"More than any other specialists, ophthalmologists — not cardiologists, cancer doctors or orthopedic surgeons — were the biggest recipients of Medicare money in 2012," according to the post "Eye Doctors Say Their Profits Are Smaller than the Data Makes Them Look" in the New York Times. The 17,000 providers, most of whom are concentrated in Florida, Texas, California and New York, accounted for 7 percent — $5.6 billion — of the reimbursements to doctors and other providers. Included in the amount is $929 million for cataract surgery, about $1 billion for an expensive eye drug and $707 million for eye exams." Read more.
The article misses a point, though. The patients of cardiologists and oncologists die from heart disease and cancer, limiting the time the physicians can treat them. AMD, cataracts, and most retinal diseases do not kill patients, so ophthalmologists must treat their patients for longer periods, leading to higher overall billings.
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