New Study Poses Solutions to High Cost of Cataract Surgery in the U.S.
The Himalayan Cataract Project is frequently asked how it provides sight-restoring cataract surgery in under-resourced countries at such a low cost when the cost of comparative surgery in the U.S. is so high.
In this month's New England Journal of Medicine, HCP Co-founder Dr. Geoff Tabin, together with colleagues and board members Drs. Matt Oliva and Jeff Goldberg, address the cost disparity of cataract surgery in the U.S. vs. surgery performed in high-quality Indian and Nepalese eye centers.
The article, "Case Study: A Cost Comparison of Cataract Surgeries in Three Countries - United States, India and Nepal," discusses how significant cost savings may be achieved in the U.S. by adopting care delivery practices used in India and Nepal.
The authors of the article make the case for reverse innovation - taking the lessons learned from providing eye care in Asia to reduce the cost of care in the U.S. for low income Americans.
“Even after controlling for international input prices, cataract surgery costs were still lower in high-volume surgical sites in India and Nepal than in the United States, suggesting that a different care delivery approach is needed.”
The article underscores the cost effectiveness of the high-volume, high-quality model that HCP and its partners have espoused, one that maximizes the skill sets of the full provider team.
Read the full article here: https://hcpcureblindness.org/cataract-cost
