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E-News for Colorado Ophthalmologists                                                                                 May/June 2013
In This Issue
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Register now for social mixer with COA in Colorado Springs

Please join CSEPS and the Colorado Optometric Association (COA) as we continue a string of successful no-agenda social mixers on May 16 from 5:00-8:00 pm in Colorado Springs at The Warehouse. Did we mention it was free? Get more details and register here.

CSEPS Connect
Your local education and networking resource

CSEPS hosted another successful networking/educational meeting in Denver on April 25. A lively hour of socializing was followed by Drs. Ron Pelton, and Steve Dewey who made two informative presentations on facial wound care and safety in cataract surgery.  

DenverCSEPSConnect
From r to l: Drs. Rebecca Sands-Braverman, Vikram Durairaj, Mike McCracken and Bob King take in the educational session.
Plans are in the works to hold another session soon in the Ft. Collins area. If you are interested in helping to coordinate the event please contact the CSEPS offices at (720) 858-6336.
James Patterson, MD, honored for CSEPS service
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From left George Ulrich, MD, honors Jim Patterson, MD, for his years of service for CSEPS.
CSEPS past-president and former board member James Patterson, MD, was recently honored for his many contributions to CSEPS over the years. While bestowing the award on Dr. Patterson, CSEPS President George Ulrich, MD, said, "Jim is someone you can always depend upon." Dr. Patterson was designated as a Senior Ambassador for CSEPS, the first of our members to be honored with this title. 
Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium
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The Women in Ophthalmology (WIO) Summer Symposium is happening August 1-4, 2013, in Snowmass, CO. View the programregister today and book your room! For more information, please click here
 
All ophthalmologists are welcome. Register today.
Call for submissions: Photography & imaging contest

Take your best shot and submit it to the 2nd Annual Ophthalmic Photography and Imaging Contest and the 17th Annual Ophthalmology Resident, Fellow, Faculty & Alumni Research Day which will be held on Saturday, June 15, 2013 from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

 

Alumni, faculty, residents, fellows, vision scientists, photographers, and CSEPS members are invited to submit interesting photographs, ultrasound images, radiology images, and histopathologic images. Submissions will be displayed during intermission periods at Research Day, and again at the Ophthalmology Symposium in the Fall. An award will be given at the end of Research Day for the top submission, as selected by vote of the department faculty.

 

Hurry! The deadline for submissions is Monday May 6, 2013.

 

Please submit single images in JPG format with a brief but detailed description and full credits via email to Scott Oliver, M.D. Attribution will be given to the photographer and submitting physician or scientist. After Research Day, images will not be reproduced or distributed without permission from the submitting author.

 

Questions:  Call (720) 848-2507

www.eyeinstitute.org.
May is healthy vision month
May is healthy vision month so take this opportunity to suggest some tips to your patients on how to save their vision. 

 

Five Tips to Save Your Vision

More than 20 million Americans suffer from severe vision loss. While not all eye diseases can be prevented, there are simple steps that everyone can take to help their eyes remain healthy now and reduce their chances of vision loss in the future. During Healthy Vision Month in May, practice these five tips to safeguard your vision:
  1. Get a routine eye exam;
  2. Know your family history;
  3. Wear sunglasses;
  4. Practice healthy living; and
  5. Use eye protection.
EyeSmart has a wealth of information and resources to help keep your patients' vision health. Learn more at geteyesmart.org 

 

President's Update
Dr. Ulrich
by George
Ulrich, MD
On the move

Mission of the Colorado Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons:

  • Promote excellence in patient care
  • Foster professional fellowship and continuing medical education
  • Be a strong advocate for patients and the physicians who serve them.

Things going on right now:

  1. We weighed in about availability of Avastin. We engaged with the Colorado Pharmacy Board and others to ensure a cost effective supply of the drug. It was the right thing to do and we continue to work on it. Read below for more details.
  2. We conducted our second CSEPS Connect educational dinner meeting in Denver. Every seat was filled. Discussion was collegial and interesting. Consensus was that we like the social aspects of our organization very much, and we like interacting with one another. Members were charged with the task of promoting CSEPS to non-members.  

