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• What’s Happening
• For the Record
• Take Notice
• Academy Store
• Meeting Matters
• Members at Large
• D.C. Report

WHAT’S HAPPENING 

Eye M.D.s Victorious in Quest for State and Federal Posts

Three ophthalmologists were elected to state and federal offices in last November’s elections.

• Nan A. S. Hayworth, MD, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in New York’s 19th district, winning by a commanding six points: 53 percent to 47 percent.
   
• Susan K. Mosier, MD, was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives, winning her race by a wide margin: 51 percent to 46 percent.
   
• Rand Paul, MD, was elected to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate, winning his race by double digits: 56 percent to 44 percent.

These victories are a historic achievement for ophthalmology on many levels; never before have so many of our colleagues been elected to serve in public office. Dr. Paul will be the first-ever ophthalmologist to serve in the U.S. Senate, and Dr. Hayworth is the first ophthalmologist elected to the U.S. House since Rep. John C. Cooksey (R–La.), who served six years ending in 2003. Dr. Mosier will be the only ophthalmologist currently serving in a state legislature.

The Academy congratulates these doctors on their victories and looks forward to working with them in the coming years on the critical issues facing ophthalmology.

SF AMS Earns AMCI Accreditation

San Francisco Association Management Services (SF AMS), a subsidiary of the Academy, received Association Management Company Institute (AMCI) accreditation last November.

Of the more than 600 association management companies worldwide, fewer than 10 percent have become accredited and in doing so have demonstrated the commitment and ability to deliver the highest level of services to their association clients.

For more information about SF AMS, visit www.sf-ams.com.

FOR THE RECORD 

Election Results

On Oct. 16, voting opened for four positions on the 2011 board of trustees.

The results are as follows:

• President-Elect: Ruth D. Williams, MD
   
• Senior Secretary for Ophthalmic Practice: David A. Durfee, MD
   
• Secretary for the Annual Meeting: Jonathan B. Rubenstein, MD
   
• Trustee-at-Large: John R. Stechschulte, MD

For more information, visit www.aao.org/bot.

Nominations for the Academy Board
By Randolph L. Johnston, MD

As past president of the Academy, it is my privilege to serve as chairman of the Academy’s Nominating Committee in 2011.

This committee represents a variety of interests within the Academy and is charged with identifying appropriate candidates for the open positions on the 2012 board of trustees.

We are especially interested in identifying leaders in our profession with experience in confronting the critical issues facing organized medicine and who reflect the strength and diversity of our members. The Academy’s leaders should be knowledgeable, experienced and prepared to devote the time and energy required by a large organization in these challenging times. This work is both demanding and rewarding for those interested in helping to assure the Academy’s success and responsiveness to members. With these characteristics in mind, I ask you to assist the committee by suggesting appropriate candidates for the following positions in 2012:

• President-elect (to serve as president in 2013). Because the president-elect automatically becomes president the following year, it is crucial that nominees are individuals who have had leadership experience within the Academy. They also should have demonstrated leadership qualities in clinical practice, in their own ophthalmic communities and in other medical or ophthalmological organizations.
   
• Senior secretary for Advocacy (a renewable three-year term). We are currently served by Cynthia A. Bradford, MD, who is serving the third year of her first term. This senior secretary coordinates the Academy’s programs and activities that are developed through the secretariat for Federal Affairs and the secretariat for State Affairs.
   
• Two trustees-at-large (four-year term). These individuals should be Academy fellows or life fellows who are especially attuned to the needs and expectations of our members. In addition to demonstrating strong leadership potential, they should be able to represent and articulate to the Academy board the needs and concerns of members.
   
