Hamilton Eye Institute’s Matthew Wilson, MD, Looks to Farther Horizons

No place for complacency

By JAMES DOWD

Dr. Matthew Wilson has witnessed significant changes in the medical landscape during the two decades he’s practiced in Memphis. Now, as the renowned ophthalmologist approaches a quarter century in the Mid-South market, he anticipates seeing even more.

This summer, Wilson will celebrate his first anniversary as the Barrett G. Haik Endowed Chair for the Department of Ophthalmology in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and as the director of the Hamilton Eye Institute. In his dual roles Wilson oversees departmental goals and objectives, while developing growth strategies in clinical and academic arenas.

“It’s a bit of a juggling act because my clinical duties haven’t diminished, but I love the challenges each day brings,” Wilson said. “I’m driven by a passion to help patients suffering from the diseases I treat and for the Hamilton Eye Institute.”

Wilson arrived in Memphis from Colorado in 1999, recruited by Haik to join the program. The strategy was for Wilson to work with growing numbers of patients, help develop innovative treatments and boost medical research.

“Dr. Haik asked if I’d be interested in helping grow the program and I was excited about the opportunity,” Wilson said. “It was a tremendous undertaking, and I was honored to help create the ocular oncology program here.”

From the start, the vision was to provide a collaborative environment where academicians, medical personnel and researchers would work together to develop exemplary treatments bolstered by a first-rate medical ophthalmic education and training program.

The 60,000-square-foot Hamilton Eye Institute, which opened in 2005, is an internationally renowned facility boasting renowned faculty and medical practitioners. The state-of-the-art facility offers a 3-D surgical video system, virtual reality ophthalmic training simulators for ophthalmic surgery and indirect ophthalmoscopy, and provides laboratory research capabilities for conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye disease, eye-related traumas, glaucoma, and Keratoconus.

“We’re researching to develop better treatments for conditions such as severe glaucoma that have a devastating impact on our community. Part of our mission is how to care for these conditions and provide the best visual outcomes,” Wilson said. “We have phenomenal faculty who are the lifeblood of Hamilton Eye Institute, and we all share a commitment to being a tertiary academic facility and caring for the worst of the worst conditions. Our people do this work because they’re passionate about the mission.”

In addition to being a professor at HEI and developing the ocular oncology program at the facility and at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Wilson has served as director of the St. Jude Global Retinoblastoma Program. During the last two decades he has worked to establish retinoblastoma centers in Central America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

“Working with St. Jude, we are committed to increasing the global survival rate of retinoblastoma,” Wilson said. “So many cases go unreported and that makes it difficult to get accurate data, but we’re putting together clinical trials with developmental drugs and working toward better outcomes.”

Ocular melanoma is another area where Wilson has noticed an increase in cases. Although it is a rare form of cancer, it is the most common form of eye cancer for adults and Wilson said the number of adults seeking treatment at HEI for the condition has substantially increased over the last two decades.

Caring for those in need drives Wilson, and he’s dedicated his career to serving those in one of the nation’s neediest communities. Numerous challenges face area residents, he said, including large numbers of uninsured and vulnerable populations, high rates of diabetes and hypertension and damaging residual outcomes of those combined factors.

“Ideally, we want to create an umbrella in Shelby County and throughout the Mid-South so that nobody falls through these cracks with regard to eyecare,” Wilson said. “Whether it’s due to medical conditions or employers offering insurance, but without provisions for eyecare or those who are uninsured, we have to do better. We have to advocate for eyecare to be a higher priority because loss of vision is a leading cause of loss of mobility and productivity, and increased reliance on family members and others.”

Looking ahead, Wilson said his vision is for HEI to be the center for complex ophthalmic care for Memphis, the Mid-South and the nation. He plans to build on the core faculty and attract new members – the facility added two neuro-ophthalmologists last year – and increase research and training opportunities.

