Cataract surgery saves…dollars

Monday, December 2 2013 | 00 h 00 min | News

Researchers from the Center for Value-Based Medicine^® estimate that cataract surgeries performed in the United States in one year will save $123.4 billion over the next 13 years.

An operation performed on a single eye, which costs about $2,653, will save an average of $121,198 over 13 years. The Center says that these operations provide a 4.567% return on investment to society.

The majority of the $123.4 billion in savings from cataract surgery come from patient healthcare savings after the operation (39.4%), savings in Medicare, the public health care system for Americans over age 65 (29.5%), and profits tied to employment/productivity (20.6%).

“Most people regard healthcare costs, which are estimated at $2.81 trillion in 2012, as expenditures and not investment dollars that return patient value and financial value,” said lead researcher Melissa M. Brown. “Our data demonstrates that this approach is far too simplistic and that estimating the return on investment provides a more complete picture. Cataract surgery is a paradigm for the premise that healthcare interventions, in addition to greatly improving patients’ lives, can also create considerable economic wealth.”

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131115104553.htm