• One public trustee (a renewable three-year appointment; an advisor to and member of the board of trustees). The bylaws allow the board to appoint up to three public trustees. We currently are served by Humphrey J. F. Taylor and Paul B. Ginsburg, PhD. Mr. Taylor is chairman of Harris Interactive and is serving the third year of his sixth term. Dr. Ginsburg is president of the Center for Studying Health System Change and is serving the first year of his third term. Public trustees do not vote on Academy governance, the budget or other programmatic issues. They do, however, provide insight on how ophthalmology can better work with the rest of medicine, the public, government and industry. A public trustee should not be an ophthalmologist but should be someone who is familiar with and has a personal interest in current medical issues. The nominating committee will be pleased to receive suggestions for individuals, who may include physicians from other medical specialties or leaders in industry, government, public policy or advocacy.

Thank you for your interest and participation in this process. Membership participation is vital, not only for the Academy but also for our collective goals of being able to provide appropriate, accessible and affordable eye care to the public. On behalf of the Nominating Committee, I look forward to receiving your suggestions as we seek to identify our profession’s future leaders.

Send your confidential suggestions by Feb. 1 to Randolph L. Johnston, MD, Nominating Committee Chair, American Academy of Ophthalmology, P.O. Box 7424, San Francisco, CA 94120-7424. Suggestions can also be e-mailed to nominate@aao.org or faxed to 415-561-8526.

For more information, visit www.aao.org/about and click “Governance,” “Elections” and “Nomination Process.”

New International Advisors to Academy’s Board of Trustees

The Academy has appointed two international advisors to its board of trustees for 2011: Alaa El-Danasoury, MD, of Saudi Arabia and J. Antonio Roca, MD, of Peru.

The advisors will attend board of trustee meetings as nonvoting members and will advise the board on relevant topics or issues in order to provide the views of members outside the United States. The board of trustees selected these two advisors from two of four supranational regions for one-year terms. This is the second year of this two-year pilot program, which will be reassessed later this year.

The Academy Honors Latest Life Members

The physicians below have been members of the Academy for 35 consecutive years. The Academy honors them for their support by granting them “life” status.

