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Thread: EyeMed

  1. #1
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    Confused EyeMed

    I have got to a point that I am trying to sign up with some of the Vision plans.
    With Spectera and VSP you have to use their lab in order for you to get their contract, however EyeMed is more Flexable. Does anybody uses EyeMed at this point and if yes how is their service. We also have an M.D on board I am concerned that how would his fees would be paid.
    P.S they havent send us a Manual so I cant look it up.
    thanks
    Last edited by arman61; 12-17-2004 at 05:02 PM. Reason: spelling
    "Gravitation can't be held responsible for people falling in love"(Einstein)
    "To go no where follow the crowd''

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  2. #2
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    Correction, Arman:
    With Spectera, you have to use their lab. You make squat on the materials, literally, you break even. I think you get $60 bucks out of a pair of SV glasses, on average. You make a low/moderate reimbursement for examination. It's tough. Your MD will be totally aghast at the exam reimbursement, unless he spends only about 14 seconds with the patient. Typical UHC. In essence, if you want exam volume (though you get only about $50 per), you do the glasses practically for no profit, and have to put up with lowest bidder lab work and cheap-o frames. I'm unsure, though, about upselling possibilities. That is your only ray of hope.

    With VSP, you can use almost any lab. You get paid about the same for the examination as with Spectera, but you make about 20-25% off U & C on glasses, assuming your markup is generally standard. That's not great, but it's relatively good, by vision care standards. Selling up is usually at about 20% off or less.

    Re: EyeMed, I'm looking into it as well, to compare. They've signed up a few choice groups and have dropped the frame requirement. I'm not sure what to do or think on this one, yet. I've heard their reimbursement is generally similar to VSP's, and that makes sense, since they are gunning for them.
    Last edited by drk; 12-17-2004 at 05:46 PM.

  3. #3
    Pomposity! Spexvet's Avatar
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    Isn't Eyemed the Luxottica program?
    ...Just ask me...

  4. #4
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    Si, Senor. What do you say?

  5. #5
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    the only major downside to eyemed that i can see is their dicount program... it has some of the deepest discounts i've seen... oh and its owned by lux

  6. #6
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    Blue Jumper Eye Med

    Well I believe I will give Eyemed a shot. all I can tell is I hope they pay something. I decided to decline the Spectera and VSP. Guys keep it coming lets share what we know. I Sure will post every single experince to keep everyone updated.
    And yes EyeMed is a Lux program. They require that your Luxotica purchases stay lower than 15000.00 Anually which is not that difficault.
    Thanks
    Does anybody has anyother Vision plan that works for them ??
    Last edited by arman61; 12-18-2004 at 10:56 PM.
    "Gravitation can't be held responsible for people falling in love"(Einstein)
    "To go no where follow the crowd''

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  7. #7
    Ophthalmic Optician
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    Eyemed is LUX, but it allows you to make the specs in house. Not so with VSP. I think eyemed is much better than VSP in terms of freedom. (If you MUST take 3rd party)

  8. #8
    OptiWizard
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    Quote Originally Posted by Johns
    Eyemed is LUX, but it allows you to make the specs in house. Not so with VSP. I think eyemed is much better than VSP in terms of freedom. (If you MUST take 3rd party)
    I actually like using the outside lab for VSP because it inconveniences the patient. They need to know they got a discount, thus may not get the same quick service as a cash patient.

    Why give quick service to a plan that doesn't pay you till later, and discounts the payment? I let them know that if they were a cash patient, the glasses would be here much quicker.

    Maybe this is just passive agressive on my part.

    Harry

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    Speaking from the lab side, VSP is fairly profitable (not great) and we don't give these jobs any less attention than any other.

  10. #10
    Rising Star walleye's Avatar
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    VSP pays us on average $100.00 per patient for exam and dispensing. They pay the labs for the lenses and we order name brand frames from the lab directly if the lab has an account with that frame co. Our turnaround time in this process is 3-4 days.The lab gets reinbursed from VSP for the frame.

    Spectera makes us use Crown optical, get an authorization number first, and sends us a display box of very unstylish frames-we put them up on a frame board off in a corner. We make most patients pick from there. If a patient picks any other private frame we have to accept $50.00 for the wholesale cost of the frame. So if a frame costs us $49.95 Spectera pays us that and no more. A $60.00 frame is reimbursed by Spectera for $50.00 and the patient pays $10.00 What a great profit center!! They pay us $40.00 for the exam and $20.00 to $30.00 for dispensing depending on the plan.

    I can't see how an optician can make anything on these plans if you actually go by the plan's rules. As an optometrist we get the exam fee. In this area of SE Pennsylvania Merck is in VSP and Johnson and Johnson McNeill Labs is in Spectera. And United Health Care (which owns Spectera) is making more and more in roads in this area.

    Eyemed's biggest group is Federal workers. I am opposed to their plan simply because of the Luxottica ownership and in the past you had to put in something like $7,000 worth of Luxottica frames.

    Good luck arman.

  11. #11
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    Harry888



    I agree with you 100% on letting the insurance folks wait...but I don't have to send the job out for it to take a longer time:D ! On the other hand, I have a much, much, higher profit (even w/ the discount) when I can do the work in-house.

