Third Party Vision Plans

[mhavlik]

I really enjoy reading and learning from everyone's posts here on Opti-board. I know that most of the members on Opti-board are anti third-party vision plans (ie: Spectera, VSP, Davis, EyeMed). Currently our small independent office has contracts with all of these vision insurance comanies. While we frequently discuss ending our contracts with these companies, our patient-base who have these plans continues to grow. About 60-65% of our patients have vision insurance. Unfortunately, every year, it gets harder and harder to imagine how our practice can survive without these vision insurance companies.

What are your thoughts/suggestions/advice regarding our situation.

Thanks so much!!

[eye2]

I really enjoy reading and learning from everyone's posts here on Opti-board. I know that most of the members on Opti-board are anti third-party vision plans (ie: Spectera, VSP, Davis, EyeMed). Currently our small independent office has contracts with all of these vision insurance comanies. While we frequently discuss ending our contracts with these companies, our patient-base who have these plans continues to grow. About 60-65% of our patients have vision insurance. Unfortunately, every year, it gets harder and harder to imagine how our practice can survive without these vision insurance companies.

What are your thoughts/suggestions/advice regarding our situation.

Thanks so much!!

You might try a medical billing company, depending upon your resources. You would have to do at least 25 to 50 per week since most billers charge 10 to 12 per. The advantage is all liability lies upon them.

[djoyce]

I just joined Opti-board to try to learn about optometry credentialing & billing and I thought you might have some insight. We have an OD who is joining our ophthalmology (MD) practice as an employee on a part time basis. She currently works full time at an optical boutique as an independent doc of optom and they do not accept any vision plans. We would like to credential her with vision plans for our practice only. My question is do the vision plans contract an OD individually or can they be linked to a particular office that accepts the vision plan? I already know EyeMed contracts on an individual basis so that plan is out but not sure about the others.

I also need insight on "incident to" guidelines that relate to an OD in an MD office.

Thanks for any assistance you can give.

[bwoz]

I may be misunderstanding your question and I apologize if I am, but the vision care plans will allow you to add a Doc to the existing group. So for example, if your group practice is already a provider for eyemed, vsp, etc., you should be able to add this OD as a Provider linked to your group. It wouldn't interfere with what she's doing at another group Practice because they are all different tax id's (unless we're talking satellite offices of the same practice) I hope I'm making sense! Feel free to pm me if you need to. Good luck to you.