Risk Management

ROP Care Impacted by Socioeconomic Barriers

The Academy scientific poster Socioeconomics of ROP indicates over 52% of pediatric ophthalmologists do not have a formal contract with the hospital that covers reimbursement for services, call coverage, inpatient consults, or professional liability insurance. Pediatric ophthalmologists Rebecca S. Braverman, MD and Robert W. Enzenauer, MD MPH recently published their poster at the 2011 Academy meeting in Orlando, Florida. It can now be found online at  AAO Scientific Posters. Just enter poster number 454 in the search function. 

Drs. Braverman and Enzenauer mailed surveys to 710 AAPOS members and 283 were returned making this one of the most comprehensive studies exploring socioeconomic factors that influences ophthalmic care provided to the most vulnerable of patients, the premature infant. One particularly significant statistical result is the vast majority of respondents (233) that indicate they continue to care for the infants once they were discharged from the hospital. This fact highlights the vital importance of having a program for timely screening and follow-up. To address this need, OMIC has offered, for many years, the ROP Safety Net available online at OMIC ROP Toolkit.

OMIC congratulates Drs. Braverman and Enzenauer on their poster and look forward to future publications related to their ROP socioeconomic research.