Russia’s Leading Opticians Visit Bausch & Lomb Waterford

Bausch & Lomb hosted a delegation of opticians, owners, administrators and managers from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States on a visit to its Waterford plant where contact lenses and other eye healthcare products are manufactured.

Cleanest and Most Polluted U.S. Cities, Swine Flu, and More

American Lung Association Grades Cities on Air Pollution

About 186.1 million Americans are living in areas with dangerously high air pollution levels, HealthDay reports. The findings come from research presented this week in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air 2009 report. “Six out of 10 Americans live in areas dirty enough to send people to the emergency room, to shape how kids’ lungs develop, and even dirty enough to kill,” said Charles D. Connor, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, during a teleconference yesterday, according to HealthDay. Fargo, N.D., was rated as the cleanest city in the United States; North Dakota was the only state to earn passing scores for ozone pollution, year-round particle pollution, and short-term particle pollution. The ALA deemed Los Angeles the country’s dirtiest city.

It’s tough to avoid breathing polluted air, but there are some ways to reduce exposure. Researchers are finding that air pollution can damage sperm—not to mention the offspring those sperm produce.

Swine Flu: How to Keep Your Kids Safe

A Texas child not yet 2 years old, who had recently visited Mexico, has become the first person in the United States to die from the swine flu, ABCNews.com reports. And news of this death may prompt parents, who were already seriously concerned about the swine flu, to be even more worried. With the suspected death toll mounting in Mexico and at least 64 confirmed cases in the United States, there’sgood reason for concern, Nancy Shute reports. One New York City school closed because dozens of students have fallen ill. Parents’ fears get amplified when the public-health experts say, correctly, that they don’t know what’s going to happen next. “We don’t know how worried we need to be,” says Joseph Bocchini, chairman of the department of pediatrics at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

Here are 5 ways to keep your kids safe from swine flu. This list of 14 things you should know about the new flu virus may help both adults and children.

Addressing a Child’s Video-Game Obsession

The news that almost 10 percent of kids show symptoms of addiction to video games makes this a great time for Michael Gurian’s new book, The Purpose of Boys: Helping Our Sons Find Meaning, Significance, and Direction in Their Lives (Jossey-Bass, $26.96). He has made a crusade and a career out of advocating for boys, who he feels have been neglected by schools and society in an effort to give girls long-denied opportunities. Boys without purpose are boys who spend the day racking up high scores on Grand Theft Auto IV. This might not be the best preparation for manhood, writes Nancy Shute, who talked with Gurian about his book.

Learn why addiction to video games is a growing concern, and check out these resources for video-game addiction.

Bausch & Lomb and 20/10 Perfect Vision Finalize Refractive Surgery Joint Venture

Bausch & Lomb, the global eye health company, and 20/10 Perfect Vision AG, the femtosecond laser developer, have completed their transaction to form a joint venture focused on the laser vision correction industry. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Cataract Growth (2005 to 2020) – Is the Ophthalmic Industry Ready?

By 2010, the older population is projected to be at 40 million, due to the fact that the “Baby Boomers” will turn 65 in 2011. This will result in a doubling of the older population by 2030, growing from 35 million to 72 million. After 2030, the growth of the older population will slow.

When one compares the projected growth of 31 million senior citizens, during the 20-year period between 2010 and 2030, the older population is projected to grow by only 15 million during the following 20-year period (2030 to 2050).

The older population will continue to grow at a faster pace than the total population and this trend will continue well into the 21st century. Total population between 2010 and 2030 is expected to increase by 18 percent versus a 78 percent increase in the older population. This will result in 20 percent of Americans being aged 65 and older in 2030, compared with 12 percent in 2010. After 2030, the 65 and older group will be relatively stable at about 20 percent.

Another interesting facet is that 4.2 million people were 85 and older years of age in 2000. By 2030, this age group will increase to approximately 10 million and to 21 million by 2050.

