Mail Order Contacts

[Joann Raytar]

Are there any ideas out there for keeping contact lens orders in office? A few of the rebate offers out there help but there are many people out there who want to be able to order elsewhere. Insurance plans that allow exam and CL coverage every 2 years or only cover either glasses or contacts aren't helping the matter. We get our eyeglass lenses from a couple of good sources with steady pricing; however, it seems like we end up price shopping almost ever other week when it comes to contacts.

Note: The poll has been edited to add the choice: We don't sell contact lenses.

[Cindy Hamlin]

JO,
We match their prices including any membership fees and shipping and handling costs. I really don't think it hurts tremendously though in our locations. Most disposable CL wearers wait until they are on their last pair and cannot wait for them to arrive in the mail.

~Cindy

[Joann Raytar]

Wholesale costs are tough on us. We have two stores which share a combined "bank" with one distributor but it seems as though we never order enough to qualify for third line pricing or to get enough trial replenishments. The other distributors tend to charge more if not on the lenses themselves then on the shipping costs. From what I see, there isn't a windfall of profit from contact lenses.

We charge less for a CL Evaluation and Exam, almost half the cost in some cases, than many other places. Perhaps that is where we are losing revenue from contacts. However, that is what the Doc wants to charge.

[chip anderson]

You haven't asked enough questions or the right ones.
Should they be legal at all, Lenses should only be mailed from the fitter (preferably an independent) and only after he has inspected the lenses (in the case of rigid lenses) and at least checked the label on the damn soft/disposable ones. Even the best suppliers send the wrong thing occasionallly. And all rigid lenses will probalbly have at least a 20% rejection rate if checked and the dispenser has his act together.

On the other hand, after what the contact lens business has evolved into and is evolving into, who cares.

Chip

[Joann Raytar]

Thanks Chip! I wonder what type of return policies the mail order places have.

[marblez]

:angry:

This subject just yanks my chain. It's a good topic though:p

My office doesn't release to those companies and if the patient wants to get their contacts from them, they must get in their car and come and get their rx. We have had several patient recently that have had severe problems with these mail order places. One filled his rx 1 1/2 years after his exp date and he had damage. The second sent in her rx(or just typed it in) six months after it was exp.

The reason we found out about the second is the kicker....-800 contacts now has an automatic phone verfication for rx. It will call until you response and no where is there a way to talk to a person. If you do no responde the way it wants you will be "stating the rx is correct and valid as it was sent in" I some how managed to contact a person about this patient's rx and advise them it was expired(the rep was so happy I called and told them it was expired..He actually said it too), The following Monday the answering machine had more recordings of them trying to get us to say rx was valid.

The moral of the story is: we proper and legal practitioners are tough out of luck.


Just had to vent on the subject Hate the most


Christina

[harry a saake]

:D Next time one of these places call, give them your address, after all if you are the prescribing doc, or are responsible for the fit, then you have the right to check it.

[Dannyboy]

If you have caller ID Block them out!

[drk]

Two issues, here.

I. First issue: being competitive with online CL retailers.
Q: Why do patients go online?
A: 1.) To get low prices
2.) For convenience in ordering after hours in their underwear
3.) To skirt expiration dates.
Two of the three are understandable.

The solutions:
1.) Be price competitive
a.) Set prices as low as the internet. A fairly simple system for marking- up can be yours, if you private message me.
b.) Recommend volume purchasing for rebates and free shipping

2.) Be convenient
a.) Get a website for patients to reorder from you. You can set it up via Eyefinity or see Seniordoc.org for an alternative
b.) Take phone orders with a credit card and ship direct to patient.

To maintain profitability:
1.) Pass on the shipping charge, if any, to patient
2.) Collect all money up front. Your bill always comes quickly, and margins are SLIM
3.) Handle the order ONCE. That means ALWAYS shipping direct to patient. They like that a lot, anyway, right?
4.) Where applicable, make sure that professional services are paid for by a professional fee, not a built-in CL profit margin.
5.) Do not carry a CL inventory. It's too expensive.
6.) ALWAYS sell your patient a year's supply when they have their exam. Make them be the one to "blink". Just present the annualized cost, and tell them this way the lenses are less expensive and rebates and free shipping will apply.


II. Issue Two: Verifying Rx's from outside suppliers.
A.) What the system SHOULD be (but isn't):
Patient gets fitted. Patient released. Patient given copy of prescription. Supplier takes physical possession of prescription and fills only quantity prescribed. Supplier and patient responsible for compliance with Rx laws.
One extra copy of CL Rx is complimentary. Additional copies for a nominal fee.

