Redefining Success: Office-Based Surgery Generates $2.1M for OD-MD Practice

Overview

Sightline Ophthalmic Associates, an OD-MD practice in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA, has served their community for over two decades. As a referral-based practice, they offer advanced eye care services including refractive, cataract, and corneal procedures. Faced with declining reimbursements and restricted surgical time at outpatient facilities, partners Chris Carver, OD, Charlene Maloney, OD, and Paul Phillips, MD sought an innovative solution that would give them control over the surgical process. iOR Partners introduced a turnkey office-based surgery (OBS) solution and the results were transformational.

The Problem

Operating exclusively out of third-party surgical facilities created significant challenges for Sightline: Restricted Surgical Time: Their surgical facility consistently deprioritized ophthalmic procedures in favor of more lucrative surgeries. Case limits were imposed on the number of daily surgeries they could perform, further restricting revenue growth. Patient Disruptions and Delays: Cases would be canceled at any time at the facility’s discretion. For cases that were performed as scheduled, patients experienced up to three hours for a 10-minute procedure due to stringent pre-surgical requirements and extended turnaround times. Declining Reimbursements: When performing surgery at an ASC, the physician captures the physician fee while the ASC gets the facility fee. Year-over-year declines in physician reimbursement rates put additional pressure on the practice to explore alternative revenue streams.

Sightline understood that OBS was the key to gaining control of surgical operations. The practice built out an office-based surgical suite, but did not have the knowledge to fully execute it. It became evident that they needed OBS expertise to ensure patient safety, compliance, and efficient management. That’s when they turned to iOR Partners.

Operating exclusively out of third-party surgical facilities created significant challenges for Sightline:

• Restricted Surgical Time: Their surgical facility consistently deprioritized ophthalmic procedures in favor of more lucrative surgeries. Case limits were imposed on the number of daily surgeries they could perform, further restricting revenue growth.
• Patient Disruptions and Delays: Cases would be canceled at any time at the facility’s discretion. For cases that were performed as scheduled, patients experienced up to three hours for a 10-minute procedure due to stringent pre-surgical requirements and extended turnaround times.
• Declining Reimbursements: When performing surgery at an ASC, the physician captures the physician fee while the ASC gets the facility fee. Year-over-year declines in physician reimbursement rates put additional pressure on the practice to explore alternative revenue streams.

Sightline understood that OBS was the key to gaining control of surgical operations. The practice built out an office-based surgical suite, but did not have the knowledge to fully execute it. It became evident that they needed OBS expertise to ensure patient safety, compliance, and efficient management. That’s when they turned to iOR Partners.

Dr. Paul Phillips operating

The Solution

iOR Partners made surgery turnkey by providing the support and expertise for a successful OBS program.

• Custom iOR Suite®: Set up a fully functioning OBS suite, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations. Sightline has since expanded to three iOR Suites.
• Accreditation & Compliance: Managed their governing body, QA/PI, accreditation process, and achieved accreditation from The Joint Commission.
• Billing & Reimbursement: Navigated the complexities of OBS billing to ensure compliance and captured 100% of surgical reimbursements for the practice.
• Materials Management: Provided an inventory management system that simplified supply ordering for practice staff.
• Ongoing Operational Support: Gave day-to-day oversight, iDMR surgical software, monthly performance reports, and program optimization for long-term success.

Results

• Streamlined Patient Experience: OBS reduced patient time spent from check-in to check-out from 3+ hours at the ASC to just 69 minutes. This patient-centered approach has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many citing the calmer, more convenient environment as a standout benefit
• Scaled Surgical Operations: Significantly scaled operations with surgical time increasing from two days to eight days per month and surgical capacity growing from 12 cases a day to over 26. The team expanded from one surgeon to three, and from a single iOR Suite to three, two of which are cataract suites.
• Incremental Revenue Growth: In less than three years, the gross revenue exceeded $2.1 million, demonstrating the financial viability of the OBS model. With the addition of two iOR Suites, Sightline is on track to more than double surgical revenue in 2025.
  

Conclusion  

The partnership between Sightline and iOR Partners exemplifies how innovation and MD-OD collaboration can redefine success in eye care. By implementing an office-based surgical model, Sightline gained control, optimized patient care, and significantly enhanced their financial performance. Looking ahead, the practice is well-positioned to meet the growing demand of its patients while being equipped to quickly adapt in the ever-changing landscape of eye care.