ASCRS•ASOA SYMPOSIUM & CONGRESS, SAN DIEGO 2015
Sunday, May 7, 2017
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EyeWorld Daily News • The official ASCRS•ASOA Show Daily
Dr. Coburn shares with attendees "What's Killing Healthcare."
by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer
T
he 2017 ASCRS•ASOA Sym-
posium & Congress official-
ly kicked off on Saturday
morning with its Opening
General Session.
Attendees were first welcomed
by ASCRS Program Chair Edward
Holland, MD, Cincinnati. He said
this year's meeting looks to be "one
of the best meetings ever," with
more than 7,000 attendees from
more than 100 countries. Dr. Hol-
land noted that this year's meeting
is celebrating the return to Los
Angeles, where it hasn't been since
1990. Los Angeles was the site of
continued on page 5
by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer
T
his year, the Special Joint
ASCRS•ASOA Government
Relations General Session
was held on Friday evening
and featured former senator
Tom Coburn, MD. He focused his
address on "What's Killing Health-
care."
Dr. Coburn is a former Repub-
lican senator from Oklahoma who
has an extensive background in
healthcare and politics. He started
by asking attendees to think about
what healthcare in America should
be like.
First, he stressed several key
points about excessive costs in
American healthcare. He said that
$800 billion a year is spent in
American healthcare that doesn't
help anyone get well and does not
keep anyone from getting sick.
Additionally, Dr. Coburn said that
there is $100–125 billion in fraud in
Medicare and Medicaid alone. That
number is static, despite efforts in
this area.
Another problem we face is
"there's no connection between the
cost of something and the out-
come," he said, stressing that he
thinks there needs to be a mar-
ket-based solution to help solve
ASCRS meeting kicks off
with Opening General Session
Government Relations session
examines 'What's Killing Healthcare'
continued on page 5
nine of the first 15 ASCRS meetings,
he said. Also this year is the cele-
bration of the 50th anniversary of
phaco, the "innovative technology
that revolutionized cataract surgery
worldwide," he said.
At this year's meeting, there are
more than 1,500 papers, posters,
courses, symposia, and Skills Trans-
fer sessions, Dr. Holland said, as well
as the annual Film Festival.
Additionally, it is a joint
meeting with the APACRS, so there
will be several combined sessions,
The
first
Steinert
Refractive
Lecture,
named
in
honor
of
Roger
Steinert,
MD,
took
place
at
the
inaugural
ASCRS
Refractive
Day
on
Friday.
The
lecture
was
given
by
Douglas
Koch,
MD,
on
the
topic
of
"Challenges
in
IOL
Calculations
with
Post-Op
and
Ectatic
Cornea."
Look
for
expanded
coverage
in
the
June
EyeWorld.