What ophthalmic surgery will you be performing?

[dantt]

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http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=898673

 

[DrVinzKlortho]

From what I gathered this bill will only add yag capsulotomy, LPI, SLT, chalazia removal. Many of the other procedures you mentioned were specifically excluded from the bill.

 

[OpticalBlackOut]

This poll seems very misleading...feels as if you're waiting for someone like Shnurek to re-appear so you can debate this topic. If that's not your intent, then you need to include a "none of the above" choice on your poll, because the majority of us still have zero interest in surgery

 

[EyeCaptain]

I'm not sure whether to laugh, or be annoyed by this thread. Are the Ophthalmology forums getting dull these days?

 

[dantt]

From what I gathered this bill will only add yag capsulotomy, LPI, SLT, chalazia removal. Many of the other procedures you mentioned were specifically excluded from the bill.

Proposed law revises present law to provide that nothing in present law limits an
optometrist's ability to perform ophthalmic surgery procedures, other than the following
procedures that are specifically excluded from the scope of practice by proposed law:

 

[KHE]

I really think this whole surgery thing is a red herring.

I practice in a state (Connecticut) that while does not have surgical rights has a very wide scope of practice and always has.

IF I were to do any sort of laser surgeries, the only one that would even be remotely "worth it" would be refractive surgery and even with that, I see at best 2-3 patients per month who are even remotely interested in it. That bubble has long since burst. So I sure as heck ain't going to be spending a million bucks to build out a surgical suite for my 2 LASIK patients per month.

Maybe I see a couple of patients a month who could use a PI. Again, nowhere close to the volume needed to make any sort of laser equipment economically viable.

 

[dantt]

I really think this whole surgery thing is a red herring.

I practice in a state (Connecticut) that while does not have surgical rights has a very wide scope of practice and always has.

IF I were to do any sort of laser surgeries, the only one that would even be remotely "worth it" would be refractive surgery and even with that, I see at best 2-3 patients per month who are even remotely interested in it. That bubble has long since burst. So I sure as heck ain't going to be spending a million bucks to build out a surgical suite for my 2 LASIK patients per month.

Maybe I see a couple of patients a month who could use a PI. Again, nowhere close to the volume needed to make any sort of laser equipment economically viable.

I have a great relationship with every optometrist I've ever met or worked with. Nobody wants to do these procedures...which is why I don't understand the reasoning behind these types of bills being pushed through. There's a misconception somewhere that doctors, ophthalmologists make money by doing surgery. We make money by doing a lot of the same thing very efficiently and very well. Primary care physicians see patients for a myriad of problems and visits end up taking 30 minutes+ (as they should since their problems are complicated and diverse). That's frankly why their compensation is relatively poor. Every patient walking into an ophthalmologists's office has similar problems. Every patient walking into a retinologist's injection clinic has the same exact problem. LPIs, capsulotomy's etc, could only be reasoned in the sad optometrists's office with an empty schedule and feels a need to do more on the patients they have. Don't fool yourself. These are not money makers.

When the lobbyists "representing" your interests are not doing you a favor, you need to send your money elsewhere.

 

[dantt]

My practice sees several hundred patients a day. We bought a new YAG and many of us struggled with it before determining it was repeatedly miscalibrated. You would never be able to properly troubleshoot it (or pay it off) with a handful of patients each month.

 

[EyeCaptain]

And the point of this thread is what?

KHE already expressed what I believe to be the attitude of most Optometrists. Of course that's only my opinion. Is your end goal to convince everyone here to stop contributing to the AOA? For those who are interested in surgery, I think you may be wrong in thinking that money is the biggest draw.

 

[dantt]

The purpose is to discuss the type of surgeries optometrists hope to perform. Optometrists fought hard to obtain open ended surgical privileges (can perform all surgeries except the listed which are specifically excluded). It sounds from here the vast majority of optometrists have no interest in surgery. Nevertheless, there is an ongoing nationwide agenda to expand surgical scope.

 

[EyeCaptain]

Apparently there are many who would like surgical privileges, and they are working toward that end. While it's not as upsetting to me as it is to you, it's not something I think about on a daily basis, because it only tends to affect one state at a time over long periods. I'm sorry there isn't more blatant opposition here for you to argue with. If you want I can pretend though, since I like to see wins for my profession in general. Go Optometry!

 

[vistaril]

I have a great relationship with every optometrist I've ever met or worked with. Nobody wants to do these procedures...which is why I don't understand the reasoning behind these types of bills being pushed through. There's a misconception somewhere that doctors, ophthalmologists make money by doing surgery. We make money by doing a lot of the same thing very efficiently and very well. Primary care physicians see patients for a myriad of problems and visits end up taking 30 minutes+ (as they should since their problems are complicated and diverse). That's frankly why their compensation is relatively poor.

lol...the average primary care physician spends 7 minutes per pt. A primary care physicians who routinely spend 30 minutes with patients wouldnt be able to keep the lights on.

 

[Optogal]

Oops. I selected all of them even though I won't do any of them. What I meant to check off was LASIK and cataract surgery. Please revise your totals accordingly.