2022 Year in Review - American Academy of Ophthalmology

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2022 Year in Review:
Building Community. Advancing Innovation.

Why do you love being an ophthalmologist? Fourteen ophthalmologists express why, despite the challenges of the pandemic and the burdens of health policy, they wouldn't choose any other profession. This video—with your colleagues' poignant words—sums up the feelings of pride that unite us all, from those just starting practice to our new CEO, Stephen D. McLeod, MD.

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During the AAO 2022 Opening Session, Dr. McLeod said, "We are living through a period of unprecedented change. But there are institutions we can rely on, and the Academy, the home for the profession of ophthalmology, remains fully committed to its core mission of protecting sight and empowering lives—through ophthalmic education, advocacy, quality that demands equity, and advancing science. And we can record some real and inspirational accomplishments in each of these areas over the past year." Read on to understand how we are building community and advancing innovation.

Academy Receives Largest-Ever Gift for VR-Powered Clinical Education

The Academy Foundation generously received a groundbreaking gift of $5 million from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF) to develop the Knights Templar Foundation Pediatric Ophthalmology Virtual Reality Simulation Program. This will be a first-of-its-kind, virtual simulation-focused, educational initiative, offering free, cutting-edge training to ophthalmologists worldwide through the use of virtual reality (VR) headsets, other hardware, and web browsers widely available to consumers. This is the largest single donation in the Academy Foundation's history.

The Sir Knights have been the Foundation's valued philanthropic partners over many years, launching a number of trailblazing initiatives. "We share with the Knights Templar Eye Foundation the belief that protecting sight on a global level takes passion, philanthropy and a sense of urgency," said Stephen D. McLeod, MD, Academy CEO. "We thank the Sir Knights for this generous donation and for their unwavering commitment to supporting innovative, vision-saving initiatives that have changed and will continue to change the way ophthalmologists serve patients."

This program will provide a simulated and safe learning environment that targets childhood diseases and skills critical to pediatric eye care. The Academy expects the new program will become available in two years, with a full pediatric curriculum completed within five years.

Fostering Change Through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs

This year the Academy continued working on several fronts:

Health equity for all is a basic tenet of medicine. Yet disparities exist and are well-documented in the literature. An Academy task force identified eye care disparities and areas where more evidence is needed in a series of papers published in September's Ophthalmology^® journal, and members will receive the Reprint Collection in early 2023. Work is underway implementing their recommendations; there is a role for everyone to play in reducing disparities.

DEI education for members with a focus on resident education takes a critical look at the structures and processes at play that lead to underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, and Native American ophthalmologists and the effect that a lack of diversity has in healthcare outcomes for our patients. Learn more on the Academy website.

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Completing its fifth year and now supporting 267 students, the Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program prepares students who are under-represented in medicine to become competitive ophthalmology residency applicants. Nine out of 12 students who participated in the 2021–22 ophthalmology match cycle were accepted into an ophthalmology residency program.

Through The Ophthalmology Community, LGBTQ+ members and allies have a place to share concerns, discuss patient advocacy issues, seek and find mentors and more.

Promoting Sustainability, Reducing Waste

Reducing waste associated with ophthalmic surgery is a priority. In collaboration with other ophthalmic societies, we swayed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to change its multi-dose topical eye drop policy, which was contributing to excessive waste in surgical centers. In addition, the Academy, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society and the American Glaucoma Society released a multi-society policy statement on reducing topical drug waste in ophthalmic surgery. The Academy secured endorsement of the policy statement from all ophthalmic state societies in the United States. The collaboration between these societies has helped lead to passage of early eye drop refill legislation in multiple states.

And in fall 2022, we joined EyeSustain as a sponsoring society to educate the ophthalmic community on more sustainable practices and to work with industry to reduce surgical waste and ophthalmology's carbon footprint.

Meeting Diverse Learning Needs with Podcasts, Courses and Webinars

In October 2022, the Academy celebrated the one-year anniversary of Experts InSight, a biweekly podcast that covers major trends across each subspecialty in 30-minute conversations with experts. Each episode discusses critical research from the literature, diagnostic and management updates, and issues impacting the practice of medicine. CME credit is available for most episodes.

To further grow Academy podcast programming, in January 2022 we launched the Ophthalmology^® Journal Podcast. It offers a deep dive into research articles, editorials and more from the Academy's journal family of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology^® Retina, Ophthalmology^® Glaucoma and Ophthalmology^® Science.

The Academy's flagship Ophthalmology journal received its highest Impact Factor rating of 14.2 in 2021, maintaining its position as the top peer-reviewed journal in our profession publishing original research. The valuable contributions and dedication of the journal's editorial board, reviewers and social media editors are a testament to the journal's continued success in publishing the best and most highly cited works in the field of ophthalmology.