Estimated Cataract Prevalence in the United States – Top 10 States is:

State	2005	2010	2015	2020
California	1,964,280	2,215,708	2,421,352	2,587,662
Florida	1,536,093	1,798,595	2,059,817	2,332,386
New York	1,271,616	1,363,432	1,419,638	1,439,408
Texas	1,142,067	1,305,236	1,446,584	1,588,019
Pennsylvania	985,996	1,046,029	1,081,316	1,096,901
Illinois	783,181	838,956	874,529	898,924
Ohio	779,717	827,182	853,618	867,084
Michigan	642,695	693,269	727,203	748,565
New Jersey	586,788	642,922	684,040	710,859
North Carolina	525,383	594,471	657,091	716,819

Source: Vantage Independent Analysis based on projections of 2005 Census Data

With this scenario present, expanding residency training programs to their maximum capacity will maintain the current national ophthalmologist-to-population ratio. But, it will not be enough to address the shift in demographics as baby boomers age. Bottom line is that we need to start putting things in place over the next 12 years in order to meet the growing demand of cataract patients.

To see our previous article on Daunting Demographics, please click here

Bausch & Lomb Launches New Bottle Innovation in Europe Supported By Eye-Catching Online Campaign

Bausch & Lomb has unveiled a ground-breaking new bottle innovation for ReNu® multi-purpose solutions in its continued effort to improve the habits of contact lens-wearers and enhance general eye health.

Benchmarking Stats for Surgery Centers

In the past six months, a study based on over 230 freestanding ASCs and over 1 million cases was published by VMG Health Intellimarker, “Annual 2008 Ambulatory Surgical Centers Financial & Operational Benchmarking Study”. Here are some interesting statistics extracted from this study, particularly for the field of Ophthalmology.

CASES	Â
Top 3 (overall)	Total Cases	% of Total Cases
Ophthalmology	177,359	15%
GI	225,208	19%
Orthopedics	207,532	17%

 However, top case specialties varied based on size of the surgery center. If center had <3,000 cases, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology & Pain were the top 3 specialties, which represented over 50% of the total caseload. If center had 3,000 to 6,000 cases, Orthopedics, GI & Ophthalmology were the top 3, representing 47% of the total. For the largest centers (>6,000 cases), GI, Orthopedics and Ophthalmology topped the charts with the three specialties combined representing 52% of the total.

NET REVENUE (per case) BY REGION
Â	Midwest	Southeast	West	Southwest	Northeast
Ophthalmology	$1087	$1098	$1164	$1269	$1123
Orthopedics	$2182	$1865	$2265	$2312	$1813
ENT	$1633	$1257	$1712	$1596	$1245
Plastic	$1537	$1079	$1654	$1467	$1360
Podiatry	$1410	$1258	$1607	$1574	$1346
General Surgery	$1306	$1187	$1236	$1692	$  934
Urology	$1301	$1086	$1557	$1305	$1011
Pain	$  925	$  790	$  916	$  864	$  950
GI	$  836	$  616	$  824	$  869	$  705

Surprisingly, eye revenue is not too bad in the Southwest region and is the 4th highest in net revenue for the Southeast region. However, in the Midwest, the ophthalmic revenue per case ranks 7th and provides only 50% of what an orthopedic case will generate for a center.

PROFITABILITY BY REGION – Operating Income % to Net Revenue
Â	%
All Facilities	23.1%
Midwest	35.9%
Southeast	25.1%
West	20.7%
Northeast	19.6%
Southwest	19.4%

The Midwest leads the way in profitability of their centers with lower Employee Salary and Wages, Occupancy Costs & Medical & Surgical Costs. The least profitable region was the Southwest, due primarily to higher Medical & Surgical Costs. Surprisingly, the regions that carried the least amount of debt were the West and the Northeast (between 32% & 35% of Total Assets) , while the Southeast and Southwest carried the largest debt load (around 50% of Total Assets).

Though the study is based on data from 2007, it will be interesting to see where net revenue per case and profitability ends up in 2008 and 2009, given the changes in Medicare reimbursement.