“Research at Hamilton Eye Institute has flourished the last year and half and just as the department is doing well so are our research efforts that will create a landscape for the future,” Wilson said. “My pride in HEI is greater than myself – we are a family of very passionate ophthalmologists dedicated to caring for the community and educating the next generation of ophthalmologists.”

Legislative Priorities, continued from page 1

Abortion Trigger Law – Saving the Life of the Mother

The US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, thereby invoking the abortion “trigger law” in August. The trigger law makes most abortions illegal in Tennessee. Physicians facing terminating a pregnancy to protect the life and health of the pregnant women may face up to 15 years in prison. There is an affirmative defense which allows doctors to address life and health issues, but it can only be raised after a doctor is charged. The affirmative defense needs to be an exception to the criminal offense, which was intended to stop elective abortions. Other changes are needed in the law so physicians can feel safe addressing fetal anomalies and other common pregnancy complications. Opponents to the bill argue that no physician has been charged thus far; therefore, the law is not needed. If you were a physician, would you want even the slightest potential of a lawsuit when considering saving the life of the mother? As of this writing, SB 745 is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 14. There are other laws seeking to address abortion as well.

Scope of Practice

This issue is expected to rear its head once again this year, as it has every year since 2014. Tennessee Medical Association, Memphis Medical Society and many other physician groups feel a physician-led team is still the best environment for patient care in our state because it does not compromise patient safety or quality of care. Furthermore, silos and fragmentation are one of the greatest issues in healthcare today, creating unnecessary waste and fostering poor communication in healthcare systems. Nurse advocacy and physician assistant groups feel that advanced practitioners’ scopes should be expanded to allow for no physician oversight, allegedly allowing those providers to open practices in rural areas. The current laws require physician oversight of any medical clinic opened in our state. Physician groups counter that there is no evidence that expanding scope will prompt any healthcare discipline to move to a rural area, and patient safety could be compromised, particularly in more complex cases. This year, bills are also expected to address scope for “graduate physicians,” those who have graduated medical school but not completed a residency training, and physician assistants.

Balance Billing

For years, TMA has been a member of a coalition of hospitalbased physician specialty organizations advocating for a balance billing solution that protects patients from narrow networks and ensures physicians are offered a fair, in-network rate for outof-network services. In 2020, Congress passed the No Surprises Act (NSA) to protect patients from expensive surprise bills. Unfortunately, rules implementing the federal law have led to fewer in-network healthcare options and more out-ofpocket expenses for Tennessee patients. TMA will work to implement a fair state-level solution that promotes network adequacy patients’ best interest. SB 666 (not a typo or a joke) is the bill to keep your eye on.

Physician Wellness

TMA is working to enact safe harbor reporting systems for medical professionals to prevent physician burnout and mitigate the risk of suicide. Currently in Tennessee, some health plans and hospital credentialing committees require physicians to disclose personal mental health information to practice at facilities or serve on panels. These requirements serve as barriers to physicians seeking mental health treatment, ultimately contributing to reduced professional performance, high turnover rates, and the adverse consequences of medical errors. We hope that SB 734 comes to pass. We hope that SB 734 comes to pass to enable our medical leaders to prioritize their own mental wellbeing.

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These are the top priorities among hundreds of bills that will be filed and monitored by the advocacy team at TMA and other healthcare organizations. Other topics will include medical marijuana, gender affirmation for minors, certificate of need, and many others.

Finally, I would like to give a special shoutout the local leaders who volunteer their time to advocate on behalf of these issues. Physicians George Woodbury, MD, Dale Criner, MD, and Desiree Burroughs-Ray, MD lead the volunteer efforts locally that shape policy and facilitate conversations with our elected officials. Many more from the ranks of MGMA and local hospital leadership also lend their time and energy. Thank you!

Clint Cummins, MHA, is Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice President, Memphis Medical Society and board member of the American Association of Medical Society Executives (AAMSE) and Mid-South Medical Group Management Association (MSMGMA).