Afzal Ahmad, MD
Manuel A. Airala, MD
Albert A. Alley, MD
Martin J. Arisco, MD
Barbara J. Arnold, MD
George S. Ashman, MD
Edwin C. Augustat, MD
John D. Baker, MD
Neiel D. Baronberg, MD
Magda Barsoum-Homsy, MD
George R. Beauchamp, MD
Deloris W. Bell, MD
Bruce R. Berg, MD
William L. Berry, MD
Robert P. Blau, MD
E. Fredrick Bloemker, MD
William A. Bohart, MD
Roger W. Brassel, MD
S. Richard Chazin, MD
Tony Y. T. Chen, MD
James F. Cochran, MD
Gerald Cohen, MD
Lewis C. Cook, MD
John C. Cooksey, MD
David C. Craig, MD
Warren D. Cross, MD
John J. Darin, MD
Woody D. Davis, MD
Christopher Deen, MD
Edward A. Deglin, MD
Herbert K. Dixon, MD
John A. Dryfuss Jr., MD
Thomas E. Duncan, MD
Harry C. Eggleston, MD
James D. Faulkner, MD
Stephen S. Feman, MD
Stuart L. Fine, MD
Sumner L. Fishbein, MD
Arthur W. Fleming, MD
Douglas E. Gaasterland, MD
Robert C. Gardner, MD
Paul T. Gavaris, MD
Melvyn A. Gerstein, MD
Michael H. Goldberg, MD
Joel H. Goldstein, MD
Gregory M. Gray, MD
Arthur S. Grove Jr., MD
Roger J. Gstalder, MD
Judith E. Gurland, MD
Bernie H. P. Hanson, MD
James M. Harrison Jr., MD
Gerald G. Hazouri, MD
Robert R. Henderson, MD
Warren L. Herron Jr., MD
Tatsuo Hirose, MD
John A. Hoepner, MD
Kenneth J. Hoffer, MD
Charles P. Hunter III, MD
Robert W. Jacey, MD
Robert L. Jack, MD
W. Bruce Jackson, MD
Allan D. Jensen, MD
Donna L. Johnson, MD
Eric H. Johnson, MD
Murray A. Johnstone, MD
Danny Hirsch-Kauffmann Jokl, MD
Ronald A. Kalayta, MD
Robert L. Kantor, MD
William S. Kasper, MD
Michael A. Kass, MD
Muhammad B. Kayani, MD
William H. Kehrli, MD
Roman G. Kernitsky, MD
Khalid L. P. Khan, MD
Martin P. Kolsky, MD
Roger H. S. Langston, MD
Harold S. Lappin, MD
Dig S. Lee, MD
Thomas M. Leland, MD, PhD
Jeremy E. Levenson, MD
R. Frank Lowry Jr., MD
Sharon Lutosky, MD
B. Carlton Lynn, MD
John J. Mallary, MD
Michael F. Marmor, MD
Edward J. Martin, MD
Samuel Masket, MD
Edward C. Mattison, MD
George E. McCord, MD
James P. McCulley, MD
John H. Mensher, MD
Richard P. Mills, MD, MPH
Carter Noland, MD
George S. Novalis, MD
Stephen A. Obstbaum, MD
William N. Offutt IV, MD
Terrill C. Olsen, MD
Michael S. Olstein, MD
Maria L. Panayotova, MD
Walter J. Paschall, MD
Tully C. Patrowicz, MD
William H. Peloquin, MD
Henry D. Perry, MD
E. Anthony Petrelli, MD
J. Enrique Piovanetti-Pietri, MD
George Plechaty, MD
Marvin Pollack, MD
Thomas A. Poole, MD
Ramon M. Portela, MD
Geoffrey M. Posner, MD
C. Downey Price, MD
William Raaka, MD
Robert A. Ralph, MD
Jorge J. Ramirez, MD
Robert C. Ramsay, MD
William J. Reinhart, MD
George W. Riddick Jr., MD
Gary L. Rogers, MD
Robert F. Ruper, MD
Gerald E. Sanders, MD
Krishna Sankar, MD
John F. Saunders, MD
Jonathan L. Savell, MD
Robert M. Scharf, MD
Albert J. Scheller, MD
Robert I. Schnipper, MD
Arthur L. Schwartz, MD
Lawrence J. Schwartz, MD
Edward Y. T. Shen, MD
Abraham Y. Sim, MD
Quintin J. Smith, MD
Ronald E. Smith, MD
Wesley D. Sondreal, MD
Eric C. Sorensen, MD
Kenneth A. Stampfer, MD
Norman F. Steinbaum, MD
Thomas S. Stevens, MD
John H. Sullivan, MD
Hiralal T. Tekwani, MD
Stuart A. Terry, MD
Howard H. Tessler, MD
Richard A. Ulrich, MD
David A. Usdan, MD
Peter J. Utrata, MD
Vinod K. Wadhwa, MD
David M. Wanicur, MD
Ira G. Weiner, MD
Carl B. Weiss, MD
Irving L. Weissman, MD
John Reed Welch, MD
Maynard B. Wheeler, MD
Jacob T. Wilensky, MD
Arthur W. Willis, MD
Mitchel L. Wolf, MD
Robert R. Young, MD
John P. Zack, MD

International Ophthalmologist Education Award

The Academy is pleased to announce the recipients of the International Ophthalmologist Education Award for 2010. This award acknowledges Academy members who have demonstrated their commitment to staying current with advances in medicine through participation in CME and professional development.