Stay tuned as we will be updating our blog with this information as soon as Intellimarker publishes their 2009 report this summer.

If you’d like more information on this 2008 study, please get more info here

Salmonella-Tainted Raw Alfalfa Sprouts and Other Health News

FDA, CDC Issue Advisory About Tainted Raw Alfalfa Sprouts

The government is asking people to avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts, including sprout blends that contain alfalfa sprouts, because of possible salmonella contamination. An investigation by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that some seeds for alfalfa sprouts may be contaminated. There have been 31 cases of illness reported since mid-March in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia; most of the illnesses happened in people who said they’d eaten raw alfalfa sprouts that were obtained at restaurants or bought in stores.

In March, the FDA advised consumers to forgo eating food containing pistachios because of possible salmonella contamination, and before that, tainted peanut products were the concern. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Bacterial, and Mycotic Diseases, told U.S. News why the peanut product outbreak, in particular, raised alarm. You can read more about how to reduce your risk of becoming ill and how irradiating food could help zap a salmonella outbreak. Also, try getting updates via Twitter and Facebook to track the effects of salmonella outbreaks online.

Depressed and Coping: Treating Depression When Medication Fails

What has become abundantly clear in the antidepressant age is thatdepression is terribly difficult, if not impossible, to cure. Antidepressant medications are now the most commonly prescribed medications in the country, Deborah Kotz reports. Many primary-care doctors, who treat 80 percent of depressed people, labor under the assumption that a prescription is a panacea. But antidepressants completely alleviate symptoms in only about 35 to 40 percent of people. And not all of that can be attributed to the drugs, since depression lessens in 15 to 20 percent of people who take a placebo—a fact not publicized in pharmaceutical ads. And about 70 percent of people who successfully beat one bout of depression can expect to face another.

Prescription medications may be an easy choice to treat sadness, but they’re not necessarily the best option. Read about 4 health problems that depression can cause, and learn how depression affects African-Americans.

Exploring a Possible Link Between Autism and Vitamin D

Could autism be caused by low levels of vitamin D? That idea is just starting to emerge, sparked by the large number of autism cases among children of Somali immigrants living in Sweden and Minnesota, Nancy Shute reports. The mothers and young children are exposed to much less sunshine in their new homes than they were back in Somalia. Lighter-skinned people make more vitamin D than dark-skinned people do when both groups are exposed to the same amount of sunshine, so it’s easy to imagine that the Somalis are getting relatively little vitamin D. And because most of the Somali immigrants are Muslim, they cover themselves when going outside, reducing their sun exposure even more. But there’s as yet no clear connection to autism.

Having autism doesn’t mean a person can’t lead a full, productive life. See how one autistic young manruns a business. Here are tips for teaching autistic teens how to make friends. And here are 4 promising autism treatments, from vitamin B12 to the Alzheimer’s drug Namenda.

Cataract Outsourcing and You.

This is the 1,002nd blog post here at CataractOutsourcing.com.

One thousand is a lot of posts on Healthcare issues and all of them came in less than one and a half years. Actually, there’s been a convergence of big numbers at the site recently. We’re at 1,002 posts, and well over 11,000 visits. I’m tired just thinking about it.

I want to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog and a bigger thank you to all of you who have said that they read and enjoy it. 

The goal of the site is to give you items which you can use as part of your daily operations at your Healthcare facility, ideally, tomorrow. I don’t spend much time on should we post this or not, I spend time on getting all the facts out to all our readers daily.

Don’t worry, were not going anywhere. The Cataract Outsourcing  community is thriving and my posting activity has been increasing lately. I’m looking forward to another 1,000 posts.

Surgery Center of Reno

For several years prior to Regent Surgical Health’s involvement in 2006, the ambulatory surgery center at St. Mary’s Hospital in Reno, Nev., was unprofitable. Managed by the not-for-profit hospital, the underperforming surgery center struggled to earn enough income to cover its expenses. The center, while busy with 500 cases per month, was squeezed by shrinking reimbursements, certain unprofitable surgical specialties and rising costs. Six months after the hospital brought in Regent Surgical Health, the ASC started to thrive with the addition of a spine program.

