The LASIK Blog

Bronze Medalist Erin Pac Discusses Her LASIK Vision

The Bronze Medal Olympic Bobsled team of Erin Pac and Elana Meyers were at EyeCare 20/20 earlier this month showing off their Medals and signing autographs for fans.  Erin became a member of LASIK for the Gold last year, before the Olympics.  She is still thrilled with her 20/20 vision!

As the driver of USA Bobsled, there is no doubt how important excellent vision is to preforming well.  A Bronze Medal is certainly validation to the results.  Erin was kind enough to discuss the impact her LASIK had on her Olympic performance.

With ObamaCare Coming, the Time to Get LASIK is NOW!

photo from:  http://moneypennydd.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/obamacare-increases-health-care-costs/

Much about ObamaCare has been written .  One of its negative consequences will be a reduction in the amount of money one can set aside for their Flexible Spending Account (FSA).  The most common variation of the FSA is the Health Spending Account (HSA).  According to Wikipedia:

A health savings account (HSA), is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). The funds contributed to the account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. Unlike a flexible spending account (FSA), funds roll over and accumulate year to year if not spent. HSAs are owned by the individual, which differentiates them from the company-owned Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) that is an alternate tax-deductible source of funds paired with HDHPs. HSA funds may currently be used to pay for qualified medical expenses at any time without federal tax liability or penalty.

The New York Times reported on this last week.  The most important points of this article point out:

• THANKS to the sweeping new health law, your flexible spending plan is about to become a bit less flexible.  Flexible spending accounts have long been a valuable tool for budget-wise consumers. They let you use pretax dollars to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses. You agree to set aside a certain amount each year, usually through paycheck deductions, based on what you expect your health care needs to be. By using pretax dollars, you can reduce your overall cost for these items by about 20 percent.
• An attraction had been the extremely generous list of eligible expenses — including deductibles and co-pays, eyeglasses and dental work, over-the-counter cold medicine, sunscreen and vitamins. But under the new law, starting Jan. 1, flex-spend users will no longer be able to submit claims for over- the-counter medicines unless they have been specifically directed to use them by a doctor. Another big flex-spend change ahead: starting in 2013 the annual limit that any employee may contribute to these plans will be restricted to $2,500. Many companies had allowed much more.
  
• LOOK AHEAD. There are still about two-and-a-half years before the lower flex-spend maximum takes effect. If you know a big elective medical or dental procedure is in the offing — like Lasik surgery, braces or long-needed tooth implants or caps — you may want to schedule these treatments while you can still pay for a big chunk of the out-of-pocket expenses with pretax dollars.

The last point says it all.  By cutting HSA contributions to $2,500, it will not be possible to fully fund LASIK with pre-tax dollars!  Paying with these pre-tax dollars can save you at least 20% on the procedure.  Because of the new ObamaCare legislation, THE TIME TO GET LASIK IS NOW!!

I Lost a Bet: Go NY Rangers!

I am a big time NJ Devils fan.  My second favorite team?  Anyone who is playing the Rangers!

Jane Sholz is a big time Rangers fan.  She had LASIK last month.  On her 1st post op visit, after talking about how well she was seeing, the discussion turned to hockey.  The Devils and Rangers were playing that night.  We made a bet, if the Devils won, Jane would be pictured in a Devil Jersey and be posted on Facebook.  If the Rangers won, I would take a picture in a Devils Jersey and post it on Facebook and on my blog!

Jane came in today for her 1 month post op visit.  She was quite happy, she is seeing 20/20 AND the Rangers won that game 6-3.  So, here's the picture, I hope you enjoy it, Jane!

 

 

Now for the really bad news, guess who my third favorite team is?  Anyone who is playing the Flyers!  I am definitely not liking the Stanley Cup Playoffs thus far!

Flawed Conclusions: Physician Ownership Linked to Higher Surgery Volume

There has been a lot of buzz on the web this past week concerning an article in this month's Health Affairs titled: Physician-Ownership Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Linked To Higher Volume Of Surgeries.  In this article, John M. Hollingsworth, M.D., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues used  Ambulatory Surgery Databases to analyze data from Florida from 2003 to 2005. They looked at all patients in Florida who underwent one of five common outpatient procedures including  cataract extraction. They compared the number of surgeries performed among ASC owners before and after they acquired ASC ownership with that of physicians who were non-owners. They found that owners performed  twice as many procedures as non-owners.  Assuming that these are the facts of the study, you can't argue with numbers; what I have a problem with is the author's conclusion:

"To the extent that owners are motivated by profit, one potential explanation for our findings is that these physicians may be lowering their thresholds for treating patients with these common outpatient procedures."

I find this conclusion offensive.  Lowering treatment parameters to generate profits?  Cataracts cause a decrease in one's vision, what patient is going to submit to eye surgery without the symptoms that warrant this surgery?  I have been a part-owner in River Drive Surgery Center for the past 8 years.  During this time, my cataract volume has certainly increased.  It is NOT because  profits have lowered by treatment parameters!  Here are some of the reasons that I can think of of the top of my head (I find it amazing the that author's of this paper couldn't come up with any of these):

• Patient friendliness.  Patients find the ASC setting much less daunting than the hospital setting.  They are not shuffled from department to department, they are treated as individuals in a very caring matter.
• Efficiencies. ASC's are much more efficient than hospitals.  When I did my cataract surgery in a hospital, I found myself sitting around for the room to be ready.  It was difficult to do more than 1 procedure per hour.  In my ASC, there is no waiting for a room, and no down time.  I am now able to perform 6 cataracts an hour, without rushing.
• Costs.  ASC's are able to deliver care that is far superior than hospitals at a fraction of the cost.  This saves insurance companies as well as patients money.
• Equipment.  By owning an ASC, surgeon-owners are now able to continually upgrade equipment.  At River Drive, we pride ourselves on always having the most current, cutting edge equipment.  This allows us to provide superior care to our patients!
• Patient Experience.  We strive ourselves into providing a superior patient experience and outcome.  We generally succeed, and because we do, patients are apt to refer their friends and family to us for their surgery.  Success breeds success!

