Patient Outcomes Research Team. Earl P. Steinberg, M.D., M.P.P., The Johns Hopkins University. The PORT developed an index of the effects of cataract on a patient's ability to function that is being widely adopted. Although there is no known treatment to prevent cataracts from forming or progressing, surgical removal of cataracts is highly effective.
Cataract removal is the most common surgical procedure performed on the elderly.
Assessment of patients' medical and functional status before and after cataract removal. National surveys of ophthalmologists, optometrists, anesthesiologists, and internists to assess cataract management and the beliefs underlying current practice patterns. Analyses of Medicare claims data on cataract surgery patients to identify and assess patterns of management, costs, and outcomes. A decision model, incorporating demographic changes expected over the next 30 years, to predict the impact of these changes on the cost effectiveness of cataract care and to help identify the best strategies for specified categories of patients. The PORT developed a new measure of cataract-related visual impairment because visual acuity alone, used traditionally, inadequately measures the need for and outcomes of cataract surgery.