Surgical eye care procedures run on tight schedules and even tighter margins. Bridled with rising costs, increasing surgical volumes and layers of inefficient technologies, ophthalmologists must navigate constant hurdles to deliver the best patient outcomes while staying afloat financially.
As these pressures intensify, the gaps between growing patient demand and dwindling labor supply continue to widen. Meanwhile, increasing caseloads reveal cracks in traditional workflows — exposing ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) that rely on patchwork systems rather than precise processes.
Ultimately, for eye care ASCs to succeed, providers must master the critical trifecta of managing volume, cost and efficiency through integrated systems and strategic workflows.
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Surging demand
More than 4 million cataract surgeries are performed in the U.S. annually. Considering that cataracts affect 70% of people over age 80, this volume is expected to spike as the U.S. population ages, with projections forecasting that the 65-and-older age group will make up more than 20% of the total U.S. population by 2030.
Driven by this aging population, the demand for medical eye care is set to increase over 25% between 2020 and 2030, equating to about 15 million additional exams.
Although this could spell opportunity for ophthalmologists, the problem is that staffing levels aren’t keeping pace. Approximately 4.2 million cataract surgeries were performed in 2020 with about 16,000 ophthalmologists available, but according to one industry report, the aging population will require 5.6 million cataract procedures by 2030, with only 16,500 ophthalmologists available. Assuming the average ophthalmologist performs 400 cataract surgeries per year, these projections suggest a shortage of 3,000 specialists just to meet the demand for cataract surgeries — not accounting for other age-related eye care procedures.
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These staffing shortages exacerbate the challenge of handling high surgical volumes, leading to bottlenecks, burnout and reduced surgical throughput, while underscoring the need for more streamlined processes.
Rising costs
As with other medical expenses, the cost of eye care surgery continues to swell. For example, the average cost of cataract surgery at ASCs increased from $1,587 to $1,735 since 2021, according to CMS claims data.
Although CMS increased ASC reimbursement rates for 2025, this 2.9% increase still lags behind the inflation of medical costs, which are increasing by 15-30%, on average. Even with private insurance coverage, payments for ophthalmic procedures at ASCs can range from under $1,000 in some states to more than $5,000 in others.
These discrepancies force facilities to be more financially savvy. As high costs continue to strain ASC budgets, providers must balance operational efficiencies with strategic revenue management to maintain profitability.
Streamlining inefficiencies
Unfortunately, many ophthalmic ASCs simply aren’t equipped to handle this precarious mix of increasing demand and rising costs.
Traditional workflows often consist of paper forms, spreadsheets and disconnected systems, requiring hours of manual data entry. If your staff spends eight to 10 hours a week keying in information, at an average hourly rate of $35, this manual labor might cost $18,000 over the course of a year, and lead to administrative burdens that can invite errors and delay procedures.
And these roadblocks can add up quickly. Administrative delays may cause cancellations, and losing even one cataract surgery per week can cost $2,000 or more in lost revenue, totaling up to $100,000 annually. Conversely, by resolving bottlenecks and adding one or two more cases per surgical day, at an average of $2,000 per case, an ASC can tap into hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional revenue.
Power your ASC
By automating redundant manual tasks to streamline surgical coordination, ASCs can eliminate these obstacles to optimize their operation. The best solutions to tackle the trifecta of volume, cost and efficiency hurdles are those that feature:
Integrated systems connecting practice management, diagnostic imaging, surgical planning and billing workflows into one seamless EHR platform. Consolidating data in a centralized hub speeds up documentation with fewer errors and delays to streamline the entire process, from patient scheduling all the way through claims processing.
Specialized support tools designed specifically to handle the unique demands of eye care subspecialties. Ophthalmic ASCs are too complex to trust their nuanced workflows to generic technologies that aren’t purpose-built for optimal patient outcomes.
Workflow automation that alleviates burden on staff, making complex surgical coordination seem effortless by reducing clicks and enabling seamless data sharing. Standardized workflows free staff to focus on patient care instead of paperwork — improving the experience for everyone.
Real-time reporting that automates audit trails, tracks surgical outcomes and generates compliance-ready reports for quality measures and regulatory requirements. Besides streamlining incentive payments, this visibility is critical for performance benchmarking and process improvement.
As surgical volumes and costs continue to escalate, more efficient coordination is the key to keeping patients and profits flowing smoothly through your ASC. By adopting integrated ophthalmology-specific systems for practice management, providers can support sustainable growth without compromising care quality.
Photo: KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images
Casi Nestelroad, JM, MBA, BSHA, is vice president of product management at Sightview, the only electronic health record and practice management partner dedicated solely to eyecare. She is an experienced product and operations leader known for driving strategic product development and execution across the healthcare technology landscape. Her background includes key roles at Nextech, MD Live and Greenway Health, where she delivered solutions that improved efficiency, enhanced provider workflows and elevated patient care.
At Sightview, Nestelroad applies her deep expertise in specialty EHRs to address customer pain points and advance a platform built specifically for the needs of optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians. She guides product strategy that strengthens performance, aligns with modern practice demands and supports consistent growth for practices of all sizes. Her work helps eyecare organizations connect clinical care and revenue operations, create stronger workflows and uncover opportunities to improve outcomes across their business.
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