In 2005, a group of physicians, led by neurosurgeon James Lynch, MD, approached the hospital’s management about teaming with Regent to revitalize the ASC. The physicians were impressed with Regent’s model that allows majority ownership and control by the doctors and the many services it could provide them.

The Surgery Center of Reno was formed in February 2006 by a syndicate of 22 physicians owning 75 percent; St. Mary’s, which retained 13 percent ownership after selling the facility to the center; and Regent. The ownership model was an LLC with five surgeons, the CEO of St. Mary’s and one Regent partner serving on the board of directors. Renovations to the 17,000-square-foot facility created five operating rooms and a procedure room. The improvements facilitated additional specialties of spinal neurosurgery, bariatric surgery, urology and pain procedures through the addition of new equipment.

According to Lynch, Regent’s leadership improved the center’s payor contracts, boosting revenue and developing a more efficient and cost-effective operating philosophy, which in turn contributes to an enhanced level of patient care.

The outpatient surgery center now operates from a strong business platform, which includes reduced supply costs and the benefits from competitive bidding.

Financial results have been strong. During the first year, the center generated a 50 percent return on investment; by the end of the 14th month of opening, the facility has had a 110 percent return on investment.

Swine Flu and Other Health News

Two California Kids Diagnosed With Swine Flu

Two children in California were diagnosed with a unique kind of swine flu last week, the Associated Press reports. The kids, a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, became ill in late March; both have since recovered. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there’s no reason for the public to be alarmed or take special steps to protect against this type of flu. Health officials are looking into the genetics of the virus and are testing people who may have had contact with the two infected children. The kids had not had contact with one another. Both had symptoms of fever and cough, and the boy experienced vomiting. In the past, the CDC has gotten reports of about one case of human swine flu every one to two years. The past few years have seen slightly more cases, with more than a dozen human cases reported since late 2005.

Another form of flu, bird flu, has gotten attention in the past few months. Read about a breakthrough discovery that may fight off flu and bird flu. And learn how to keep your family safe from bird flu.

Soft Drinks and Energy Drinks: Too Sweet for Your Own Good

Sugary soft drinks and energy drinks are taking it on the chin these days, Katherine Hobson reports. Two researchers are saying the drinks contribute to obesity and need an extreme makeover. Walter Willett, who chairs the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, argues that there is a “direct causal link” between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and energy drinks and obesity, which is in turn linked to heart disease, some types of cancer, arthritis, and type 2 diabetes.

Willett and a colleague, Lilian Cheung, a lecturer in the nutrition department, suggest that we all focus on drinks with far lower levels of sugar and calories: things like water, tea, seltzer with a splash of juice, and coffee with one lump of sugar. They call on beverage makers to create reduced-calorie beverages with no more than 1 gram of sugar per ounce, without using noncaloric sweeteners like aspartame and stevia.

Just recently, two public-health experts floated the idea of a specific tax on sodas and energy drinks. Related: VitaminWater is a poster child for the importance of reading food and drink labels.

Narcissism Epidemic: Why There Are So Many Narcissists Now

Narcissism, or excessive self-love, is marked by bloated confidence, vanity, materialism, and a lack of consideration for others, Lindsay Lyon reports. Those personality traits have become so pervasive in American culture that they threaten to transform us into a nation of egomaniacs, research psychologists Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell say in their new book The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement . Twenge and her team at San Diego State University also report in a new study that narcissism continues to spread quickly among college students, especially young women. Considering how cultural influences on girls have changed in the past decade, that’s not surprising, says Twenge. Plastic surgery rates have jumped since the 1990s, and materialism is increasingly being emphasized in song lyrics, for example, she says.

Read up on 7 common myths about narcissism. Also, check out what Twenge had to say about narcissism a few years ago, not long after the publication of her earlier book, Generation Me , which examines why young people today are more narcissistic than their parents.

Next Page »