Eugeny L. Akopov, MD, PhD (Russia)
Jose Andonegui, MD (Spain)
Venugopal Rao Appani, MS, FRCS(ED) (Saudi Arabia)
Madjed Bakdjadji, MD (Morocco)
Hassan Boushaba, MD (Morocco)
Vivelindo Branco, MD (Portugal)
Giovanni Cardini, MD (Italy)
Andres Perez Casas, MD (Spain)
HeeYoung Choi, MD, PhD (Korea)
Abeer A. Dahawy, MBBCH (United Arab Emirates)
Mohamed L. Daramy, MD (England)
Luis H. De La O, MD (Mexico)
Hosam Ibrahim El Sheha, MD (United States)
Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely, MBBCH (Egypt)
Morteza Mortazavi Fard, MD (Iran)
Jose A. Gegundez Fernandez, MD, PhD (Spain)
Fabio Fiormonte, MD (Italy)
Daniel Freitas, MD (Brazil)
Tamer O. Gamaly, MD (Oman)
Ciro Garcia-Alvarez, MD (Spain)
Satinder Pal Singh Grewal, MBBS, MD (India)
Yaroslav O. Grusha, MD, PhD (Russia)
Solomon Guramatunhu, MD (Zimbabwe)
Carlos Corihuela Hernandez, MD (Spain)
Martine J. Jager, MD (The Netherlands)
Radoslaw Kaczmarek, MD (Poland)
Dieudonne Kaimbo Wa Kaimbo, MD (Congo)
Hadi Kjaerbo, MD (Cayman Islands)
John K. Arap Limo, MBCHB (Kenya)
Brian Charles Little, MD (United Kingdom)
Salvador Gerardo A. Lopez, MD (El Salvador)
Fabio Lucchese, MD (Italy)
Carlos R. Maldonado, MD (Honduras)
Albert C. Mamaril, MD (The Philippines)
Partha Mandal, MBBS, DO (India)
Prakash Mathew, MBBS (England)
Mark D. McGree, MBBS (Australia)
Erkan Mutlukan, MD, PhD (United Kingdom)
Gregory E. Nwokora, MD (England)
Jorge G. Ortega, MD (Colombia)
Girolamo Petrachi, MD (Italy)
Martin B. Reichel, MD (Germany)
Aldo Scarpatetti, MD (Switzerland)
Daniel Horacio Scorsetti, MD, PhD (Argentina)
Yoram Zevnovaty-Braun, MD (Mexico)

The award is open to all international members not currently enrolled in a training program. To receive this award, members must obtain 90 CME credits within three years of applying.

To apply, visit www.aao.org/international.

International Scholar Award

The Academy is pleased to announce the recipients of the International Scholar Award for 2010. This award acknowledges Academy members who have already received the International Ophthalmologist Education Award and further demonstrated their commitment to lifelong learning.

Yousef I. Al-Megbel, MD (Saudi Arabia)
Romero P. Aroca, MD (Spain)
Prashant G. Bhatia, MBBS (United Arab Emirates)
Miloslav B. Bozdech, MD (Canada)
Manuel Moriche Carretero, MD (Spain)
Jeffrey Dean Chambers, MD (Canada)
Sanjoy Chowdhury, MBBS (India)
Martin H. Devoto, MD (Argentina)
David Goldblum, MD (Switzerland)
Miguel Paciuc, MD (Mexico)
Antonio Scoyni, MD (Italy)
Amit Tarafdar, MD (India)

The award is open to all international members not currently enrolled in a training program. To receive this award, members must obtain 60 CME credits within two years of applying, complete a timed, online self-assessment test and be a past recipient of the International Ophthalmologist Education Award.

To apply, visit www.aao.org/international.

AAOE Announces Its Board of Directors

Albert Castillo is the 2011 AAOE chairman and Traci Fritz, COE, will serve as past chairwoman. Julia Lee, JD, OCS, rotated off the board in December, while Sandra Curd, MBA, COE, COA, OCS, Elise Levine, OCS, Gregory Brinton, MD, MBA, and Dianna Seldomridge, MD, MBA, continue their board service. David A. Durfee, MD, also continues to represent the AAOE on the Academy board of trustees in his role as senior secretary for Ophthalmic Practice.

For more information about members of the AAOE board, visit www.aao.org/aaoesite/about_us.cfm.

