Here are 10 things to know about ophthalmology procedures and ophthalmologists in the United States.
1. As of March 2014, there were 25,152 ophthalmologists in the United States, according to the International Council of Ophthalmology. Here are five statistics on the ophthalmologist workforce.
• There are 81 ophthalmologists per one million people.
• There are 490 ophthalmologists entering practice in 2014.
• There are 350 ophthalmologists leaving practice in 2014.
• 87.5 percent of ophthalmologists perform surgery.
• There are 1,350 ophthalmology residents.
2. The average ophthalmologist salary in 2013 was $291,000, according to the Medscape Ophthalmologist Compensation Report 2014. The average salary increased 5 percent between 2012 and 2013. Here are nine statistics on ophthalmologist salary across the country.
• Great Lakes: $333,000
• Northwest: $320,000
• Southeast: $318,000
• North Central: $294,000
• South Central: $283,000
• Northeast: $273,000
• Mid-Atlantic: $263,000
• West: $260,000
• Southwest: $239,000
3. Ophthalmologists in office-based single-specialty group practices had the highest average salary in 2014 at $325,000, according to the Medscape report. Here are six statistics on ophthalmologist salary by practice setting.
• Healthcare organization: $315,000
• Office-based multispecialty group practice: $309,000
• Office-based solo practice: $291,000
• Academic (non-hospital), research, military, government: $208,000
• Hospital: $177,000
• Outpatient clinic: $159,000
4. Here are six statistics on ophthalmologist benefits, according to Salary.com.
• Bonuses: $2,812 (0.8 percent of total compensation)
• Social security: $10,880 (3.2 percent of total compensation)
• 401(k)/403(b): $9,000 (2.6 percent of total compensation)
• Disability: $2,378 (0.7 percent of total compensation)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (1.9 percent of total compensation)
• Pension: $15,750 (4.6 percent of total compensation)
• Time off: $32,518 (9.5 percent of total compensation)
5. Ophthalmology represents 17 percent of total case volume in ambulatory surgery centers, second only to GI/endoscopy, according to VMG Health's 2012 Intellimarker Ambulatory Surgical Center Financial & Operational Benchmarking Study. ASCs located in the Southwestern U.S. had the highest gross charges per case at $7,290, while ASCs located in the Midwest had the highest net revenue per case at $1,328. ASCs with more than four operating rooms have the highest net revenue per case at $1,380, compared to net revenue of $1,167 at ASCs with one to two ORs.
6. Of the top 20 procedures performed in ASCs, four are ophthalmological, according to MedPAC data. The most common procedure is cataract surgery with IOL insert, stage one, representing 16.9 percent of ASC case volume. After cataract laser surgery is the sixth most common ASC procedure, at 3.9 percent of total case volume. Upper eyelid revision surgery is the 18th most common procedure, at 0.9 percent of total case volume, and complex cataract surgery is the 15th most common procedure at 1.3 percent of total case volume.
7. The direct medical costs for treating cataracts, which affects approximately 22 million Americans aged 40 and older, are estimated to by $6.8 billion each year, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
8. Here are 4 statistics on cataract surgery performed in ambulatory surgery centers, according to the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
• Cataract surgery patients spend an average of 117 minutes in an ASC, from check-in time to discharge.
• Pre-procedure time is an average of 81 minutes.
• Cataract surgery procedure time is an average of 14 minutes.
• Discharge time takes an average of 22 minutes.
9. In April, CMS disclosed data on $77 billion in payments made to physicians and providers in 2012. Ophthalmologists were third among the top paid providers, behind hematologists/oncologists and radiation oncologists. The data included 17,067 ophthalmologists who were paid an average of $327,239 each in 2012.
10. There are nine subspecialties in ophthalmology, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, including:
• Cornea and external disease
• Cataract and refractive surgery
• Glaucoma
• Uveitis and ocular immunology
• Vitreoretinal diseases
• Ophthalmic plastic surgery
• Pediatric ophthalmology
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Ophthalmic pathology
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1. As of March 2014, there were 25,152 ophthalmologists in the United States, according to the International Council of Ophthalmology. Here are five statistics on the ophthalmologist workforce.
