vision (20%) or it was less invasive (20%). Of those who did not
choose laser cataract surgery, the primary reason (30%) was that the
doctor did not recommend it.
•
Cost is not an insurmountable barrier.
Despite the upcharge for laser
surgery, 53% said it was an "excellent" value and 18% reported "very
good" value. Only 2% said it was a "poor" value. Of those that chose
not to have laser cataract surgery, only 20% of these patients cited
cost as the reason.
•
A satisfied group.
Laser cataract patients tend to be happy with their
experience, which should generate good word of mouth among sen-
iors. Three-fourths of laser cataract surgery patients reported they
would definitely recommend the surgery to a friend or relative. The
biggest reason cited was that the results were better than expected
(26%). They reported being slightly more satisfied with the surgery
center and more likely than traditional cataract surgery patients to
recommend cataract surgery to a friend or relative.
— Sandy Clingan Smith
Ms. Smith (
sandy.smith@amsurg .com
) is the assistant vice president of
ophthalmology marketing for AmSurg in Nashville, Tenn. Fifteen of AmSurg's
65 surgery centers have femto-second lasers. Com-bined, those 15 centers have
completed more than 5,000 laser cataract procedures.
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