Glaucoma surgeries up while Medicare reimbursement down

According to a study published in the July issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, the number of glaucoma surgeries is on the rise, but Medicare reimbursement for the procedures has been decreasing.

For the study, researchers from Exponent, Alcon Research, and the Bloomberg School of Public Health analyzed Part B Medicare data for 100,000 beneficiaries from 1997 to 2006. The team found that from 1997 to 2001, there was an overall decrease in both the number of procedures and the amount of annual payments, but there was an increase in the number of procedures in the following years, reaching a total of 414,980 in 2006. The investigators attributed the increase to advancements in technology and a change in calculating the global period for reimbursement purposes.

The authors also noted that payments for trabeculectomies decreased over time, while annual payments for newer procedures, such as cyclophotocoagulation and shunt-related procedures, have increased.

Posted in: Alcon, Archives of Ophthalmology, Glaucoma, Health, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Medicare, Public Health and Safety