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CDC Continues Drive to Halt Use of Recalled Brilliant Blue G and Triamcinolone-Containing Products from Franck
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in collaboration with state and local health departments, are continuing an investigation into cases of fungal endophthalmitis following use of two different products from Franck's Compounding Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla.Healthy Vision Month Provides Opportunity to Increase Patient Awareness
This week marks the beginning of Healthy Vision Month, which the Academy celebrates each May in partnership with the National Eye Institute and the National Eye Health Education Program.CMS Releases Ambulatory Surgery Center Reporting Requirements
he Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released new guidelines for its Ambulatory Surgery Center Quality Reporting Program.Notice of Recall on Triamcinolone Acetonide
In late March the FDA issued a notice of recall regrding triamcinolone acetonide from Franck's Lab. The recall is related to fungal issue with one lot of triamcinolone acetonide P.F. 80mg/ml and instituted a recall.CMS Backlog Shortchanges Doctors on E-prescribing Exemptions
Some physicians are reporting that the Medicare payments they've received for their services in 2012 are being reduced for a failure to prescribe enough electronically in 2011, even though the doctors filed waiver requests seeking special hardship exemptions.CMS Extends Time to Appeal Unfavorable EHR Incentive-Program Decisions
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced this week that ophthalmologists who participated in the 2011 Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program and were ruled ineligible for a bonus now have until April 30 to appeal that decision.Ophthalmology Leads in Medicare Incentive Dollars
Ophthalmologists who participated in Medicare's 2010 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) received the second-highest amount in incentive payment dollars of any specialty, according to a recent CMS report.CDC Reports New Cases of Fungal Endophthalmitis
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating an ongoing outbreak of fungal endophthalmitis. While an initial notification had linked this to Brilliant Blue G (BBG), apparently from a single source (Franck's Pharmacy), there now appear to be cases unrelated to BBG. The CDC is requesting the Academy's assistance in identifying possible cases of infection.Deadline Approaches to Become HIPAA 5010 Compliant
Physician practices have until April 1 to transition to HIPAA 5010 data standards.Academy and FDA Warn Ophthalmologists Regarding Use of Brilliant Blue G for Eye Surgery
The Academy is assisting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health agencies with an ongoing public health investigation. The FDA has received reports of fungal endophthalmitis in patients who were given Brilliant Blue G (BBG) during eye surgeries. Clinicians in several states have reported adverse events. The BBG was supplied by Franck's Compounding Lab in Ocala, Fla. The pharmacy issued a recall of all lots of BBG on March 9Extension of Enforcement Discretion Period for Updated HIPAA Transaction Standards Through June 30, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Office of E-Health Standards and Services (OESS) is announcing that it will not initiate enforcement action for an additional three (3) months, through June 30, 2012, against any covered entity that is required to comply with the updated transactions standards adopted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA): ASC X12 Version 5010 and NCPDP Versions D.0 and 3.0.2012 Legislative Session Update
Organized optometry was recently successful in Kentucky in obtaining legislative authorization to perform surgery, and has made it clear that Florida will be the next battleground for expanded scope of practice.2012 E-Prescribing Penalty - Contact CMS Immediately for Possible Exemption
The FMA has recently been notified of an opportunity for more physicians to obtain an exemption from the 2012 Medicare e-prescribing penalty. Even if you have already contacted CMS, contact CMS again. They are willing to hear your case.HIPAA 5010 Enforcement Extension Expires in Four Weeks
A significant number of physician practices may already or could soon face serious cash-flow issues, due to non-compliance with new HIPAA 5010 data standards that went into effect Jan. 1. CMS has delayed enforcement to March 31 from Jan. 1, but only a few weeks remain in the enforcement extension. Although it appears that CMS will delay implementation of ICD-10, there is no indication that the HIPAA 5010 deadlines will change. Assume that enforcement will begin April 1.Medicare Doctor Pay Patch Sets up 32% Cut for 2013
The 10-month delay of cuts to Medicare physician payment rates leaves Congress in what some see as its toughest spot to date when it comes to preventing deep pay reductions.Proposed Rule Paves Way for Success in EHR Incentive Program
A proposed rule released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services includes criteria that will allow ophthalmologists to continue to succeed in the Medicare Electronic Health Record Incentive Program. The rule defines the second stage of “meaningful-use” requirements of an EHR system that physicians must demonstrate to qualify for the Medicare incentive. Meaningful use is defined in stages, with each stage requiring more-advanced use of EHR technology.ICD-10 Implementation on Hold; Impact on HIPAA 5010 Deadlines Uncertain
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will delay the October 1, 2013, implementation deadline for transitioning from ICD-9 to ICD-10.Informed Consent for Cataract Surgery Approved
On Thursday, February 16, 2012, the Florida Board of Medicine (BOM) and Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine (BOOM) both published the final informed consent form for cataract surgery that the FSO worked on during the past year. This standard informed consent form spells out the risks of cataract surgery thus mitigating the risks of unnecessary adverse incident reporting and that upon execution of the standard informed consent form, there would be a rebuttable presumption that the doctor properly disclosed the risks.Medicare Pay Cut Averted Through 2012
The 27 percent Medicare physician pay cut slated to hit March 1 has been stopped, as an agreement was reached on February 16, by the joint House and Senate committee formed to negotiate an extension to the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011.Unspent War Funds Eyed to Avoid Years of Medicare Doctor Pay Cuts
Lawmakers are considering the possibility of paying for a long-term Medicare physician payment solution by reallocating war funding that is no longer needed,an idea that has gained the support of the American Medical Association and more than 100 state and specialty medical societies.Medicine's Proposal for Permanent Physician Pay Fix Receives Mixed Reviews
An Academy-supported proposal to pay for a permanent Medicare physician pay fix is gaining momentum, despite mixed reviews in two Congressional Budget Office reports. The Academy advocates paying the $300 billion cost to permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula used to calculate Medicare physician pay with part of an $800 billion surplus in the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. The surplus results from reduced spending for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. While the CBO acknowledges the large surplus in the fund, it says Congress must determine if those funds can be used to pay for the Medicare physician pay fix.Florida Society of Ophthalmology Sponsors Vision Summit, Promotes Funding to Support Services for Blind Babies
The Florida Society of Ophthalmology (FSO) sponsored the Sixth Annual Florida Vision Summit today, providing a presentation on cutting-edge medical advances in the treatment of premature babies born with progressive eye diseases. The Vision Summit, hosted by the Florida Legislature's Vision Caucus and the Florida Association of Agencies Serving the Blind (FAASB), educates those living with vision loss and promotes the importance of maintaining early-intervention services for blind babies.HIPAA 5010 Deadline Looms in Less Than Two Weeks
Cataract Informed Consent Form - NEW MEMBER BENEFIT
The Florida Society of Ophthalmology seeks to better protect ophthalmologists and our patients throughout the informed consent process, particularly in the area of cataract surgery. Because Florida law currently fails to describe the recognized risks of cataract surgery, a substantial number of “recognized risks” associated with cataract surgery continue to be improperly reported to regulators as “Code 15” adverse incidents. This over reporting unnecessarily exposes our doctors to extensive and time-consuming disciplinary proceedings before the Board of Medicine and to medical malpractice litigation.
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