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A new Resident Rotation Curriculum series, designed for ophthalmology residents entering each new clinical rotation, launched in September 2022 with coverage of pediatric ophthalmology and glaucoma. Each course includes three levels of content with videos, self-assessment questions and more. Additional topics will launch in 2023.

Throughout the year, members also enjoyed a wide variety of virtual learning opportunities to connect with their colleagues through the Academy's monthly clinical webinars. Several webinars were eligible for CME credit and developed jointly with subspecialty societies, and all were published online following the live broadcasts. Popular sessions reviewed critical neuro-ophthalmology updates, office based-oculoplastic procedures and advances in glaucoma management.

Also this year, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) granted the Academy's CME program its highest ranking, Accreditation with Commendation, for the sixth time. The ACCME reserves this ranking for programs that go above and beyond physicians' learning needs to support them in providing better patient care and that engage with the greater healthcare environment.

AAO 2022: Gather

Over 15,000 physicians, healthcare professionals and industry representatives from around the world gathered for AAO 2022 in Chicago, where they enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues in the classroom and at events. An additional 2,900 attendees (and counting!) joined us virtually.

Attendees accessed over 400 world-class sessions where they discussed the latest research, discovered new techniques, and learned pearls from leaders in the profession. The Expo helped attendees explore the latest technology and equipment from 400 companies.

Those who missed sessions onsite can view them on demand through the virtual meeting. Hear best-selling author Scott Turow give the 2022 Michael F. Marmor Lecture in Ophthalmology and the Arts during the Opening Session. Do not miss a powerful presentation by Michael V. Drake, MD entitled "Elevating Glaucoma Research Through Diversity." Treat yourself to Pulitzer Prize-winning author and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin in conversation with Annual Meeting Secretary Maria Mendicino Aaron, MD and Academy CEO Stephen D. McLeod, MD at the Closing Session.

Join us in San Francisco Nov. 3–6 for AAO 2023, Where all of ophthalmology meets^®.

Standing Up for Our Patients and Profession

Academy advocacy in 2022 helped protect our profession and our patients:

Prior Authorization: Ophthalmology achieved a major win when Aetna reversed its policy requiring prior authorization for most cataract surgeries. The Academy helped lead this community-wide effort to protect patients, supported by ASCRS and our Academy members from across the country. The Academy continues this fight, pushing Aetna in Georgia and Florida, where it has yet to change the policy, and advocating with federal lawmakers to approve legislation that would reform prior authorization in Medicare Advantage plans.

Scope of Practice: The Academy worked closely with the California Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and the California Medical Association to block enactment of a dangerous optometric surgery bill. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it, citing lack of training for optometrists to be able to perform advanced surgical procedures.

Congressional Advocacy Day: This year saw our first-ever hybrid Congressional Advocacy Day as part of Mid-Year Forum 2022 in Washington, D.C. More than 300 ophthalmologists took part in in-person and virtual meetings with lawmakers to build momentum for key legislative priorities.

Inaugural Global Ophthalmology Summit

The Global Ophthalmology Summit, a collaboration between the Academy, Moran Eye Center and Aravind Eye Hospital, took place in Park City, Utah in August 2022. Representing 24 countries, 270 ophthalmologists and other eye health professionals involved in global ophthalmology came together to learn from one another, build networks and explore collaborations.

Interested in improving global eye care? Access the recordings and posters from the Global Ophthalmology Summit.

Building Great Leaders in the Ophthalmic Practice

The American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives^® builds great leaders to assure excellence in patient experience and practice efficiency. This year, AAOE^® brought the Ophthalmology Business Summit to AAO 2022 with five panels led by expert Academy and AAOE leaders. Panelists shared leadership and communication pearls for young physicians and new practice administrators, tips on how to establish do-it-yourself leadership training and prepare for the future of ophthalmic practice, and guidance on how practice culture can be dramatically and positively impacted by adopting lean.

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AAOE's ongoing education focused on the importance of building a sustainable practice culture by using lean strategies, communication and other foundational patient-service skills to increase patient satisfaction, compliance and trust.

AAOE broadened the expertise of its consulting team with two new experienced practice professionals and continues leading the way in providing confidential consultations on a broad array of coding and practice management issues.

As the most trusted provider for ophthalmic coding education, AAOE provides guidance and education for complex coding and documentation.

Advancing Data-Driven Research with the IRIS Registry

The IRIS^® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) is the nation's first and largest electronic health record (EHR)–based comprehensive eye disease and condition database. As of October 2022, 18,000+ ophthalmologists and clinicians participate in the IRIS Registry. It includes more than 460 million patient visits, representing over 77 million patients. IRIS Registry participation is a free Academy member benefit for practices with eligible EHRs.

The IRIS Registry continues to be the best tool for Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting. Most Academy members who reported 2021 MIPS via the IRIS Registry will see a bonus applied to their Medicare fee-for-service payments in 2023. Nearly 32% of users achieved a 100% score, qualifying them for the maximum bonus of 2.2%. Overall, participants have avoided $1.2 billion in MIPS penalties from 2017 to 2021.

