Practice Management News

Researchers who analyzed current data on postoperative complications after uneventful phacoemulsification cataract surgery concluded that the postoperative 1-day follow-up may be unnecessary.

WASHINGTON — Following nearly 2 years under the leadership of Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, the FDA and its Acting Commissioner Norman E. Sharpless, MD, will continue to enact Gottlieb’s action plans in 2019 and keep an eye on potential challenges as the country moves toward the 2020 presidential election, a speaker said here.

Unexpected complications 1 week after uneventful cataract surgery are rare, so researchers suggested that week 1 examinations be performed only on an as-needed basis, according to a study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

In this issue of OSN, our cover story discusses expansion of optometric scope of practice in some states and how this may impact future patient care. The debate over this subject makes me think of several principles I use to guide my own decisions in the practice of medicine, and they might be a useful lens through which we can view this discussion. Here are some principles I practice by:

The evolution of the profession of optometry has been a wonderful thing to observe. Like many things in today’s society, this evolution is occurring at such a rapid pace that it can be observed over a relatively short time span.

Medical errors are common and are the third-leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for more than 250,000 deaths per year, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Patients’ social determinants of health were determined in 1 minute with a short survey, according to findings recently published in Annals of Family Medicine.

A coalition of states allege a string of drug companies arranged a scheme that would raise generic drug prices in some instances by more than 1,000% and reduce competition for generic drugs, according to a recent press release from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

by Denise Helle, CPOC

Employed physicians in the United States outnumber self-employed physicians for the first time, the AMA wrote in a press release.