B) What the system IS (but shouldn't be):
Patient fitted. Released and must be given Rx. Patient chooses CL supplier (or suppliers, so they can fill their medicine cabinets for 4 years). CL supplier must comply with Rx laws, but since doesn't have to take physical Rx possession, calls fitter for compliance verification, essentially making the fitter the compliance department for the competing CL supplier. Places a time constraint on fitter, to boot, if you can believe it, in order to preserve good turnaround time for the online retailer. Start steppin'! Fitter, in a misguided desire to be the CL cop, has to be the bad guy, call the patient, etc. etc. All for free, mind you, or better yet, at a loss of staff time/$$/opportunity. "Excuse me, Mr. Paying Patient, while I answer this phone in order to help my disloyal patient screw me over for $.50/box."

C) My solution:
Provide copy of CL Rx. Offer your superior/competitive CL supply service when applicable. Allow third parties and patients to regulate their own behavior. Ignore requests to be a "compliance-toady" for the competition. It's their decision. They're adults.

D) Acceptable alternative solution:
When request for Rx verification comes, try to solicit patients for your superior CL supply service. Steal back your business, if you don't mind getting a little dirty.

[Johns]

We charge for trials ($20-$30), during the fitting and call it a deposit. After the fitting, we apply the "deposit to any full year order. The price beats mail orders hands-down, and people don't expect free trials anymore. No complaints and we're selling more CLs than ever.

[1968]

We charge for trials...

I like your idea, but I was wondering if you get people asking why you are charging for them if the foil is marked "Not for individual sale".

[1968]

Lots of good ideas, drk!

Get a website for patients to reorder from you. You can set it up via Eyefinity or see Seniordoc.org for an alternative

For the time being, I've elected not to go with Eyefinity's direct ship program. Perhaps I have a poor understanding of how it works, but it seems time consuming to enroll every patient in it in order to have our bases covered when someone wants to use that website. Also, we do a fair amount of 1-Day AV and our price for 1-Day AV is cheapest (probably $6 to $7 less per box) when we place a ship-to-patient order from Vistakon rather than Eyefinity [I can explain this in private if needed].

5.) Do not carry a CL inventory. It's too expensive.
6.) ALWAYS sell your patient a year's supply when they have their exam. Make them be the one to "blink". Just present the annualized cost, and tell them this way the lenses are less expensive and rebates and free shipping will apply.

I like the idea of putting the onus on the patient to say they do not want an annual supply... it sure works better than, "How many boxes do you want?" I also find that it's often easier to sell an annual supply when I have the lenses in stock. For example, if the patients is wearing AV2 and I show them that I have eight boxes right there ready for them to take with them, they usually take them.

"Excuse me, Mr. Paying Patient, while I answer this phone in order to help my disloyal patient screw me over for $.50/box."

May I use that line?

When request for Rx verification comes, try to solicit patients for your superior CL supply service. Steal back your business, if you don't mind getting a little dirty.

Do you have specific ideas in mind regarding how to do that?

[Ray Parent]

II. Issue Two: Verifying Rx's from outside suppliers.


C) My solution:
Provide copy of CL Rx. Offer your superior/competitive CL supply service when applicable. Allow third parties and patients to regulate their own behavior. Ignore requests to be a "compliance-toady" for the competition. It's their decision. They're adults.

The problem with this is, if a patient places an order through 1-800 or other similar services and we ignore the verification, and God forbid the patient screws up the order, gets in a car accident and kills someone, and the cause of the accident is attributed to the driver wearing incorrect contacts. The prescriber is now held liable for not catching the patients mistake.

My problem with 1-800 Contacts and with them alone, is that they have no interest in the welfare of their customers. They deliberately make it as difficult as possible to verify rx's. They had a verification website that they shut down, and last time I tried calling their automated system, there was a message to fax all verifications. Most of the time when they call, the person who recorded the message is mumbling and frequently leaves out pertinent information, like the entire tracking number. I have gotten 4 different requests for different product (different rx's too) for the same patient in the space of 15 minutes. Yet despite all this, if they screw up, ultimately the prescriber is the responsible party.

I get faxes from 3 or 4 other online retailers. That's fine, I have no problem with faxes. I also don't have a problem with patients taking their rx out. If a patient takes their rx, I usually make a point of telling them to try Costco or Sams Club and to stay away from 1-800.

Honestly, I am just baffled that the law that created this situation was even passed.

[Johns]

1968

Our patients never see the "foil". All of our trial are dispensed in case w/ Renu, OptiFree, or Sauflon care kits. When they first visit the office, we have them read and sign a contact lens patient rights/responsibilities form that explains that the deposit to cover the "distributors" cost. It also explains that the kind "distributor" graciously rebates the fee back to them with the annual supply purchase.