The Iowa Department of Public Health has denied a rehearing for Lee Birchansky, MD, on his request to perform cataract surgery at Fox Eye Laser & Cosmetic Institute, according to a Gazette report.
The decision by the IDPH sent staff scrambling to reschedule patients into hospital rooms, according to the report. The state said it considers Dr. Birchansky's office to be an uncertified surgical center. State health officials fined Dr. Birchansky $20,000 and ordered him to cease performing cataract surgery at Fox Eye.
According to the report, there are 25 certified ambulatory surgery centers in the state of Iowa. The president of the Iowa Academy of Ophthalmology noted in written testimony that cataract surgery is only performed in surgical facilities and is not an office procedure.
A spokeswoman from the Iowa Department of Public Health said the Iowa board of Medicine and other accrediting bodies are tasked with deciding if a particular surgery is medically appropriate at a given location. Dr. Birchanksy applied four times for a certificate of need with Iowa's Health Facilities Council but was denied each time.
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The decision by the IDPH sent staff scrambling to reschedule patients into hospital rooms, according to the report. The state said it considers Dr. Birchansky's office to be an uncertified surgical center. State health officials fined Dr. Birchansky $20,000 and ordered him to cease performing cataract surgery at Fox Eye.
According to the report, there are 25 certified ambulatory surgery centers in the state of Iowa. The president of the Iowa Academy of Ophthalmology noted in written testimony that cataract surgery is only performed in surgical facilities and is not an office procedure.
A spokeswoman from the Iowa Department of Public Health said the Iowa board of Medicine and other accrediting bodies are tasked with deciding if a particular surgery is medically appropriate at a given location. Dr. Birchanksy applied four times for a certificate of need with Iowa's Health Facilities Council but was denied each time.
Related Articles on Eye Surgery:
Michigan's Holland Eye Surgery and Laser Center Adds Blade-Free Surgery
Femtosecond Laser Improves Accuracy of Cataract Surgery
New Arkansas Eye Surgery Center Coming to Magnolia