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the surgeons i work with send post-ops back to me one day. but technically, as i think PD pointed out, that technically doesnt have to be the case. our surgeons see my patients for cataract CONSULTS. the true meaning of a medical consultation is for the recipient doctor who received the consult to completely treat the condition requiring the consult. in the case of surgical consultation for cataracts, that would include their surgical removal, if ordered by the consulting doctor, as well as the healing process involved. naturally, the consultation ends when the condition for the consult is over, and the patient should be sent back to the original doctor. so as an optometrist, i agree that it should entirely be the surgeon's decision. same as any specialty/consultation relationship. i dont think CD is bashing ODs - im sure many other surgical specialties would be more inclined to keep their patients through some post-op care, regardless if the patient was sent from an MD, DDS, DPM etc.
just a side note - with the spectrum of optometric care going on right now, ie some docs who graduated in the Nixon years who were taught next to nothing of primary eye care to the recent grads who are very well trained in medical eye care, wouldnt you be a little reluctant as a surgeon unless you very much knew the capabilities of the doctor that will be comanaging your patients? our surgeons have a comfort level with our ODs, that is why they are fine with us doing post-op. they do not, however, allow external consults to return to the OD or even the referring MD (we get cat consults from a lasik surgeon) until 1 week from surgery. even then, we dont bill any of the post-op fees - its not like we're trying to get that little extra reimbursment - the OD/MD who sent the patient gets the full global fee, as if theyve seen the patient from day one.
i'll say it again - symbiosis. these games of condescendence that ODs and MDs play are ridiculous.
just a side note - with the spectrum of optometric care going on right now, ie some docs who graduated in the Nixon years who were taught next to nothing of primary eye care to the recent grads who are very well trained in medical eye care, wouldnt you be a little reluctant as a surgeon unless you very much knew the capabilities of the doctor that will be comanaging your patients? our surgeons have a comfort level with our ODs, that is why they are fine with us doing post-op. they do not, however, allow external consults to return to the OD or even the referring MD (we get cat consults from a lasik surgeon) until 1 week from surgery. even then, we dont bill any of the post-op fees - its not like we're trying to get that little extra reimbursment - the OD/MD who sent the patient gets the full global fee, as if theyve seen the patient from day one.
i'll say it again - symbiosis. these games of condescendence that ODs and MDs play are ridiculous.