Washington, DC — The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) today warned that continuation of the trend of reducing reimbursements to physicians for services provided under Medicare could lead to a crisis in practice and eventually reduce patient access to Medicare services.
There is very real evidence that newer technology may not become available to senior citizens without adequate Medicare funding. Highly skilled ophthalmologists needed to care for patients with cataracts face a crisis in practice and may simply not be there to provide the care in the future, said outgoing ASCRS President Priscilla Arnold, MD.
As a remedy for the problem, Dr. Arnold urged patients, physicians, and policymakers to involve themselves in the debate on healthcare. “Physicians must receive Medicare reimbursements that keep up with the cost of treating Medicare beneficiaries,” Dr. Arnold said. “People of goodwill can solve this looming problem. The Medicare reimbursement system must be replaced with one that accurately reflects expense increases in medical practices.”
Dr. Arnold’s comments came during ceremonies at the 31st Annual Symposium of the ASCRS.
Using cataract surgery as her example, Dr. Arnold noted that the Medicare population is rising with the aging of the baby boom population. The total number of people with cataracts (a vision-obstructing clouding of the eye’s lens) is expected to rise from 20.5 million today to 30.1 million by the year 2020. Cataracts occur primarily in seniors, and the surgery represents a significant Medicare expenditure.
Between 1990 and 2005, Medicare reimbursement has been cut from $1,500 to about $684, a constant-dollar reduction of 71 percent. These cuts have occurred, she said, despite the fact that cataract surgery is extremely cost-effective, restores vision, significantly enhances the quality of life of patients, and reduces morbidity and mortality.
ASCRS has prepared a brochure on the subject entitled, A Vision for the Future: Delivering the Best in Cataract Care for You and Your Children, which can be obtained by contacting ASCRS at JCiccone@ascrs.org.
For more information about cataract surgery go to www.eyesurgeryeducation.org.
TV News Editors:See Satellite Coordinates below.
The video features interview segments with Dr. Arnold and two patients who have had cataract surgery. The video news release of this story will be distributed via satellite on:
Friday April 15th, 2005
1:00PM - 1:15PM ET
IA 5
C-Band
Transponder 15
Downlink Freq: 4000 Vertical
Monday April 18th, 2005
1:30PM - 1:45PM ET
IA 5
C-Band
Transponder 24
Downlink Freq: 4180 Horizontal
