich, M.P.S., C.M.P.E., C.O.E., Hatboro, Pa., addressed attendees. Mr. Cherewich acknowledged the ever-growing to-do list for prac- tice administrators and how ASOA has various resources, ranging from email discussion groups to publica- tions to webinars, to help adminis- trators meet those challenges. "Your skills are absolutely vital and will be more so in the future," he said. "Use all the resources ASOA has to offer." Outgoing ASCRS president Editors' note: This Meeting Reporter contains original reporting by the EyeWorld news team from the 2012 ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress, Chicago. Meeting Reporter sponsored by Alcon. Edward J. Holland, M.D., Cincin- nati, noted that now more than ever practice administrators are vital in guiding surgeons and their staff through the challenges of efficient patient care. These challenges in- clude the implementation of elec- tronic health records and serving more patients as baby boomers continue to age and the patient population swells. "The solution is becoming more efficient at what we do," Dr. Holland said. Ann Kelman honors Douglas D. Koch, M.D., at this year's Innovator's Lecture Source: Convention Photo by Jeff Orlando The OGS also recognized new ASOA executive director Laureen Rowland, C.A.E. ASCRS government relations director Nancey McCann addressed the current regulatory challenges that ophthalmology faces, including Band-Aid fixes to the sustainable growth rate (SGR). "We need to continue to fight for a permanent fix to the SGR," Ms. McCann said. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, MedPAC, and accountable care organizations are other regulatory hot buttons affect- ing ophthalmic practices, Ms. McCann said. The ASOA OGS included a brief presentation from National Board of Certified Ophthalmic Executives immediate past president James Hartmann III, C.P.A., Mobile, Ala. Additionally, the 2012 ASOA Award for Volunteerism winner Kenneth Woodworth, C.O.M.T., C.O.E., Lexington, Ky., was recognized. Following the OGS, attendees participated in a series of roundtable discussions on various practice man- agement topics. Sunday, April 22 Congressman calls for FDA reform The onerous FDA review process is the main hindrance to medical in- novation in the U.S., Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-Minn) said during the ASCRS Government Relations Session. "If you're not frustrated with what's going on in Washington, you're probably not paying atten- tion," the co-chair of the House Medical Technology Caucus said. Rep. Paulsen said that he is working to spur and incentivize innovation rather than stifle it. The medical technology indus- try has been responsible for $21.5 billion in salaries and 2 million jobs. Eighty percent of those jobs are in small companies that employ 50 or fewer workers. "These innovators are on a mis- sion to save lives and restore health to millions. What could really be more worthwhile or exciting than that?" Rep. Paulsen asked. Rep. Paulsen said investors cite the regulatory hurdles brought on by the FDA as being the number one risk to innovation. "The current regulatory envi- ronment created by the FDA has forced many American companies to send jobs overseas. Technology is now being developed in China and Europe with no hope of coming back to the United States," he said. "That means jobs are lost and new life-saving and life-improving tech- nologies for patients are not avail- able [here]." FDA reform also has garnered bipartisan support. Legislation to reauthorize FDA user fees will begin to be considered by Congress, and FDA reforms, such as the drug ap-