Most ODs determine that some percentage of their patient base must consist of vision plan patients to fill their daily schedules. (See: “Consumer Use of Managed Vision Care,” below.) So, how can these optometrists maximize the profitability of said plans when these plans are, in part, designed to provide frame and lens discounts to those patients who have them?
I have found that the area for opportunity lies in these three areas of patient education:
1 DEFINE “VISION PLAN”
I have discovered that patients often view their vision plan as medical insurance for which they are responsible to make up the difference. Therefore, at my practice, both myself and my opticians provide patients with the proper definition:
“Your vision plan is a discount agreement, negotiated by you or your spouse’ employer, that enables access to a network of doctors who have agreed to provide you and/or your spouse and children with eye exams and related products at the determined discount. In the past, vision plans were funded by the employer. Although this is still true to some degree, most vision plans today are funded by the employee themself. This means that money is taken out of you or your spouse’ paycheck for the exam and materials. Your vision plan is like a health savings account and a flexible spending account. Thus, if you, your spouse, or child(ren) don’t present for an eye exam, or purchase glasses or contact lenses within the designated time frame of the plan, that money is lost.”
At my practice, we have found that this explanation works to deliver the message that vision plans were created to increase eye care access to patients, help those patients purchase needed visual correction, and increase the frequency of their eye exams, so any ocular issues can be caught and managed early. In fact, this script has led to additional appointments.
Also, this patient script can prevent the “I want to use my old frame” request from patients when they require new prescription spectacle lenses. Even if the patient purchases the same exact frame using their vision plan, they’ve utilized their pre-paid benefit, which has provided them with new screws, hinges, and warranties.
Consumer Use of Managed Vision Care*
Two out of every three respondents report having some type of managed vision care coverage.
*Data collection for the Q2 2022 occurred between April 11 and June 27, 2022, resulting in 5,000+ completed surveys each month. Respondents were age 18 or older and lived in the United States.
Source: The Vision Council: Consumer InSights, Q2, 2022
2 PRESCRIBE FROM YOUR CHAIR
Nobody has more influence with the patient than the doctor. Even if your staff can explain optical recommendations better than you, your words carry more weight. The reason: You’re viewed as the expert because you’re the doctor. I have discovered that discussing the specific value of lens designs, coatings and materials, coupled with defining “vision plan” increases the likelihood of patients purchasing the best products to meet their needs, while maximizing profitability:
“If you want to see clearly at all distances, your best tool is a progressive multifocal lens. This is the only option that will give you distance, intermediate, and near vision. Combining this lens with an AR coating will improve clarity, reduce glare at night, help with computer eyestrain, and give you a two-year unlimited warranty on scratches. Would you like the lenses to also turn into sunglasses, when you go outside?”
Something else to keep in mind: At the end of an exam, I have found that most patients have some type of eyewear or prescription need. Therefore, I educate them on the benefits of multiple pairs and reiterate that the vision plan helps supplement this. The suggestions I make for more than one pair, or even contact lenses, come from a good patient history and listening to how the patient uses their eyes. Some examples of multiple pair options:
- Prescription sunglasses. “I’d encourage you to use your vision plan benefits toward a prescription pair of sunglasses. You’re not limited to the tinted lenses we have in the optical. We can turn any frame in our optical into a pair of prescription sunglasses.”
- Multifocal sunglasses. “Since you successfully wear progressive lenses throughout the day, you really should upgrade your sunglasses to a progressive as well. This will allow you to clearly see your phone and menus outside, as well as the dashboard in your car when you’re driving.”
- Near variable focus lenses. “I call these ‘indoor progressives.’ They give us the widest field of view in the mid-range and conversational distances. So, they are much more comfortable to use than general progressive lenses, and help with our head and neck posture.”
- Daily disposable contact lenses. The expansion and affordability of daily disposable contact lenses has opened doors for part-time wearers; especially presbyopes. I recommend encouraging daily sphere, toric, and multifocal lenses for leisure activities and social occasions, in addition to their glasses:“Have you ever considered contact lenses for times when you don’t want to wear glasses? We now have daily disposable contact lenses for almost everybody; even those who need astigmatism correction or multifocals. They are fabulous for full-time or part-time wear!”
The availability of the above products provides opportunities to educate patients that “one pair” isn’t the best option for all the patient’s needs.
3 DON’T ITEMIZE LENS AND FRAME OVERAGES
Itemizing lens and frame overages is an artifact of how vision plans require the providers of said plans to provide a line-item list on the claim. In my practice, I train the opticians to resist presenting itemized fees to patients, as doing so distracts patients from the eyewear prescriptions I provided. We have found that this statement is effective in getting patients to focus on the benefits of the eyewear prescription:
“Mrs. Smith, your total is $325.” …pause … “How would you like to pay for that for today?”
If my staff and I have done a good job in educating the patient on the benefit(s) of the prescription, we find that the vast majority of patients provide payment without hesitation. For those who answer, “That’s with my insurance?!” I have trained my opticians to explain the overages in the context of what the patient would be giving up:
- Frame overage. “We can go back to that other frame you didn’t like as much.”
- AR coating. “We can add glare back to the lenses and lose the scratch coat warranty.”
- Thinner material. “We can make your lenses thicker and heavier.”
- Photochromic. “We can lose the flexibility of your glasses turning into sunglasses outside.”
Remember: Patients will appreciate and pay for a good value, as long as they have a solid education behind the recommendations that you made. OM
MORE ON VISION PLANS
HOW SHOULD ODs CHOOSE VISION PLANS?
HOW CAN OPTOMETRISTS CALCULATE CHAIR COST, REIMBURSEMENTS, AND VOLUME TO ASSESS THE PROS AND CONS OF EACH VISION PLAN?
HOW CAN ODs QUANTIFY THE IMPACT OF VISION CARE PLANS?
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