I needed a couple of extra visits.

The capsules in both eyes clouded about a year after surgery.

A known and common condition after the surgery.

They zap it with a laser and it clears right up.

You are back to seeing well in a short time.

I paid 4500.00 extra for "ultra precise measurements to select the optimal lens". New Doc is puzzled. So you could have been taken advantage of for more

Same as many with a week between eyes. Your vision will continue to improve the next several weeks.

This is borne out of care and abundance of caution, not milking you for more money.

Yes, your stuff sounds good. Consider it a good thing for the followup visits, so the doctor can catch any post-operation complications EARLY, which is the purpose of those visits. It's a medical necessity for folloup visits, to prevent Blindness (seriously).

It would be exactly the same after any major surgery as well. while Cataract surgery isn't considered Major surgery per se, blindness is a major complication you want to avoid at all costs.

I'm getting mine done after the new year. I can't see shit.

Mine were two months apart. I didn't question my surgeon's rationale. I'm 20/20 at distance and fairly mild cheaters for computer distance and book-reading distance. I'm very happy with the results.

The postoperative office visits are as important as the surgery and are included in the surgical fee for 90 days, at least for most insurances. The doctor was not “milking” you for extra office fees—he doesn’t get paid any more if he saw you once or eight times. Doing one eye and then the second eye 1-2 weeks later is standard of care, though there is a push to do bilateral same day surgery (with reprepping and a different set of sterile instruments for each eye) for cost savings and patient convenience. Cataract surgery is highly successful and pays surprisingly little to the surgeon. There are however, premium options not covered by insurance (Femtolaser, astigmatism correction, multifocal intraocular lens implants) with potential advantages and disadvantages that should be carefully explained to the patient.

I saw twelve people throughout the procedure of each eye.

Make that fourteen if you include the receptionist's.

Make that 16 if you include the scheduling people.


That's pretty amazing to me ,
16 people for a single procedure.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I recently had one eye done and then twelve days later the other eye done.

They told me that they never do both at the same time for " safety reasons.

Well it takes four office visits per eye,
And now I am wondering if they just want to Bill right office visits instead of four?

Assuming Medicare was billed for your surgery, the reimbursement from Medicare is a global fee -all necessary visits covered for the 90 day global period. More visits don't generate more reimbursement. If anything, the pressure on fees results in fewer visits, not more.