TAKE NOTICE 

Ask the Ethicist: Social Networking
By the Ethics Committee

Q: I’m not sure how to respond when a patient sends me a “friend request” on a social networking website. Are there ethical concerns with using such sites to communicate with patients?

A: There are no specific ethical concerns under the rules of the Academy’s Code of Ethics regarding the use of social networking sites to communicate with patients. However, from a practical standpoint, this issue is analogous to the general taboo of establishing a therapeutic relationship with friends or family. In both situations, boundaries between personal and professional relationships can become indistinct. Usually, such relationships are problematic enough that physicians generally avoid them. The AMA expressly recommends avoiding treatment of family, as do many state licensing boards specific to prescribing.

Seeing patients socially is also potentially problematic, but clearly will depend on the specifics (i.e., whether the social link is a distant acquaintance, a friendship, a business interest, etc.).

A problem unique to networking sites is that when one approaches another with a friend request, the response must be binary—either yes or no. This does not allow the latitude of conventional social interactions, in which we take advantage of infinite shades of acquaintanceship that can be calibrated to the situation. Such shading is not conveniently available in the way networking sites are structured, except perhaps by granting access to more or less of one’s information.

A physician need not abstain from a presence on such sites but might consider a policy of not befriending patients in order to keep social life and patient care separate, and to minimize potential complexities.  

Alternatively, a separate online persona could be developed for professional interactions, though this has all of the problems inherent in electronic communications with patients. These problems include protection of confidentiality, giving medical advice without examination, inability to bill for such services and a substantial investment in time for these activities.

For more information or to submit a question for this column, contact the Ethics Committee staff at ethics@aao.org. To read the Code of Ethics, visit www.aao.org/about and click “Ethics” and “Code of Ethics.”

Talk About EHRs With Your Colleagues

Check out the “EHRs in Ophthalmology” group in the Academy Online Community and discover many topics under discussion, including implementation and training, transitioning from one provider to another, and the “meaningful use” incentive program. You can even take part in a poll and find out which EHR systems other members are using.

If you have experience with EHR systems that you’d like to share, are about to take the plunge with a new system or are simply interested in finding out more, join the group by visiting www.aao.org/community, clicking “Groups” and searching for “EHRs in Ophthalmology.”

Check Out New Practice Guidelines for Informed Consent

Practice Guidelines for Informed Consent is available as a free downloadable PDF file on the Ophthalmic News and Education (ONE) Network. The guidelines offer practical benchmarks for best practices related to informed consent and are applicable to the full range of ophthalmic practice settings, including private practice, hospital clinics and academic programs.

The guidelines were developed by the Committee for Practice Improvement with oversight from the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company risk management staff.

To download the guidelines, visit www.aao.org/one, click on the “Practice Guidelines” tab and select “Patient Safety.”

Renew Your Academy Membership for 2011

By now you should have received your membership renewal packet in the mail. Renew immediately so you can continue to take full advantage of all the benefits of Academy membership. To ensure uninterrupted benefits, your Academy membership must be paid by June 1.

To renew your membership online, visit www.aao.org/member/paydues. You also can renew by mail, fax or phone, as specified in your renewal packet.

If you have questions, please contact Member Services by phone, 866-561-8558 (toll-free in the United States) or call 415-561-8581, by fax, 415-561-8575, or by e-mail, member_services@aao.org.

Seeking Outstanding Ophthalmologists

Would you like to nominate a colleague for this year’s Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award?

The Academy must receive your nomination by March 11. The award recognizes Academy fellows and members for outstanding contributions to humanitarian efforts, such as participation in charitable activities, care of the indigent and community service.

To obtain a nomination form, please contact Member Services by phone, 866-561-8558 (toll-free in the United States) or 415-561-8581, by fax, 415-561-8575, or by e-mail, member_services@aao.org. You can also complete a nomination form online by visiting www.aao.org and clicking “Member Services” and “Learn About Awards.”

Board Approves Policy Revisions

The Academy board of trustees has voted to approve revisions to the Disclosure of Professionally Related Commercial Relationships and Interests advisory opinion.