• There are 81 ophthalmologists per one million people.
• There are 490 ophthalmologists entering practice in 2014.
• There are 350 ophthalmologists leaving practice in 2014.
• 87.5 percent of ophthalmologists perform surgery.
• There are 1,350 ophthalmology residents.
2. The average ophthalmologist salary in 2013 was $291,000, according to the Medscape Ophthalmologist Compensation Report 2014. The average salary increased 5 percent between 2012 and 2013. Here are nine statistics on ophthalmologist salary across the country.
• Great Lakes: $333,000
• Northwest: $320,000
• Southeast: $318,000
• North Central: $294,000
• South Central: $283,000
• Northeast: $273,000
• Mid-Atlantic: $263,000
• West: $260,000
• Southwest: $239,000
3. Ophthalmologists in office-based single-specialty group practices had the highest average salary in 2014 at $325,000, according to the Medscape report. Here are six statistics on ophthalmologist salary by practice setting.
• Healthcare organization: $315,000
• Office-based multispecialty group practice: $309,000
• Office-based solo practice: $291,000
• Academic (non-hospital), research, military, government: $208,000
• Hospital: $177,000
• Outpatient clinic: $159,000
4. Here are six statistics on ophthalmologist benefits, according to Salary.com.
• Bonuses: $2,812 (0.8 percent of total compensation)
• Social security: $10,880 (3.2 percent of total compensation)
• 401(k)/403(b): $9,000 (2.6 percent of total compensation)
• Disability: $2,378 (0.7 percent of total compensation)
• Healthcare: $6,592 (1.9 percent of total compensation)
• Pension: $15,750 (4.6 percent of total compensation)
• Time off: $32,518 (9.5 percent of total compensation)
5. Ophthalmology represents 17 percent of total case volume in ambulatory surgery centers, second only to GI/endoscopy, according to VMG Health's 2012 Intellimarker Ambulatory Surgical Center Financial & Operational Benchmarking Study. ASCs located in the Southwestern U.S. had the highest gross charges per case at $7,290, while ASCs located in the Midwest had the highest net revenue per case at $1,328. ASCs with more than four operating rooms have the highest net revenue per case at $1,380, compared to net revenue of $1,167 at ASCs with one to two ORs.
6. Of the top 20 procedures performed in ASCs, four are ophthalmological, according to MedPAC data. The most common procedure is cataract surgery with IOL insert, stage one, representing 16.9 percent of ASC case volume. After cataract laser surgery is the sixth most common ASC procedure, at 3.9 percent of total case volume. Upper eyelid revision surgery is the 18th most common procedure, at 0.9 percent of total case volume, and complex cataract surgery is the 15th most common procedure at 1.3 percent of total case volume.
7. The direct medical costs for treating cataracts, which affects approximately 22 million Americans aged 40 and older, are estimated to by $6.8 billion each year, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
8. Here are 4 statistics on cataract surgery performed in ambulatory surgery centers, according to the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
• Cataract surgery patients spend an average of 117 minutes in an ASC, from check-in time to discharge.
• Pre-procedure time is an average of 81 minutes.
• Cataract surgery procedure time is an average of 14 minutes.
• Discharge time takes an average of 22 minutes.
9. In April, CMS disclosed data on $77 billion in payments made to physicians and providers in 2012. Ophthalmologists were third among the top paid providers, behind hematologists/oncologists and radiation oncologists. The data included 17,067 ophthalmologists who were paid an average of $327,239 each in 2012.
10. There are nine subspecialties in ophthalmology, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, including:
• Cornea and external disease
• Cataract and refractive surgery
• Glaucoma
• Uveitis and ocular immunology
• Vitreoretinal diseases
• Ophthalmic plastic surgery
• Pediatric ophthalmology
• Neuro-ophthalmology
• Ophthalmic pathology
More articles on ASC issues:
Supply management optimization: ASC challenges & solutions
AmSurg's femotosecond lasers pilot shows patient flow, efficiency trends: 5 findings
5 common GI/endoscopy coding & billing mistakes