Results 1 to 19 of 19

Thread: Charging for check ups

  1. #1
    SuperRefractor jtart2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Occupation
    Optometrist
    Posts
    58

    Charging for check ups

    I'm an optometist. I performed an eye exam, contact lens evaluation, and dispensed rigid contact lenses to a patient about 5 months ago on a lady who wanted to come back in for a "re-check" because she had a problem with her contacts.

    Whenever patients come to see me they fill out their information sheet and read my office policies.

    One of my policies is that after 3 months from their eye exam date I charge $15 per office visit for contact lenses.

    When this patient discovered she was going to have to pay a whopping $15 for a check up, she went ballistic. She arugued with my office manager, she called back to get a copy of her whole families records so she could go somewhere else, and showed her a** when she came to pick them up.

    She had EyeMed, which paid for her whole exam, contacts, and evaluation 5 months ago (she paid nothing).

    Does anyone believe my policies are wrong. If so, I'd like to hear why.

    Thanks,
    jtart2

  2. #2
    Pomposity! Spexvet's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    On my soapbox
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    3,760
    Quote Originally Posted by jtart2
    I'm an optometist. I performed an eye exam, contact lens evaluation, and dispensed rigid contact lenses to a patient about 5 months ago on a lady who wanted to come back in for a "re-check" because she had a problem with her contacts.

    Whenever patients come to see me they fill out their information sheet and read my office policies.

    One of my policies is that after 3 months from their eye exam date I charge $15 per office visit for contact lenses.

    When this patient discovered she was going to have to pay a whopping $15 for a check up, she went ballistic. She arugued with my office manager, she called back to get a copy of her whole families records so she could go somewhere else, and showed her a** when she came to pick them up.

    She had EyeMed, which paid for her whole exam, contacts, and evaluation 5 months ago (she paid nothing).

    Does anyone believe my policies are wrong. If so, I'd like to hear why.

    Thanks,
    jtart2
    No, she's an idiot. Good riddance
    ...Just ask me...

  3. #3
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    California
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,817
    let the door hit her in the a@@ on the way out!

  4. #4
    Master OptiBoarder
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    Fayetteville, NC, USA
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    2,009

    Policies

    Dr. Tart,
    Your policies are very much in line. Do not let negative folks get you down! You simply cannot please them all.

    Warren

  5. #5
    Banned
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Only City in the World built over a Volcano
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    12,996
    After 90 days, charge. And one of the things I have gotten myself in trouble with is women with bifocal contact lenses. They let the warrentied period run out (they always have a "reason" why they haveing been wearing them and been in) and want me to correct the problem, whatever the period is.


    Chip

  6. #6
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Columbus, Ohio
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    759
    You were exactly right.

  7. #7
    Master OptiBoarder ikon44's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    bedfordshire england
    Occupation
    Other Eyecare-Related Field
    Posts
    451
    you did the right thing,these people are more trouble than they are worth.
    To find out what,s happening in the UK optical market:
    http://theOptom.com

  8. #8
    Optician Extraordinaire
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Somewhere warm
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    3,130
    I've run into this too! We charge after 3 months, also, usually about $20.00. That is CHEAP. What doctor can you see for only $15.00 or $20.00 unless insurance is picking up some of the cost.

  9. #9
    Master OptiBoarder rbaker's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2000
    Location
    Gold Hill, OR
    Occupation
    Other Optical Manufacturer or Vendor
    Posts
    4,401
    You done the right thing, however, by doing the right thing you have probably lost her future business and the future business of her family and friends, maybe a thousand or two bucks of money. But you did the right thing and refused to give the old crank a $15.00 freebie.

    Sometimes doing the right thing can really be expensive.

  10. #10
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Windsor, Canada
    Posts
    314
    It's irrelevant. Patients will eventually buy contacts from a vending machine in a pharmacy, without a prescription. (as they do in the U.K.)

    My advice is sell your keratometer while you still can.

