Diplomate Digest - The American Board of Ophthalmology Blog

When Washington state Senator Maureen Walsh recently suggested that nurses “play cards” during their shifts, the backlash from nurses, the medical community, and, notably, the public, was swift. She quickly backtracked, and after an online petition reached more than 500,000 signatures (it’s now upwards of 700,000), Walsh agreed to spend 12 hours shadowing nurses to see what they actually do. One reason the public was so quick to condemn Walsh’s remarks? People trust their nur

This week, American Board of Ophthalmology Emeritus Director Ivan Schwab, MD, FACS, introduced readers of the Wall Street Journal to entoptic phenomena, or what a person sees with closed eyes. From eighth-century Taoist monks who could generate phosphenes while in a hypnagogic state to modern scientific research on what "visual noise" actually is, Dr. Schwab, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, Davis, explained how and why people are able to sense li

Ophthalmology Times blogger, vitreoretinal surgeon, and American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate Joshua Mali, MD, recently named the year’s top stories in the profession. Among his choices for influential and important news and events, which included advancements in artificial intelligence and healthcare law reform, Dr. Mali selected the improvements to the 2019 ABO Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program as #3 on the list. “The ABO has developed impressive new initiative

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has announced that American Board of Ophthalmology Diplomate M. Roy Wilson, M.D., president of Wayne State University, will serve as the new chair of the AAMC Board of Directors. He succeeds Marsha D. Rappley, M.D., vice president for health sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and chief executive officer of the VCU Health System. Wilson has been president of Wayne State University since 2013. Prior to joining

This week, LinkedIn published a recent survey of 500 physicians in the United States. The findings suggested that doctors believe their training has not fully prepared them to address the “business of healthcare.” Healthcare news editor Beth Kutscher writes: Physicians practicing in the United States complete four years of medical school and then spend several more years in residency and fellowship. But all that clinical training, they say, doesn’t prepare them for the realit

Today, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the umbrella organization for the nation’s 24 medical specialty certification boards including the American Board of Ophthalmology, announced the creation of “Area(s) of Focused Practice” within board certification. An Area of Focused Practice differs from a subspecialty. According to the ABMS definition, a subspecialty requires fellowship training and comprises a distinct and definable patient population, a precise car

A new article on PatientEngagementHIT.com suggests a uniquely low-tech way providers can improve patient safety using a method called the "teach-back." Writer Sarah Heath notes that patients don’t always understand the after-care directions given to them by their physicians, so AHRQ developed the teach-back, in which providers ask patients to repeat in their own words—or "teach back"—important information and instructions about their care. According to AHRQ, “The goal of teac

Tulane ophthalmologist and American Board of Ophthalmology diplomate Ramesh Ayyala, M.D., was recently featured on WWL-TV News in New Orleans for his unique efforts to treat corneal ulcers and scars in dolphins and sea lions at The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport. Dr. Ayyala is professor of ophthalmology at Tulane, and director of the Glaucoma Service and the Residency Program. "So you learn from our brothers and sisters in the water, and apply that knowledge