New projects are being introduced by the government where eye care is concerned. More attention is now being paid to eye care in Canada. Health Minister Sarah Hoffman recently made an announcement about a new pilot project that offers treatment options for people in Alberta that are suffering from vision loss. This allows the tax payers to save money by opting for less expensive options which were not available before. This program is being initiated in partnership with the Retina society of Alberta.
The goal of this program is offer much better and convenient eye care to Albertans while saving millions in health care. Patients not only save money, freeing up tax money but it is also a good example of the government and health care professionals working together productively. This program named RAPID has been made possible by the Alberta Health and Alberta Government. It is a step forward for the retina society of Alberta as well. The program will focus on offering treatment of blinding retinal diseases as well as medication when they are available. The government and physicians working and collaborating will help maximize patient care.
The program that was effective since October 1 allows Albertans to choose treatments that treat age related diabetic macular edema, macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion and other retinal conditions. The government will cover the cost to prevent vision loss for the first time. This will help the seniors save a lot of money at the end of the year. The patients will also be eligible to receive treatment directly from their doctors in order to simplify their treatment access. Retina society of Alberta will be collecting and monitoring data as part of the project. Avastan will be offered as a low cost drug for treatment compared to Lecentis which is a much more expensive drug. This program will give an option to save millions of dollars by choosing more inexpensive medications and treatment options.
