Change
by Ron Pelton, MD, PhD,
Immediate past-president
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 | | Dr. Pelton |
"Change before you have to."
-Jack Welch
After three years as the president of CSEPS it is time for a change - time to pass the reins to new leadership. Shortly after I took on the role as president, our executive director Laurel Walsh retired and moved to another state. It was a bit of a struggle but with the guidance of Dave Johnson, Len Waldbaum, and Dick Brown, we stayed afloat. Dr. Johnson suggested we look at the Colorado Medical Society for help with the executive director position and our society has grown stronger and much better organized through with their help and directorship. I am indebted to these guys for all they did to help me those first few scary months.
This society - The Colorado Society of Eye Physician and Surgeons - is worthy of your membership. It represents you and all of ophthalmology in Colorado. The CSEPS board of directors is a dedicated group of your peers that works hard to represent you in the legislative arena as well as to add value to your membership through education and social events. They are to be commended for all that they freely give to our society. My sincere thanks to the board.
I leave the presidency in the able hands of Dr. George Ulrich knowing that our ship is upright and sailing in the right direction. I hope that you will take the opportunity to join the CSEPS family and throw your support behind Dr. Ulrich. CSEPS is your society and we exist to serve and represent the entire community of ophthalmology in Colorado. If you are already part of the family, we thank you...if not, we welcome you to join us and help keep ophthalmology strong in Colorado.
"Change brings opportunity."
-Nido Qubein
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| Need help with Meaningful Use? |
"Meaningful use" of electronic health records is surging across the health care system for a number of reasons including the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. If you have have questions about Stage 1 meaningful use regulations then tune in for a Webinar hosted by CORHIO on December 6 from noon-12:45 pm. Click here for more information and to register. Learn more about the Colorado Medicaid EHR Incentive program by participating in a February 12 webinar. Learn more here.
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| Fiscal cliff and SGR fix |
President Obama and Congress are locked in intense negotiations over how to avert the so-called fiscal cliff and help put the nation's finances back in order. Key issues include entitlement reform and how to stop the Medicare physician pay cuts scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Without a deal physicians face a 27 percent Medicare pay cut caused by the sustainable growth rate formula, and an additional 2 percent hit resulting from the sequestration process. The sequestration process will implement dramatic federal budget cuts because of Congress' failure to find $1.2 trillion in savings last year.
CSEPS encourages all Colorado ophthalmologists to champion the American Academy of Ophthalmology's message to lawmakers to implement a permanent repeal of the SGR formula and stop sequestration. The Academy believes Congress will likely pass a short-term fix that moves the SGR, sequestration and tax reforms to the next Congress for permanent resolution. Contact your lawmakers now and encourage them to stop the cuts that threaten the viability of physician practices and patient access to quality care. Click here for AAO tools to help you communicate with your legislators.
Source: AAO Washington Express Report 11/20/12
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| Medicare billing guidance on femtosecond laser |
Medicare recently released guidance to clarify when beneficiaries can be billed for non-Medicare-covered services using the femtosecond laser to insert a premium refractive intraocular lens, after cataract surgery. CMS indicates that it is possible to bill beneficiaries for use of the femtosecond laser for services such as imaging when a premium refractive IOL is implanted, but not when a conventional IOL is used. The agency specifically does not permit billing for the use of femtosecond laser technology in conjunction with Medicare-covered steps of the cataract surgery, such as the phaco incision, capsulotomy and lens fragmentation. Learn more here.
Source: AAO member alert 11/16/12
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We want to hear from you
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Colorado Society
of Eye Physicians
and Surgeons
PHONE: 720-858-6336
FAX: (720) 859-7509
cseps@cms.org
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President's letter
by George Ulrich, MD |  Earlier this month I became your new president of CSEPS. I am honored to be in this position and I'm excited about accelerating the great work that past-president Ron Pelton, MD, and the rest of your board directors have done over the past few years. Thank you Ron and the rest of the board! Yes, that's me in the picture. I'm a working ophthalmologist and I'm proud of what I do every day not only for my patients but also for our communities and our profession. I expect that you feel the same way. But here's the thing-we're not done. We have a lot of important work to do and CSEPS/COS need you to be involved. The continuing mission of the Colorado Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons/Colorado Ophthalmology Society is to: - Promote excellence in patient care;
- Foster professional fellowship and continuing medical education; and
- Be a strong advocate for patients and the physicians who serve them.
