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Article
June 1994

Time Parameters for Glaucoma Procedures

Author Affiliations

From the Doheny Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology (Drs Lee, Rao, and Minckler), and the Department of Preventive Medicine (Dr Azen and Ms Linton), University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, and the Health Sciences Program, RAND, Santa Monica, Calif (Dr Lee).

Arch Ophthalmol. 1994;112(6):755-758. doi:10.1001/archopht.1994.01090180053034
Abstract

Changes in physician reimbursement and the practice environment have emphasized the importance of determining physician time for procedures and services. Fortyfive percent of the members of the American Glaucoma Society responded to a mail survey of estimates of the length of time and number of visits for the preoperative, operative, and 90-day postoperative care for six common glaucoma procedures. Results suggest a significant underestimation of time for trabeculectomies exists in the original and new resourcebased relative value scale work values. Further, 47% to 53% of surgeons hospitalize patients on at least the first postoperative day. There were no apparent time efficiencies between "high-" and "low-volume" respondents. Thus, careful attention should be paid to the accuracy of certain time estimates and the resulting work values in the resource-based relative value scale. Additional work in this and other areas may prove illuminating.

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