Eyemed will be a problem for us

[mrmac]

I heard that Lenscrafters labs qualify as "Eyemed approved labs"...If this is true, wouldn't this violate anti-trust laws? Personally, I believe its time for the optical industry to stand up against Luxottica and stop being sheep led to slaughter.

[DickR]

I totally agree mac. Totoal unfair practices on eyemed and luxottica's part.

Remeber they are our patients that we worked hard for for many years,not eyemeds,however in all of the correspondence eyemed refers to them as their patients in their network.
They just took the lens portion of the eyewear transaction from us, from OUR patients. They view themselves, as essilor does as our retail partners, which they are not.

We will get rolled as independent buisnesses if we do not hold the line against luxottica and essilor!!!

Has anyone ever had an essilor lab do any edging? Certainly a low quality product.

And now lenscrafrters an approved essilor lab? Thats rich

[kentmitchell1961]

Yeah well LC uses essilor products so....... yeah it is not a good situation, here where I am we use Hoya stuff, so tend to run the frame benefit through eyemed and then discount their lenses accordingly so we can use our Hoya lab and get a much better product. Kinda a knee jerk reaction of lux to drive people into LC's and Pearls and the like. The jobs I see from all of the essilor labs are less than good, one of the reasons I like our Hoya lab. Very precise.

[mrmac]

Kent and Dick, I agree with both of you. My fear is that most independant practitioners are not taking these changes very seriously, when it is the single biggest threat to our livelihoods.
As for Hoya, I just recently switched to using their lenses and could not be happier.

[racethe1320]

Remeber they are our patients that we worked hard for for many years,not eyemeds,however in all of the correspondence eyemed refers to them as their patients in their network.
They just took the lens portion of the eyewear transaction from us, from OUR patients. They view themselves, as essilor does as our retail partners, which they are not.

Chicken or Egg much? They are your patients but if you're a panel provider, you're a service provider for them and their clients employees.

[DickR]

Hi race...your right except for the fact that thru my marketing and service to my patients who happen to have an insurance that has eyemed as a vision plan,we as a buisness deserve the full transaction(frames and lens ). I in fact eyemed drove new patiens to my practice, I can see sharing the wealth,however I have now asked for that help!!

eyemed and essilor just took the lens portion of the transaction and provided the practicioner a dispensing fee for our service and after the sale service. Since eyemed and essilor are now sharing OUR profits, will they also service the patient after the sale?

[mrmac]

It is obvious that Eyemed is doing everything it can to direct their clients to Lencrafters and Pearl.All private practitioners shiuld elimunate ALL Luxoticca product from their stores. Don't continue to feed the monster that is trying to kill you.

[DickR]

Mac you are right, and we should take it one step more in not doing buisness with essilor as well. Remember they own frames direct online retailing. Their advertising to the end user for a 10 dollar rebate will enable essilor to have a built in data base of, again, OUR customers to drive them directly to their own web site.

Competition is always good, but if we dont up our game these 2 giants are going to pick our pockets one by one!!!!

[drk]

What I think is happening is the total vertical integration. If you are an EyeMed patient/office, then Lux and essilor and their labs and their products and their frames...If you are VSP, etc. I know that indie wholesale labs don't want to be "the third lab", but it wouldn't hurt to present themselves as a third channel for private work. Kick out the branded progressives and coatings, if there is a possible way (without paying them clicks) or enroll Zeiss if they're available. It wouldn't hurt for them to give up a little of that independence and affiliate as a network, maybe known as "the independent lab network" and get some hungry QUALITY frame companies to work together (not just some Jellybean/Spiderman frame and lens package).

[DanLiv]

Hi race...your right except for the fact that thru my marketing and service to my patients who happen to have an insurance that has eyemed as a vision plan,we as a buisness deserve the full transaction(frames and lens ). I in fact eyemed drove new patiens to my practice, I can see sharing the wealth,however I have now asked for that help!!

eyemed and essilor just took the lens portion of the transaction and provided the practicioner a dispensing fee for our service and after the sale service. Since eyemed and essilor are now sharing OUR profits, will they also service the patient after the sale?

I like to think that too, that I have developed a close relationship with a lot of my patients, VSP or Eyemed. And while I have, true colors would be revealed if we dropped wither insurance. The majority of VSP and Eyemed pts would abandon us if we no longer accepted their benefits. We all have a few pts who would stick with us regardless, but not enough. The reality is Eyemed and VSP *did* hand us those pts, it's *the* reason they came to our office, rather than go to a highly advertised retail outfit. We of course impressed and served them and kept them coming back, but their business is still predicated on our acceptance of the insurance. The loyalty is to the deal, not the eye care.

