Originally Posted by
volente
we have see spectera patients often because we have a lot of older folks nearby and secure horizons has recently dropped eyemed to go w/ spectera. 75-90% of our spectera patients are unhappy when they realize what high copays and surcharges they have. 100% of our workers are unhappy with spectera.
most cl's are actually ok (although we have to order directly through crown), which takes longer... so that sucks.
the reimbursements are usually horrible. not only that, sometimes what is listed on the website in terms of the surcharges does NOT reflect what we get reimbursed, so if something looks fishy call in and they will actually read you the real benefits. e.g., we had ones that said that poly was covered in full, when in fact, there was a $20 copay (or something like that). in addition, even some frame from "the box" are discontinued w/o them letting us know. sometimes, they might not even have the frames from "the box" in stock so that causes a lot of wait time as well.
also, there are no real big benefits for staying inside "the box..." the frame copays are the same inside and outside "the box." usually the copay is really high... like exam $30, material $30. the main benefit for staying inside "the box" is that there's no overage besides the frame copay and there MIGHT be a chance the lab has it in stock..
if you want a frame outside "the box," they have to order the frames themselves, which take extra long. if we send in our own frame, they will reimburse us $0 for that frame. if we order through them a frame they cannot order (i recently tried to order a hugo boss), then we have to let the patient know that have to choose another frame because it's not covered by spectera. i know they can order older safilo frames but not anything "newer" like j.lo or hugo boss.
the turnaround time for an order is between 1 week and 6 weeks. the bottleneck is crown processing the order and ordering the frame from the lab.
for some reason, we do not receive the frame's case 85% of the time. other times we do. e.g., i ordered a fendi frame and they sent it to us w/o the case. however, i ordered a flexon and then they sent us the case. it seems to be random to me. one of our patients who ordered a coach frame had to purchase a coach case separately because they didn't send us one. when i got mad i specify on the order "please include coach case." i don't know if that gets them mad because i have never received a case w/ that specification. i stopped putting that and now i receive a case 15% of the time.
IN ADDITION, we have to go through one of their labs. we've tried over a dozen of their "essilor" labs, and the jobs come back subpar. lenses missing AR when it was clearly specified... lenses being cut eye-for-eye... lenses coming back scratched up... etc.
IN ADDITION, (we have found out a lot because we have to use them often), if they want any type of warranty on their lenses, they have to PAY and additional amount. i called one of the labs we talk to and they said "oh don't worry that's OUR policy on warranties (such as AR, scratch coat) so we'll replace it." sorry, not that simple. i sent something directly to that same lab and as soon as it arrived i received a call from crown saying that we must send it through them first. so yes, you DO need to purchase the warranty because you'll be submitting it to crown.
everyday one of my coworkers mutters "stupid spectera..." (no one argues)...
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