  11. #11
    OptiBoard Apprentice idoc6's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Virginia Beach
    Occupation
    Optometrist
    Posts
    26
    you were right, but you are not charging enough for your time.
    Dr. David Gilbert O.D.

  12. #12
    OptiWizard
    Join Date
    Sep 2000
    Location
    plymouth, MA, USA
    Occupation
    Optometrist
    Posts
    1,036
    If you were a pediatrician and symptoms came back they would expect to pay.

    Harry

  13. #13
    OptiBoard Professional Lewy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Northampton, England
    Occupation
    Ophthalmologist
    Posts
    180
    Quote Originally Posted by Jason Carruthers
    It's irrelevant. Patients will eventually buy contacts from a vending machine in a pharmacy, without a prescription. (as they do in the U.K.)

    My advice is sell your keratometer while you still can.
    It's not that bad YET! CL sales are supposed to be overseen by a suitably qualified person (Somewhere in the building?) on presentation of a fitting specification. If no specification, supermarket will telephone the optician for all the details. Supermarkets are mainly selling Ciba, J & J, B & L....Ciba dailies are selling for £19.00 per 30 pairs. We are being charged £18.00 + Tax + shipping, hence independant opticians are really pis****off with Ciba. To add insult to injury Ciba have really upped the marketing stakes and keep sending through posters, window display and even money back vouchers to give to wearers on purchase of their lenses! Needless to say it was all filed in the waste bin.

    Regards,

    Lewy

  14. #14
    Paper Shuffler GOS_Queen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Portland Metro
    Occupation
    Other Eyecare-Related Field
    Posts
    1,533
    Jtart2 -

    I think your policies are quite correct, although I might agree the fee is a bit low. You might do a survey here on optiboard or a phone survey in your area to find out what office visits "go for". The Dr I work in conjunction with will only do an office visit if the initial exam was within 90 days.

    When I fill Rx's that are over the 90 day range, I explain to the patient that because they waited to fill the rx, their dr and our office is limited to what extent the followup can be.


    One of the things I find frustrating about this industry is the expectation that "mistakes" will be a free do-over! If I see my MD for a visit and she prescribes a medicine, I have to pay to see her. At the pharmacy, I have to pay for the medicine. If after a few months, I have to see her for a followup, and she finds out that the results aren't what she expected from the drug, then I STILL have to pay her for her time ... and the pharmacy isn't going to give me a "freebie" because the Dr didn't do it right the first time. :hammer:
    Truthfully, as nice as it would be, I don't expect it !! It's ridiculous to expect!!

    Best Regards ...

    Karen

  15. #15
    Bad address email on file
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    206
    I recently had a similiar situation at my office... I had a patient who had a fitting about 9 months ago and never ordered contacts because she could not make it back in for a follow up to correct the problems she was having... we did a new eye exam on her yesterday and i waived the fitting fee because she was never really happy with the trials she recieved... in turn she purchased $600 in eyeglasses and $280 in contacts...


    I agree that what you did was the right thing, however it can be expensive to do the right thing As Rbaker said

    ps. if she got in my face i probably would have done the same as you.

  16. #16
    Master OptiBoarder ikon44's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    bedfordshire england
    Occupation
    Other Eyecare-Related Field
    Posts
    451
    Quote Originally Posted by Jason Carruthers
    It's irrelevant. Patients will eventually buy contacts from a vending machine in a pharmacy, without a prescription. (as they do in the U.K.)