Things coming up this spring and summer:

  1. CSEPS ophthalmologist will host Colorado state legislators for a day of observation at an ambulatory surgery center. The intent is to establish a professional relationship with our state legislators. We want them to know who we are and what we do. You may be asked to host a legislator.
  2. There are numerous homeless people with glaucoma in the Denver area who do not qualify for care at Denver Health and who have significant compliance problems with medical treatment. We are working on setting up a glaucoma laser treatment day at the Stout Street Clinic in Denver.
  3. Plan on joining us in Colorado Springs for a no agenda social mixer with the Colorado Optometric Association. You might even see me jam a bit on the guitar. Sign up now. up now.
  4. Plans for the next CSEPS Connect educational to be held in the Fort Collins area are currently being made. If you would like to assist in program development click here.

We want to grow our membership:

  1. We fight for our priorities in the legislature. All of our funding for advocacy comes from membership dues.
  2. There are numerous critical issues in health care reform currently being considered in our legislature.  We must take part of the conversation and advocate policies and laws that serve our patients well.
  3. Organization and numbers gives us credibility and influence.
  4. The more members we have, and the stronger our organization - the more effective we are.

If you are not a member, others are taking care of things for you.  You need to participate and contribute.  Click here for an on-line application. If you are a member, talk to non-member ophthalmologists you know about the importance of joining.  Have them contact our executive Chet Seward at (720) 858-6336.

 

George G. Ulrich,MD

Legislative Update
Dick Brown
by Dick Brown, CSEPS lobbyist

Almost there

 

Tuesday, April 30, marks the 112th day of this 120 calendar day session.  There are literally only two weeks remaining before adjournment-sine die.

 

Unfortunately, the leadership is allowing late bills to be introduced which adds considerably to the workload of the legislators, the media and the public.  It now appears that we will exceed 600 bills being considered this session.


As happens it seems that the last two weeks is when the worst law gets written. Because of expedited calendaring, bills get only perfunctory reviews in committees. In some cases, committees have been known to meet at the microphone on the floor of the House or Senate rather than in a committee room so the public is barred from participating. Often bills are given special handing and move quickly from committee directly to the floor where they are debated on special orders. During the last week of the session, rules are often suspended and conference committee reports are not printed or distributed to the members before they vote. The conference committee reports are delivered orally. 

Fortunately, however, unless there is a problematic late bill introduced, there is little of direct interest to the specialty of ophthalmology. 

The Colorado Medical Society has become committed to the passage of SB13-277 which would require the Division of Insurance to establish a uniform process for insurance companies to use when they have policies that require the prior authorization (PA) of prescription medications. The CMS asked all of the specialty societies and the county component societies to sign on as supporters of the bill which is sponsored by Sen. Irene Aguilar.  CSEPS signed on out of recognition that that improving the efficiency and equity of PA processes, no matter how small, would be beneficial to patients, physicians and the system as a whole.  

There is a very good chance that we will have a special session because of impasse on the regulation of marijuana. The task force that was appointed under an executive order has yet to reach consensus on a regulatory scheme. A late bill was just introduced to address the need for a regulatory regime in order to meet the will of the voters when they enacted Amendment 64. It remains to be seen whether the legislature can break through the stalemate reached by the task force and enact a regulatory structure or whether the Governor will have to call a special session.  If a special session is called, it will not necessarily be limited to the regulation of marijuana. The Governor can include any issue or item he thinks is appropriate. Stay tuned!
Compounding and repackaged drugs

Efforts advance to protect safe, cost effective supply

 

Patient care in Colorado continues to be affected as the complexities surrounding the regulation of compounding versus repackaging drugs, in-state and out-of-state pharmacies, and state versus federal policy unfold. 