We want it to be well understood by everyone that the Colorado Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (CSEPS) IS our Colorado Ophthalmology Society. We want the society to be vibrant and inclusive. We want the society to be actively supportive of ophthalmic medical practice in the state. We want our society to be actively and successfully engaged in advocacy with our state legislature to ensure a political outcome that is conducive to successful ophthalmology practice. In order to do these things effectively and responsively we have taken action to refine our organization. Read more here. |
Legislative update
by Dick Brown, CSEPS Lobbyist | |
The 2012 election is finally behind us
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Dick Brown
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and our televisions are now running advertisements for toilet paper, toothpaste, hair products and a variety of pharmaceutical products that, despite their various side effects, we are supposed to consult our physicians about. It is better than the political ads that have been polluting the airways for the past several months. I was beginning to miss ads about the Law Tigers Who Ride. The bad news is that the 2014 campaign advertising cycle has already begun.
As everyone knows, President Obama carried Colorado and did so with a more comfortable margin than had been expected. Most observers had handicapped the race for the President with a margin of 1% or less and possible close enough to trigger an automatic recount. We had no changes in our Colorado Congressional delegation, all incumbents were returned to Washington, DC, with very comfortable wins.
The real change came with the State Legislature. Going into the election cycle, the Democrats held the majority in the State Senate but the Republicans held the majority in the House of Representatives. After the election, the Democrats still held the majority in the Senate but had regained the majority in the House. The Democrats were expected to hold the Senate, but the Republicans were expected to hold the House and possibly pick up an additional seat. When the votes were counted, the Republicans had not only lost the House majority, they had also lost several seats. Colorado now has a one-party government for the next year with the Democrats holding the House, the Senate and the Governor's office.
On tap for the next session
Health care issues will be prominently featured in the next legislative session that begins in January.There are some really big policy issues that will be addressed. Read more here.
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Medicaid expansion and health insurance exchange
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Rebecca Braverman, MD
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With the November election now over, health care reform is moving forward and Colorado faces some important decisions regarding whether or not to expand the Medicaid program per the Affordable Care Act. Colorado ophthalmologists are actively engaged in these discussions as the medical profession grapples with what the expansion or lack thereof may mean to patients and the Colorado physicians that serve them. Click here for a brief background paper on the issue.
Pediatric ophthalmologist Rebecca Braverman, MD, and retina surgeon Curtis Hagedorn, MD, represented CSEPS at a November meeting convened by the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) to gather feedback from diverse physician specialties about the Medicaid expansion. CMS is in the midst of a months-long process of gathering and vetting physician opinions about a draft policy platform on the expansion in advance of the next legislative session. Dr. Braverman emphasized the critical need to ensure access to specialists, like ophthalmologists, if an expansion were to occur.
 | | Curtis Hagedorn, MD |
Dr. Hagedorn added that access is jeopardized because low reimbursement rates make seeing Medicaid patients an "unsustainable proposition for many ophthalmologists, no matter how big our hearts are."
Dr. Braverman also advocated for changes to the basic or so-called essential benefits package that will be utilized as a benchmark for health insurance plans participating in the Colorado Health Benefit Exchange (COHBE) that will go live late next year and provide an online health insurance marketplace for Coloradans. She argued that in order to reduce costs and follow best evidence the preferred COHBE plan should be changed from providing comprehensive eye exams for all children to providing screening first followed by a comprehensive exam and other treatment if necessary per the guidelines from AAO, AAPOS and AAP. "It's good medicine," she said.
Tell CSEPS what you think about the Medicaid expansion? Should CSEPS support or oppose it? What improvements to the program, if any, would you like to see? What about the Colorado Health Benefits Exchange? Send us an email.
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| Patient's corner: Mind the champagne cork! |
The holidays are upon us, and family festivities are drawing near. Remember to talk with your patients about how to stay safe during these celebrations that too often are cut short by eye injuries from stray champagne corks or toy parts can.
You know all too well that children receive all types of potentially unsafe presents during the holidays, including BB guns, pellet guns and darts. And, perhaps you have treated a patient that was hit in the eye with a champagne cork, requiring some emergency work to try and save their sight.
Consider including this linked information in your patient education handouts or include this link on your web site to help keep your patients safe during the holiday season. Have them watch the educational video on how to properly open a champagne bottle to prevent an eye injury. Notice the impact of the cork as it hits the glass!
Help keep your patients safe this holiday season and any time of year, by encouraging them to visit www.geteyesmart.org.
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| Join us - CSEPS is the Colorado ophthalmology society |
Join us in helping to ensure excellence in Colorado eye care. Contact Chet Seward if you have not yet joined. Call for more information at (720) 858-6336.
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| About Us | The Colorado Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (CSEPS) is the Colorado ophthalmology society representing Colorado Ophthalmologists (medical doctors - MDs and DOs) 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, practice managers and other office staff to help practices remain viable and thrive. If you have questions for the society, e-mail cseps@cms.org or call 720-858-6336.
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