For more information, visit www.aao.org/about and click “Ethics” and “Advisory Opinions.”

ACADEMY STORE 

Access Codes on Your Mobile Device

Have your one-stop coding reference on hand everywhere you go. The Ophthalmic Coding Coach Mobile Subscription for MDs (#codngmobile), an abridged version of the popular Ophthalmic Coding Coach book, is now available on mobile devices with an Internet connection as a 12-month subscription. Content is searchable by code or keyword and updated quarterly.

A subscription for one user is $150 for members and $195 for nonmembers.

Save on Multi-User Licenses for Select Coding Products

Save 10 to 40 percent off the regular price of Coding Coach Online Multi-User Subscription and ICD-9 for Ophthalmology Online Multi-User Subscription when you purchase for multiple users.

With these subscriptions, individual users can log in simultaneously at different desktops, either PC or Mac, using their own passwords.

Visit www.aao.org/store to download the special order form and to view pricing structures for multiple user subscriptions. Enter code “codng coach” or “icdonline” in the search field and click on the multi-user subscription order form link.

TO ORDER PRODUCTS FROM THE ACADEMY STORE, visit www.aao.org/store or phone the Academy Service Center at 866-561-8558 (toll-free in the United States) or 415-561-8540.

MEETING MATTERS 

Submit Abstracts for Papers, Posters and Videos

If you are interested in being a presenter at this year’s Annual Meeting, abstracts must be submitted online:

For instruction courses and skills transfer courses, the online submitter closes on Jan. 11.

For paper, posters and videos, the online submitter opens on March 16 and closes on April 12.

Be sure to review the abstract guidelines before making your submission.

For information on submitting an abstract, go to www.aao.org/presentercentral. For further information, e-mail meetings@aao.org.

Claim Your 2010 Chicago CME Credits by Jan. 19

The CME credits that you earned at the 2010 Joint Meeting and/or Subspecialty Day in Chicago must be reported by Jan. 19.

As a service to members only, the Academy maintains a transcript of Academy-sponsored CME credits earned, provided members report those credits to the Academy. Members may also report credits earned through other CME providers, so that a record of all CME credits earned is available on a single transcript.

To report your CME, go to www.aao.org/cme.

2010 Best of Show Videos

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2010 Best of Show video awards at the Joint Meeting in Chicago. The nine winning videos were selected by the Annual Meeting Program Committee based on educational value, originality and expert use of medium.

To view any of the 2010 videos online, visit www.aao.org/2010 and select “Scientific Program,” “Meeting Archives” and “Videos on Demand.”

This year’s recipients were:

• Angle Kappa: The Angle to the Mystery of the Multifocal IOL. Senior Author: Amar Agarwal, MD
   
• Real-Time Surgical Marking Program for Ophthalmic Microsurgery. Senior Author: Han Sang Park, MD
   
• Paste-Pinch-Cut: A Novel Surgical Repair for Conjunctivochalasis. Senior Author: Linden Reed Doss, MS
   
• Ultrathin Grafts for Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty. Senior Author: Massimo Busin, MD
   
• Intraocular Helminth. Senior Author: Luciana Almeida, MD
   
• Sebaceous Gland Carcinoma: The Leading Masquerade! Senior Author: Surbhi D. Joshi, MD
   
• Management of Cicatricial Lower Eyelid Retraction Using En-Glove Lysis and Dermis Strip Graft. Senior Author: Kelvin Kam-Lung Chong, MD
   
• Radical Excision of Choroidal Melanoma: Our Experience. Senior Author: Antonio Arias-Palomero, PhD
   
• Vitrectomy in Keratoprosthesis Patients. Senior Author: Jeroni Nadal Reus, MD

2010 Best Original Papers

Congratulations to the authors of the Best Original Papers at the 2010 Joint Meeting in Chicago. The winning papers were selected by the panels in each of the paper sessions.