 

Last month CSEPS reported on efforts to ensure a cost-effective supply of Avastin for the treatment of macular degeneration. Since the tragic meningitis outbreak in the northeast last year tied to the New England Compounding Center, the FDA and state pharmacy boards have ratcheted up regulatory protection activities. Continued news reports about unsterile drugs compounded by other pharmacies has served to heighten tensions. 

 

Advocacy activities

CSEPS has taken a number of steps in an attempt to address these issues given the importance of securing a safe, cost-effective supply of necessary drugs for patient care. CSEPS wrote a letter to the Colorado Pharmacy Board, arguing that "there is no statutory or regulatory authority to require nonresident or in-state pharmacies to obtain a patient specific prescription for Avastin to be able to ship the repackaged product to a physician's practice." The letter emphasized the need to ensure patient safety, quality and cost effectiveness throughout the health care system. The letter to the Colorado Board of Pharmacy notes, "While ensuring that patients receive the safest, highest quality care is a priority for Colorado ophthalmologists, we are also committed to providing that care in the most cost-effective manner possible. We believe that there are better ways to provide stewardship of these precious health care dollars to help attain the vision that Colorado is the healthiest state in the nation." The Colorado Board of Pharmacy (CBP) has added this issue to its May 16 meeting agenda. 

 

CSEPS is also collaborating with the American Academy of Ophthalmology to engage the local Medicare carrier Novitas in an attempt to address some of these cost issues. In addition, AAO spotlighted this issue at the recently concluded Mid-year Forum. A bi-partisan bill in the U.S. Senate was just introduced in an attempt to break down some of the barriers associated with FDA regulation. 

 

Next steps

CSEPS will continue to work on this issue so watch for future email and other communications. It is important that physicians share their current experiences and patient experiences as they relate to insufficient or cost-prohibitive supplies of necessary drugs. Contact Chet Seward in the CSEPS offices to share your stories and call him if you have further questions. Click here for background information on CPB regulations regarding compounding. Questions about CBP rules should be directed to Chris Gassen, chief pharmacy inspector at CBP, at 303-894-7887 or [email protected].

Colorado ophthalmologists take to Capitol Hill to press for change

Participation at AAO Mid-Year Forum builds critical relationships 

 
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From left, Drs. Robert King, Alan Kimura, David Johnson and Robert Glazier enjoy the view from the steps of the capitol in between meetings with Colorado's Congressional delegation.

Colorado ophthalmology was once again well represented at the recently concluded AAO Mid-Year Forum and Congressional Advocacy Day in April. Drs. Robert Glazier, David Johnson, Alan Kimura and Robert King stormed Capitol Hill to advocate for some of ophthalmology's priorities including:

  • SGR repeal and implementation of stable Medicare physician payments;
  • Supporting a federal truth in marketing act to help ensure informed decision making by patients about their health care providers;
  • Making common sense changes to the electronic health record incentive program;
  • Pushing for continued funding for the National Institutes of Health/National Eye Institute, Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Vision Trauma Research Program; and
  • Creating a loan repayment program for "front line care providers," including ophthalmology, to address workforce issues.
The in-person meetings with the Colorado delegation helped to cement relationships, demonstrate the commitment of the profession and underscore the importance of vision care. 
CSEPS is the Colorado ophthalmology society 
Join us in helping to ensure excellence in Colorado eye care. Maybe you think you're already a member. Check the CSEPS web site to confirm you are a member and if you're not then please contact Chet Seward in the CSEPS offices by email or by phone at (720) 858-6336 to renew or join today.

The Colorado Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons is the Colorado ophthalmology society representing Colorado Ophthalmologists who specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of eye disease. This newsletter is published by the CSEPS communications division, which works with CSEPS physician leadership and the American Academy of Opthamology to advocate on behalf physicians. Please direct questions to [email protected] or call 720-858-6336.


We want to hear from you! Contact CSEPS at 720-858-6336 or [email protected] Link


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