In conclusion, I agree with Dr. Hollingsworth, owners of ASC's do more cataract surgery!  However, this is NOT because we have lowered our operating standards.  It IS because we strive to do a better job.  Obviously, we are succeeding!

Patients Blogging About Their LASIK Experiences

When people are contemplating getting LASIK surgery, they often have many questions about the LASIK experience.  Word of mouth certainly accounts for most of our LASIK referrals here at EyeCare 20/20.  We often post our patients experiences through the video testimonial category of this blog and on our YouTube page.  There are also web sites out there where people talk about LASIK experiences. (Although th LASIK testimonial Blog follows my twitter feed, I have no affiliation with it.)

Howard Yermish is an online marketing strtategist.  I have used him to help get two of my sites , LASIK the Refs and LASIK for the Gold, up and running.  After working with me for the past year, Howard decided he too could benefit from LASIK surgery.  He decided to blog about his own LASIK experience.  Here is a video from his blog discussing why he decided to have LASIK.

Daily Record Features US Bobsled Visit to EyeCare 20/20 on Front Page!

Yesterday's visit by LASIK for the Gold's Erin Pac, and teamate Elana Meyers, the Bronze Medal winners in the bobsled, was featured on the front page of today's Daily record!

Here is the article:

Olympic bronze-winning bobsledders Erin Pac (left) and Elana Meyers visit Monday with Dr. Cary Silverman of the EyeCare 20/20 center in East Hanover. Meyers was there to get free LASIK surgery but her thin corneas ruled her out as a candidate. (STAFF PHOTO: JOHN BELL)

Olympic bobsledders say thanks to E. Hanover eye doc - even though one can't get surgery

By JAKE REMALY • STAFF WRITER • April 6, 2010

EAST HANOVER — Olympic bobsled medalists Erin Pac and Elana Meyers were at the Eagle Rock Avenue office of EyeCare 20/20 on Monday, where they signed autographs and posed for photos.

The dozens of people who came to meet the pair had the chance to hold the bronze medals they won in the Vancouver Games this year.

But the main purpose of the visit — Meyers getting LASIK eye surgery — never happened.

During screening Monday, Dr. Cary Silverman realized Meyers' corneas were too thin and she was not a candidate for the vision correction surgery, which Silverman offers for free to Olympic-level amateur U.S. athletes. So Meyers was still wearing glasses and greeting visitors at 2 p.m. when she had planned to be getting prepped for surgery.

Pac, 29, and Meyers, 25, comprised the two-member U.S. bobsled team that finished third this year, with two Canadian teams winning gold and silver. Pac, the driver, got LASIK at EyeCare 20/20 a year ago and returned to East Hanover for the appearance.

Meyers, the brakeman who flew to the township from training in Lake Placid, N.Y., took the news of her too-thin corneas in stride, and said she was grateful Silverman offers the procedure to Olympic hopefuls for free. She said she couldn't have afforded it on her own. And she sees herself as having benefited from Pac's LASIK-improved vision.

"I benefited also," Meyers said. "Clear vision helped us win the medal."

Pac said clear vision is essential when driving 80 mph down a steep, icy track with "mind-boggling curves."

"I'm the eyes and hands of the sled," said Pac, a resident of Farmington, Conn.

An avid sports fan, Silverman started LASIK-for-the-Gold in 2008 to help top U.S. athletes who participate in sports that don't typically offer opportunities for serious financial gain, including luge, BMX, speed skating and pole vault. He has performed the vision correction surgery for 11 athletes so far. Of Team USA's 37 medals in Vancouver this year, seven were won by athletes who got LASIK from Silverman, according to the program.

Even at the elite level, Pac and Meyers said, bobsledding is still an "amateur" sport, with little hope of sponsorships.

"We're not rolling in diamonds or blinging out or anything like that," Meyers said. "It's not lucrative, let's put it that way."

Meyers said she will be "working like crazy" this summer, including as a trainer at a Gold's Gym near where she lives in Douglasville, Ga.

 
Jake Remaly:
973-428-6621;
jremaly1@gannett.com

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

 

Today was an exciting day here at EyeCare 20/20.  We were fortunate to host the olympic Bronze Medal USA Bobsled team of Erin Pac and Elana Meyers.  They were in town for two reasons. 

First, they were here to let the public get a look at their Bronze Medals, sign autographed pictures, and talk about their Olympic experiences.  About 100 people came in to take advantage of this unique opportunity.  I posted photos of the event on our Flickr site.

Second, Elana was in town to join Erin as a member of the LASIK for the Gold team.  Before an athlete can qualify for LASIK for the Gold, we have them get some preliminary testing at home so that I can review the results.  If everything looks OK, they are scheduled to come to New Jersey for additional testing and undergo LASIK surgery.  Unfortunately, this additional testing showed that Elana was not a good LASIK candidate, and the surgery was canceled.  I think I was as disappointed as Elana!

This brings me to an important point:  I truly believe you can tell how good a LASIK surgeon is NOT by the difficult cases he claims to perform, but by those cases he doesn't do.  Most of the complications I see on consultation could have been avoided by never doing the surgery!  The key to excellent results is in preoperative screening and avoiding those patients who are not good candidates for the procedure!