The calculation we all need to make is just: is the value of free patients and little or no advertising expenses worth the work at the reduced profit? We are complaining about things completely under our control, we are not obligated to suffer the insurance rules, we *accept* them. Complaining about a deal we voluntarily accept is tantrum-like.

The only good thing I see coming out of all this (and VSP's near-elimination of the special lens procedure) is it forces our hands. We've stewed about insurance for years, but it's never been bad enough to force a decision. Now it's getting there, and it will separate those who will go with the flow and slowly be ground out of business, and those who will take the hard line, drop insurance, and put the energy and effort into reinvigorating their practices as truly independent and sought-after eye care professionals. It is encouraging that plenty of our fellow Optiboarders are role models of such eye care professionals. I don't run the practice I work for, but I will do what I can to see that we are among those who succeed.

[Judy Canty]

I like to think that too, that I have developed a close relationship with a lot of my patients, VSP or Eyemed. And while I have, true colors would be revealed if we dropped wither insurance. The majority of VSP and Eyemed pts would abandon us if we no longer accepted their benefits. We all have a few pts who would stick with us regardless, but not enough. The reality is Eyemed and VSP *did* hand us those pts, it's *the* reason they came to our office, rather than go to a highly advertised retail outfit. We of course impressed and served them and kept them coming back, but their business is still predicated on our acceptance of the insurance. The loyalty is to the deal, not the eye care.

The calculation we all need to make is just: is the value of free patients and little or no advertising expenses worth the work at the reduced profit? We are complaining about things completely under our control, we are not obligated to suffer the insurance rules, we *accept* them. Complaining about a deal we voluntarily accept is tantrum-like.

The only good thing I see coming out of all this (and VSP's near-elimination of the special lens procedure) is it forces our hands. We've stewed about insurance for years, but it's never been bad enough to force a decision. Now it's getting there, and it will separate those who will go with the flow and slowly be ground out of business, and those who will take the hard line, drop insurance, and put the energy and effort into reinvigorating their practices as truly independent and sought-after eye care professionals. It is encouraging that plenty of our fellow Optiboarders are role models of such eye care professionals. I don't run the practice I work for, but I will do what I can to see that we are among those who succeed.

+1

[racethe1320]

Hi race...your right except for the fact that thru my marketing and service to my patients who happen to have an insurance that has eyemed as a vision plan,we as a buisness deserve the full transaction(frames and lens ).

some might see it as people who have a managed care program like Eyemend just happen to also be service by you. I see the point you're trying to make in terms of deserving a full transaction, but then accepting managed care is a choice. You could drop it all together and enjoy not having to provide a discount. However, the reality is true private pay cash payers are not falling out of the sky and it just makes sense if someone can save more than the $10-$15/per month for the benefit that they will take it.

eyemed and essilor just took the lens portion of the transaction and provided the practicioner a dispensing fee for our service

They aren't taking anything, as a service provider for managed care, you agreed to share in the cost savings the customers are receiving.

[racethe1320]

It is obvious that Eyemed is doing everything it can to direct their clients to Lencrafters and Pearl.All private practitioners shiuld elimunate ALL Luxoticca product from their stores. Don't continue to feed the monster that is trying to kill you.

^^ this

[racethe1320]

We've stewed about insurance for years, but it's never been bad enough to force a decision. Now it's getting there, and it will separate those who will go with the flow and slowly be ground out of business, and those who will take the hard line, drop insurance, and put the energy and effort into reinvigorating their practices as truly independent and sought-after eye care professionals. It is encouraging that plenty of our fellow Optiboarders are role models of such eye care professionals. I don't run the practice I work for, but I will do what I can to see that we are among those who succeed.

Well stated. The market is over-saturated with providers. What we're seeing is that companies like VSP aren't cutting many providers, but they are in turn rewarding the ones who are loyal more so than those that are not. Smart move and one that everyone should understand. EyeMed is doing something similar and like many have noted, rewarding their own retail shops in creative ways including service advantages.

[DickR]

agreed race....however I dont think i was advocating dropping any plan......I was mearly advising not supporting luxottica and essilor as they are in the process of steering members to their chain stores. Eyemed however changed the plan in the middle of the game and you are right we choose to accept it.

As for Dan, I do take offence to your charaterization that this sounds like a tantrum, on the contrary I am just saying as revenues fall we need to up are game as buisness owners to which you are not!!! If your boss gradually cut your pay by say 30 percent would you accept it quietly? You could also quit to find out the market for opticians per hour pay has dropped due to indusrty wide margins being smaller.

Just a thought