    Cash pays are always at the front of the line, and the first ones out!:cheers:

  12. #12
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    Read the fine print. The last time I checked, if you take Eye MED, you have to agree to buy X number of luxottica frames Or $X for each patient that you see.

  13. #13
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    Arman,
    Other than not allowing your to do your own lab work, VSP is too big to ignore and is a must have 3rd party, if you're playing the 3rd party game.

    Walleye,
    Spectera is a bad joke, and I will not be an enabler by signing up for that plan. If UHC can't see the value in optical services, maybe their network will shrink to nil. Best possible scenario there is to "offer a courtesy discount" of 10%-20% off retail and tell Spectera patients you are not a provider.

    I've had 3 patients walk in the last 2 weeks because of that darned EyeMed. If Lux is not forcing us to buy their frames to be a provider, anymore, I can't understand their angle on being 3rd party providers. The kool-aid is that, again, Lux was horrified at the increasingly prevalent Cole plans which were driving frames downmarket, so they bought them out in order to replace their plans with better ones that allow for quality Lux product. Doing us all a favor, of course.

    But, I must admit, removing the frame requirement and gently offering incentives for Lux frame purchases does seem benign, on the surface. I doubt they are making any serious money on being a vision insurance company. Did this thing begin as domination, and blow up in their face? Are they suckering us into their web, only to drop the bomb when 25% of your patient base is EyeMed? Opinions?

  14. #14
    Pomposity! Spexvet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by drk
    The kool-aid is
    Is that a Jim Jones reference?
    ...Just ask me...

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    I believe that you can see up to 26 patients without ordering any frames... however once you breech that mark the requirements shoot up quickly from there...

  16. #16
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spexvet
    Is that a Jim Jones reference?
    "Drink the kool-aid" had crept into the lexicon, and it refers to "buying into" a line of reasoning. I did a search into it's origin, and it was traced back to the Guyana/Jones thing. (It also said that they really didn't drink Kool-aid brand mixed with cyanide, but an off-brand who's name escapes me.)

    Slaboff:
    I think you are behind the times by 3 weeks or so. They keep reducing the minimums to zero, now. Unless I'm totally misled.

  17. #17
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    could be i read this about 3 months ago

  18. #18
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    EyeMed

    yes They are asking us to purchase Luxotica frames, however at my location the demand for RayBan is very strong. So I do see myself doing ok with eyemed, my concern is the for the M.D that I work for. I dont believe that would be fair to him after all the schooling he had to go to.
    Last edited by arman61; 12-20-2004 at 03:10 PM.
    "Gravitation can't be held responsible for people falling in love"(Einstein)
    "To go no where follow the crowd''

    Arman PourMirza

  19. #19
    Optical Clairvoyant OptiBoard Bronze Supporter Andrew Weiss's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by drk
    I must admit, removing the frame requirement and gently offering incentives for Lux frame purchases does seem benign, on the surface. I doubt they are making any serious money on being a vision insurance company. Did this thing begin as domination, and blow up in their face? Are they suckering us into their web, only to drop the bomb when 25% of your patient base is EyeMed? Opinions?
    drk, past experience with Lux suggests the latter. I remain suspicious of them.

  20. #20
    Master OptiBoarder ziggy's Avatar
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    Crier beware of the boogie man!!

    The bottom line fellows is that you,I and every one else in this industry will at some time be touched by the big-boys. If your an independent, it will be harder to opperate with out taking their vision insurance. you have to decide if you want to be in bed with them.
    Paul:cheers:

  21. #21
    Master OptiBoarder mshimp's Avatar
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    spectera only works if you have your own lab. Then you are able to make a little profit. I'm hearing more about eyemed all the time,would like to know more.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by slaboff
    the only major downside to eyemed that i can see is their dicount program... it has some of the deepest discounts i've seen... oh and its owned by lux
    Eyemed does have discount programs but if you don't want to take them you don't have to. They give you the option of opting out.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by arman61
    Well I believe I will give Eyemed a shot. all I can tell is I hope they pay something. I decided to decline the Spectera and VSP. Guys keep it coming lets share what we know. I Sure will post every single experince to keep everyone updated.
    And yes EyeMed is a Lux program. They require that your Luxotica purchases stay lower than 15000.00 Anually which is not that difficault.
    Thanks
    Does anybody has anyother Vision plan that works for them ??
    Actually that is not the requirement at all. They have dropped the frame requirement and turned it into an incentive program. For every claim that is filed, not on discount plan, where there is a frame dispensed you will receive $10.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by IIII
    Read the fine print. The last time I checked, if you take Eye MED, you have to agree to buy X number of luxottica frames Or $X for each patient that you see.
    You obviously have not checked recently.

  25. #25
    Bad address email on file ldyflsh's Avatar
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    Our office is enrolled in EyeMed. The frame requirement has been dropped. You can use any lab you wish. You also can opt out of the discount portion of the contract. Reimbursement is better than VSP and they send the checks out very quickly...usually less than two weeks waiting. I find the website a bit cumbersome to use, but it's not terrible. Hope this helps.

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