CLINICAL

  OPTICAL

BUNDLE LENS OPTIONS

SIMPLE PACKAGES BENEFIT YOUR CONSUMER AND YOUR PRACTICE

DAVE ZIEGLER, O.D.

BUNDLING LENS options into packages streamlines the presentation of lenses to the patient, simplifies the patient’s purchasing decision and delivers better lens technology, which improves quality of vision and increases revenue per patient.

But with all the lens and coating options available, it can be difficult to distill it all down to just two or three lens packages. And once you have your lens packages, how does it work with all the different insurance plans?

Here’s how we have used lens packages and how to make it simple.

CREATE THE PACKAGES

First, create three tiers of lens packages. For example, for your best lens package for presbyopes, which we named our “Premier Lens Package,” select the PAL you think is the best on the market, the one that you would wear. Decide on an optimal lens material (we use polycarbonate), select the best AR coating and decide on a cash price for this package. Some practices discount the bundled price to make it more attractive, but we don’t.

Now, create your second tier package. Choose your second favorite PAL, pick the lens material and choose a coating that has fewer features than your best coating. Price this package about 20% to 30% less than your best lens package. We call this package our “Advanced Design Lens Package.”

Lastly, build your least expensive bundle. Here, you might use an older generation PAL or even a bifocal. Add an entry-level AR coating, and you have your “Standard Lens Package.” After you have completed this, repeat the process to create three single vision packages.

The lens packages fit about 80% of patients, and the rest of the time we modify the packages for a patient’s specific needs. These are the times we would recommend high index, photochromic or polarized lenses.

Example of a bundled package.

The beauty of lens packages is that your patient only has to see three options, one of which was already recommended to him or her in the exam room by the doctor. Additionally, each of these lens packages comes with AR, which dramatically increases your revenue per patient.

PRESENT INSURANCE SAVINGS

We have separate PDF templates for most insurance plans. We keep these on an iPad for easy access to show patients. The template shows cash pricing, as well as their insurance price. At a glance, consumers see they can save money from the cash price. You can fill in the insurance amount because you already know how much the company will pay when a patient buys the lenses with the features in each package. When your lens prices change each year, it is easy to update the PDF files, and your lens packages are ready to be presented to the patient.

BUNDLE IT!

Consumers are used to buying things in bundles, whether it is their cell phone plan, cable bill or a new car. Streamline your patient’s options and simplify the optical buying experience for your patients through the use of lens packages. OM

DR. ZIEGLER is a senior partner at Ziegler & Leffingwell Eyecare in Milwaukee, Wisc., and a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. Email him at daveaziegler@gmail.com, or visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment.