What should I do??

[scograd]

Husband and wife come in for full exams with CL evals using their eyemed. Both were told that they needed to return for their one week CL check. Neither comes back.....Now they want to order CLs- no go, they're new patients, we have to see them back..... A little while goes on, now the husband is in Texas and won't be back until July, wife is complaining that she can only wear CLs for a few hours because of dry eyes (we discussed this during the exam), she wants to wait until her eyes are better.

THey each have $100 allowance toward fit and CLs. I need to get paid for my time, so I need to submit the claim. They think that they should have infinite time to come back. Do I tell them too bad, they've had ample opportunity to return??? Or do I sit on top of the open claim until they decide they're finally ready to come back in??

[drk]

Your policy is wrong.

Demand payment for CL services out of pocket, and apply the vision plan benefit to materials purchases, only.

This would have saved you, here.

Meanwhile, consider these tricks:

• Give the patients the option. Call them and try to explain that there was a CL service fee (which I'll bet you hid under the rug, now, didn't you) and you can submit and exhaust their benefit, OR they can pay out of pocket with a credit card and preserve their benefit.
• VSP will allow you to split the benefit, once in awhile. You may actually be able to beg Eyemed to allow the unused balance to be available to the patient.
• You could ledger in your accounting a CL purchase sufficent to use up their benefits, and submit the claim. Just don't order any lenses, yet. The patient now has "store credit".

[KCB]

You should have submitted your claim after the initial exam. Did you make a two week f/u with them before they left your office? If so then you should document on there file that they didnt come back as instructed. We tell all CL patients that there exam includes 2 f/u exams as long as there done with in 30 days of original exam. If they done come in then there is a f/u fee.

[icare]

Close the door on this type of Shenanigans and don't ever let it happen again. Spell out your policies and have your new contact lens patients sign an agreement indicating that they understand their responsibilities. You're being taken by experienced wearers when you should be the one in control.

Close the door on them and send the claims in before it's too late. Don't worry about them coming back. They won't. Don't worry about them recommending their friends, either, or you'll have a practice full of patients just like them.

Oh, and have a beer to celebrate your new found freedom. :cheers:

[harry888]

by the time they finally make it back to see you, the benefits may have rolled over and they will be eligible again.

Bill the exam and fit for the initial date of service, otherwise you've just pushed back the next exam cycle.

Harry

[Jubilee]

THey will probably be like our patient scheduled for Monday..

Originally seen in October.. new patient new CL wearer. She came in for initial exam, and the following week to dispense trials (Purevision Toric.. Mono VA)

No showed for next appointment. Didn't return calls for a month. Responded to letter, made another appoint in december, no showed again. Failed to respon to another round of calls and letters. We filed for exam and $50 for the time on cl services...didn't hear from her again till...

Patient called last week to ask for CL RX cause she tore her left CL lens.

Discussed with doctor what do we want to do. She has been wearing a one month lens, for almost 6! Do we really want this kind of patient?!? Well she is coming in on Monday for us to discuss the situation. IF we continue with fit it will be extra money down for a deposit on the lenses. However you know if she had an ulcer or something like that we could be held liable.

You can have them sign all the forms/releases/agreements you want.. however how do you get them to take it seriously and abide by those terms? It is pretty sad when you have a preprogrammed eduction blurb about neovascularization and warning patient about contact lens overwear. Especially when we have to use it 2-3 times a day...

[cocoisland58]

You could ledger in your accounting a CL purchase sufficent to use up their benefits, and submit the claim. Just don't order any lenses, yet. The patient now has "store credit".

That's what we do. We just don't order any until they have their final check. We don't delay billing and it isn't very often that we have to reverse any of it. However if they wish to purchase contacts elsewhere they have to pay up front out of pocket for the fee on the day of the exam. They are told all of this ahead of time.

[OHPNTZ]

You have performed your initial contact lens "Fitting"...make sure to bill for this service. Also make sure that you document every missed appointment, and/or phone conversation. Then, strongly consider dismissing this patient due to non-compliance or offer them your regular eye exam, but not fit contact lenses...

[Fezz]

I am no Doctor, that is for sure. But, the advice from the Doc's that have chimed in is GOLDEN! Listen to them!


:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

[chip anderson]

If you are really concerned about this.
A) Don't give them boxes or packages of specs until final check-up.
B) Schedule final check-up at time of initial exam, and tell them the charges for final check-up and no-show are the same.

Chip