Sunday’s Best Papers were:

• Cataract Session 1. Choice of Fragmentation Algorithm Impacts the Reduction in Cumulated Dissipated Energy During Cataract Surgery, presented by Harvey S. Uy, MD, in the absence of the original presenting author (Event Code PA003)
   
• Ocular Tumors and Pathology Session. Determination of the Radioactive Dose to the Surgeon During Plaque Brachytherapy, presented by Jose S. Pulido, MD, MS (Event Code PA010)
   
• Orbit, Lacrimal, Plastic Surgery Session. Retroocular Hemodynamic Changes After Orbital Decompression in Graves Ophthalmopathy as Evaluated With Color Doppler Imaging, presented by Marta Pérez-López, MD (Event Code PA012)
   
• Retina, Vitreous Session 1. Meta-Analysis of Endophthalmitis After Intravitreal Injection of Anti-VEGF Agents: Causative Organisms and Prevention Strategies, presented by Colin A. McCannel, MD (Event Code PA020)
   
• Retina, Vitreous Session 2. DA VINCI—DME and VEGF Trap-Eye: Investigation of Clinical Impact: Phase 2 Study in Diabetic Macular Edema, presented by Diana V. Do, MD (Event Code PA028)

Monday’s Best Papers were:

• Cornea, External Disease Session 1. A Stepwise Approach to Donor Preparation and Insertion Increases Safety and Outcome of Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty, presented by Friedrich E. Kruse, MD (Event Code PA054)
   
• Cornea, External Disease Session 2. Two-Year Corneal Crosslinking Results in Pediatric Patients With Documented Progressive Keratoconus, presented by Elena Albe, MD (Event Code PA065)
   
• Glaucoma Session 1. The Effect of Cataract Surgery on Trabeculectomy Function, presented by Rahat Husain, MBBS (Event Code PA043)
   
• Intraocular Inflammation,Uveitis Session. Periocular Corticosteroid Injections in Uveitis: Effects and Complications, presented by Hatice N. Sen, MD (Event Code PA039)
   
• Neuro-Ophthalmology Session. Cerebrospinal Fluid and Blood Flow Dynamics in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, presented by Byron L. Lam, MD (Event Code PA072)
   
• Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus Session. Infant Aphakia Treatment Study: Effects of Persistent Fetal Vasculature on Outcome, presented by David G. Morrison, MD (Event Code PA056)

Tuesday’s Best Papers were:

• Cataract Session 2. Comparison of Vision With Accommodating IOLs and Mini-Monovision With a Monofocal IOL, presented by George Beiko, MD (Event Code PA089)
   
• Glaucoma Session 2. 3-D Evaluation of the Lamina Cribrosa Deformation Using Spectral Domain OCT, presented by Tae-Woo Kim, MD (Event Code PA082)
   
• Refractive Surgery Session. Comparison of Night Vision and Contrast Sensitivity in Patients Undergoing Implantable Collamer Lens Implantation or LASIK, presented by Gregory D. Parkhurst, MD (Event Code PA098)

To view the Best Original Papers abstracts, go to www.aao.org/2010, click “Scientific Program” and “Joint Meeting Program Search,” and type in the paper’s Event Code.

MEMBERS AT LARGE 

State Affairs Star Awards

The Academy’s secretariat for State Affairs honored three societies with its State Affairs Star Award during the 2010 Joint Meeting in Chicago.

“This marks the 10th year of the State Affairs Star Awards, and we are excited that we continue to be able to recognize such remarkable efforts by our state ophthalmology societies,” said Daniel J. Briceland, MD, the Academy’s secretary for State Affairs.

Three societies received the award for their outstanding programs:

• Arkansas Ophthalmological Society for its campaign to educate legislators about vision screening and comprehensive eye exams.
   