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The benefit and impact of the IRIS Registry go beyond dollars. The Academy, in partnership with IRIS Registry data partner Verana Health, has launched the Verana Research Network. This partnership will increase clinical trial access, accelerate recruitment, and advance data-driven clinical research and care.

Additionally, three grant programs give individual ophthalmologists the opportunity to access Big Data analytics to answer important clinical questions. Over 60 peer-reviewed articles have been published to date.

Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye^® Welcomes Visitors From All Over the World

This year, the Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye welcomed national and international travelers back to San Francisco. Monthly visitation grew threefold with over 3,000 more visitors than in 2021 and an average of over 200 more visitors each month. We consistently receive rave reviews on travel websites and social media and are proud to serve our diverse global and local community.

To be accessible to all, the museum offers a unique way to experience its exhibits via the Eye Museum app. This year we are particularly pleased to offer translations of our main tour, which takes visitors through the four museum galleries and provides translation of seventeen fascinating signs, interactive features and artifact labels in four languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin and Tagalog. The app is free to download for Apple and Android users. We encourage visitors here and afar to use it to visit the museum and see our collections.

Cultivating Innovation in Ophthalmology

Eyecelerator^®, a unique partnership between the American Academy of Ophthalmology and ASCRS, has quickly proven to be the world's largest and most important ophthalmic innovation meeting. The partnership advances eye care innovation by connecting mission-driven entrepreneurs, investors, clinicians, government agencies and global strategic executives through business conferences held the day before each society's annual meeting.

This year's day-long events in Washington, D.C., and Chicago were both wildly successful, with over 1,000 professionals from every sector of ophthalmology registered for Eyecelerator @ AAO 2022. The meeting featured more than 100 speakers, insightful panel discussions with leading industry voices, valuable networking opportunities and 45 new and high-growth companies showcasing advanced treatments and disruptive technologies.

Eyecelerator 2023 events are scheduled for May 4 in San Diego and Nov. 2 in San Francisco. Learn more.

2022 Academy Award Winners

The Academy's Awards Program recognizes inspirational ophthalmologists who exemplify the highest values of volunteerism, community engagement, leadership and dedication to the advancement of eye care. These awards honor members in multiple stages of practice and for a range of activities.

Laureate Recognition: Morton F. Goldberg, MD

Guest of Honor: Edward G. Buckley, MD; Edward K. Isbey Jr., MD; and Paul G. Steinkuller, MD

Distinguished Service: Cathy G. Cohen; The COVID Dream Team: James Chodosh, MD, MPH; Gary N. Holland, MD; Sonal S. Tuli, MD; Tom L. Steinemann, MD; and Steven Yeh, MD

Special Recognition: Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring Program and Sponsors

Outstanding Humanitarian Service: Nataliya Danylkova, MD; and Morris E. Hartstein, MD

Outstanding Advocate: Craig Kliger, MD

Straatsma: Laura K. Green, MD

Artemis: Frank Brodie, MD

EnergEYES: Keith D. Carter, MD

Commitment to Advocacy, Achievement, Senior Achievement, Life Achievement, Secretariat, International Education and International Scholar: View all awards and filter by specific award.

To a Year of Success in 2023!

We appreciate every one of our members and believe these stories about the latest technologies and advancements in our profession will provide you with hope and inspiration. Together we're protecting sight and empowering lives.

2022 Year in Review:
Building Community. Advancing Innovation.

Academy Receives Largest-Ever Gift for VR-Powered Clinical Education

Fostering Change Through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs

Promoting Sustainability, Reducing Waste

Meeting Diverse Learning Needs with Podcasts, Courses and Webinars

AAO 2022: Gather

Standing Up for Our Patients and Profession

Inaugural Global Ophthalmology Summit

Building Great Leaders in the Ophthalmic Practice

Advancing Data-Driven Research with the IRIS Registry

Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye^® Welcomes Visitors From All Over the World

Cultivating Innovation in Ophthalmology

2022 Academy Award Winners

To a Year of Success in 2023!

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FOLLOW THE ACADEMY

2022 Year in Review:Building Community. Advancing Innovation.

Academy Receives Largest-Ever Gift for VR-Powered Clinical Education

Fostering Change Through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs

Promoting Sustainability, Reducing Waste

Meeting Diverse Learning Needs with Podcasts, Courses and Webinars

AAO 2022: Gather

Standing Up for Our Patients and Profession

Inaugural Global Ophthalmology Summit

Building Great Leaders in the Ophthalmic Practice

Advancing Data-Driven Research with the IRIS Registry

Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye® Welcomes Visitors From All Over the World

Cultivating Innovation in Ophthalmology

2022 Academy Award Winners

To a Year of Success in 2023!

OUR SITES

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY

2022 Year in Review:
Building Community. Advancing Innovation.

Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye^® Welcomes Visitors From All Over the World