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O P H T H A L M O L O G Y
they did after the first surgery.
His patients accept the added expense of vision upgrades because
he's charging them reasonable fees, and still making money. "I'm not
trying to break the bank, and I'm not trying to be the lowest guy on the
block," he says. "I'd much rather do 100 patients well at $2,000 than
200 patients hurriedly at $1,000, and make the same amount of money."
Demanding more
The days of pumping cataracts through your ORs and counting the
reimbursement checks are over. Facility fees have flatlined, case costs
continue to climb and patients are more educated than ever about
their care options. You should focus less on surgical efficiencies and
more on giving your docs the tools they need to improve outcomes.
How can you help make average surgeons great? What can you do to
make great surgeons even better? How can you take cataract surgery
to the next level?
Dr. Stonecipher doesn't want his patients to see with cataract-like
results. He wants them to see with LASIK-like results. "This isn't the
'90s, when 20/40 post-op vision was acceptable," he says. "Today,
20/15 post-op vision is the goal."
He believes surgeons have gotten complacent in their outcomes,
even as patients have become more demanding. "They're paying us
extra money," he points out, "so they expect better outcomes. Even
the patients that aren't paying extra are demanding more."
As Dr. Stephenson says, today's patients want nothing less than
crisp, sharp vision. Are you ready to deliver? OSM
E-mail dcook @outpatientsurg ery.net.
O C T O B E R 2013 | O U T PAT 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
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