• Iowa Academy of Ophthalmology for its Sight for Soldiers program, a public service program wherein the Iowa Eye M.D.s provided discounted refractive surgery to the Iowa National Guard that were to be deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
   
• New York State Ophthalmological Society for its successful effort to launch the New York Coalition of Specialty Care Physicians.

To contact your state ophthalmology society, visit www.aao.org/statesocieties.

People

Joan W. Miller, MD, was selected to receive the 2010 Women in Ophthalmology/ Suzanne Veronneau-Troutman Award. The annual award was presented to Dr. Miller during the Academy’s Joint Meeting in Chicago. The award is given in recognition of the woman who has done the most in the preceding year to promote the role of women in ophthalmology.

“I am greatly honored to receive this award,” Dr. Miller said. “This acknowledgment by my peers is a meaningful validation of my own professional goals and efforts to succeed as a clinician-scientist, to support female physician and research colleagues and to mentor younger women ophthalmologists and vision scientists who will take the mantle of leadership in the decades to come.”  

The Cornea Society awarded Vanitha Ratnalingam, MSurg, with the 2010 Cornea Society/Richard C. Troutman, MD, DSc. (HON) Prize during the annual scientific meeting of the society this past October.

The award is bestowed annually by the society for the paper published in Cornea during the previous year judged to be most outstanding and innovative, and authored by an investigator 40 years of age or younger. The award-winning paper was titled “Fibrin Adhesive Is Better Than Sutures in Pterygium Surgery.”

Thomas Jefferson University has awarded William S. Tasman, MD, with its Achievement Award in Medicine. The award honors individuals who have achieved and maintained excellence in their profession and who have actively contributed to the growth and development of their field.

Dr. Tasman has served as president of the Academy, the American Ophthalmological Society and the Retina Society, and chairman of the American Board of Ophthalmology. He has also received the Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 1985, Dr. Tasman became ophthalmologist-in-chief of Wills Eye Hospital and chairman of the department of ophthalmology at Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. In 2007, he moved to the position of professor and emeritus chairman at Jefferson Medical College.

D.C. REPORT 

2011 Medicare Physician Pay

With Congress passing a one-year fix of the sustainable growth rate formula, ophthalmology’s pool of Medicare revenue will increase slightly, according to the 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Rule. In 2010, ophthalmology payments were nearly $5.3 billion. They are projected to increase to $5.5 billion by 2013. This is due in large part to continued increases to practice expense values (won by the Academy) that began implementation in 2010.

However, the rule shows significant cuts to several eye codes. The reduced payments result from values recommended by the AMA Specialty Society Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) and accepted by CMS. Intravitreal injection, iridotomy and blepharoplasty will see decreases. Intravitreal injection was specifically targeted by CMS even though preliminary review by the RUC accepted the Academy’s rationale for increased utilization. The reduction in the value of iridotomy is due in part to a change from a 90- to a 10-day global period, but any office visits after 10 days will now be separately billable. These cuts are offset by the payment increases for eye-visit codes and ophthalmic surgeries such as cataract (due to the increases for E&M visits that are part of surgical services). The impact of these changes on your practice depends on the mix of services you provide.

Congress, the RUC and CMS also continue to target imaging for reductions. Billing for scanning computerized diagnostic testing will no longer be on a per-eye basis. CPT code 92135 Scanning computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging, posterior segment has been deleted and replaced with three new CPT codes that specify the part of the eye being imaged: anterior segment, optic nerve and retina (92132, 92133 and 92134, respectively).

Ophthalmology gains would be more significant in 2011 except that CMS is required to offset increases in overall payments through what are known as “budget-neutrality adjustments” applied to the conversion factor. These changes mean that, even with congressional action on the sustainable growth rate, the 2011 conversion factor is slightly reduced for all physicians from the 2010 level.

The final rule also implements provisions of last year’s health care reform that expand preventive services for Medicare beneficiaries and adds visual function reviews to the new wellness visit. Such assessments may result in increased referrals to ophthalmology.

Ophthalmology is steady in overall payments due to a mixed bag of increases and decreases.