    My advice is sell your keratometer while you still can.
    jason it is not as bad as that yet, what gave you the idea that people in the uk can buy their lenses from a vending machine?
    section 60 of the opticians act has just been passed which allows supermarkets
    and pharmacies to sell contact lenses,however they can only supply if the patient has a valid in date rx, signed by the fitter,also they can only supply within the expiration date of the rx, ie if rx runs out in 2 months they cant buy a 90 day pack of lenses.
    this has caused a lot of problems for ciba vision, as their policy of pricing only to
    volume of lenses purchased with no regard for the amount fitted has meant that some smaller practices could buy lenses cheaper from a supermarket than they could from ciba.
    This issue has united a lot of independants and they are actually boycotting ciba vision dailies, ciba are losing business hand over fist, and it is finally dawning on them that selling their lenses so cheaply to non fitting retailers is in the end going to cost them dearly, because if we dont fit their lenses then the supermarkets wont be able to steal our clients.
    we are fortunate that there are 3 companiies who supply lenses and are optician only.
    this all makes for an interesting time in the uk market, but i am not going to get rid of my keratometer just yet.
    :bbg:
    To find out what,s happening in the UK optical market:
    http://theOptom.com

  17. #17
    What's up? drk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Ohio
    Occupation
    Optometrist
    Posts
    9,388
    Quote Originally Posted by Lewy
    It's not that bad YET! CL sales are supposed to be overseen by a suitably qualified person (Somewhere in the building?) on presentation of a fitting specification. If no specification, supermarket will telephone the optician for all the details. Supermarkets are mainly selling Ciba, J & J, B & L....Ciba dailies are selling for £19.00 per 30 pairs. We are being charged £18.00 + Tax + shipping, hence independant opticians are really pis****off with Ciba. To add insult to injury Ciba have really upped the marketing stakes and keep sending through posters, window display and even money back vouchers to give to wearers on purchase of their lenses! Needless to say it was all filed in the waste bin.

    Regards,

    Lewy
    Ciba's pricing structure is unfair to the little guy. They want you to buy your own inventory of their product to get reasonable volume discounts, which makes you beholden to their products.

    While that's not unique to Ciba, I prefer to do business with companies with more "flat" pricing structures, unless it compromises patient health.

    To jtart: Obviously this woman has a gross misunderstanding of how things work worldwide in this industry. All good-will attempts should have been made to explain the situation, and if she's still dissatisfied and wants to be vicious, then it's her problem, and that will follow her to every eye Dr.

    Note: I think that it's important to discriminate between those who came in for their followup care and have a problem later, and those that didn't come in for their followup care and have a problem later.

    If they didn't do their part and show for F/U, then they are going to be guilty and defensive. They WOULD get their delayed F/U in my office, if it were already paid for. But as far as an RGP problem, if new lenses needed to be made, it would be outside warranty, so I would be forced to pass the cost along, but I would try to help out. The profit's been made, already.

    Sound, well-communicated office policies are a must, to "lay down the law" and provide a reasonable standard operating procedure, but there should always be a soft landing that you can offer, if the patient's situation merits it.

  18. #18
    Rising Star
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Florida
    Occupation
    Optometrist
    Posts
    51
    The only thing you did wrong doc was to not charge a fair fee for your time. $15 is an insult to you and your profession. I would have charged my usual fee of $59 for a 15 min slot, more if it was more complex. Do not be afraid to charge for your time. Your plumber doesn't. Example I needed a transducer key for a used toyota. The dealer charges $55 for the key and $60 to program it. I did some research and programing a key involves about 2 min of time to insert the original key and press the brake and accelator a couple of time before inserting the new transducer key. When are OD's going to wake up and charge for their time. Patients that can't accept it should find someone else to abuse. Build your practice with patients that appreciate your knowledge and are willing to pay for it. Raise your head high and your prices higher!

  19. #19
    Optical Curmudgeon EyeManFla's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Smithfield, North Carolina
    Occupation
    Dispensing Optician
    Posts
    1,340
    On a contact lens or eyeglass Rx check, we give 30 days. If you can't tell after one month that a lens or an Rx isn't working...well, what can I tell ya.

    After the 30 day period, we charge FULL BOAT for a re-exam!
    "Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde"

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Charging for services
    By Karlen McLean in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: 11-02-2004, 05:36 PM
  2. Charging tax on eyewear services
    By HarryC in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 09-21-2003, 09:04 PM
  3. charging for repairs
    By hysteria in forum General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 07-16-2002, 10:31 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •