Our Friends over at EyeOverheard- posted some interesting articles this week: One article- Patient’s and the Laws about giving out PD’s.- brought up some points I never thought about!
…It is about the plight of a patient wanting information and how they were denied. It ends up with a look at how online ordering is progressing. fter Cindy Long got a new prescription for glasses recently, she didn’t see eye-to-eye with her HealthPartners optometrist.
Long, of New Richmond, Wis., was considering ordering glasses from a Web site; her husband, Dale, had done that and was happy with the result. But her prescription was missing information she needed to order online — a pupil-to-pupil measurement.
She said that when she asked the doctor for her “pupillary distance,” he said he hadn’t taken it. In the HealthPartners system, optometrists and ophthalmologists — the eye doctors — don’t use it in regular exams because it’s mainly used for making lenses for glasses, which is something opticians do.
So she went to a HealthPartners optical center, where the optician refused to measure between her eyes unless she planned to buy her glasses there. She and her husband went up the chain of command at the HMO, but ended up only with a complaint form.
So the Longs complained again — this time to the Watchdog.
“That’s what our premiums are paying for,” Dale Long said. “If there’s a prescription, that information should be on it.”
The Watchdog’s goal was to persuade HealthPartners to change its policy, but first she wanted to school herself in the medical and legal issues surrounding pupillary distance. She was surprised to find so much controversy over this small measurement, which takes less than a minute to determine.
In general, it’s the eye doctor who completes eye exams and prescribes the lens power to help you see clearly. It’s the optician who helps you select the lens — the design, material, thickness and tints that might work best for your prescription and your lifestyle.
As part of eye exams, some doctors measure pupillary distance. Others don’t. Dr. Kerry Beebe, chairman of the American Optometric Association’s clinical care group, considers the pupillary distance a standard part of the exam.
“We need that measurement to set some of our instruments so that when we do our exams, we have the patient looking through the right part of the lens,” he said.
However, the Brainerd, Minn.-based doctor acknowledged, not all eye doctors consider the measurement necessary.
By federal law, your prescription belongs to you; your eye doctor cannot require you to fill it with lenses he sells in his office. And while the Minnesota Health Records Act says you have a legal right to any information in your medical record, the act doesn’t cover opticians. They aren’t forced to divulge the information to the customer.
While the measurement is necessary for ordering glasses at many web sites, Dr. Dhavid Cooper, chief executive officer of Frames Direct says the point may be moot soon anyway — at least at his online store.
“The technology we’re working on in the next 90 days will allow you to upload your photo, and we’ll be able to determine your pupil distance for you” within 1 millimeter accuracy, he said.
Cindy Long felt the reason the HealthPartners clinic turned down her request for her pupillary distance measurement was to discourage her from buying online.
But Dan Nelson, an ophthalmologist and associate medical director for specialty care in the HealthPartners medical group, said HealthPartners had no real policy about giving patients the measurement and no official position about buying online.
Not giving out the measurement was just “tradition,” he said.
After the Watchdog brought Long’s request to HealthPartners’ administration, the nonprofit health care organization updated its policy: It will now take the measurement when requested and give it to the patient.
“I appreciate this coming to light,” Nelson said. “I can see why the patient would get upset.”
It still makes sense for doctors and patients to talk, Nelson said, especially about lens prescriptions that will be particularly challenging to fill.
The Longs, who have been HealthPartners patients since 1985, were pleased with the decision. Cindy Long received an e-mail from Nelson:
“I want to personally apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and also to say thank you for calling this to our attention,” he said. “One request … I would be interested in how your experience in ordering lenses and frames on the Internet goes and how satisfied you are.”
BUYING GLASSES ONLINE
Here’s what some optometrists and ophthalmologists have to say about shopping for lenses and frames online:
You’re better off buying the most complicated lenses — bifocals with a big correction, for example — when you can work with an optician. Eyes needing less complicated lenses can tolerate less exacting work.
Similar Posts:
- AOL Trashes Optical Providers
- Interview with Leading Optometrist Eric M. White
- Moody Eyes Musings – Independent Optometrist
- Doctors Vision Center Interview
- Bureau Of Labor Statistics- Opticians Job Outlook
Thanks for the plug. We think it is a very good story, very interesting.
Your blog is looking fabulous!!
LensChic
I have purchased eyewear online from Zinni optical for most reasonable prices. The frames are median quality and the lenses are superb. The noline lenses are quite good and easy to adapt to. The photochromic is excellent. The glasses check out perfectly. The primary problem for the layman is getting proper adjustment and alignment because the glasses arrive completely unadjusted. A decent pair of noline glasses can be had for as little as $42 and single vision for less than $20 delivered which is much less than the average $350 to $700 for a comparable noline pair purchased at most private practices or chain opticals.
This situation can become a problem for doctors and opticians.
When a person needs an adjustment and they did not buy the glasses from you, do you charge for this very important service? Maybe we should!
That’s an interesting question- and one that started about 10 years ago and still hasn’t been resolved! I have been hearing more and more offices say they will start charging for adjustments. Pros and Cons to both- will you alienate your current customers? Will you alienate the walk in traffic?
That said- if you are getting more and more patients in, buying on line, post a sign, we cannot warrantee ‘ products bought elsewhere, and in lieu, taking the life of your products into your hands and state the charges. You can always waive the charges for people.
Or- in order to build a referral business- When the patient asks, How much do I owe you? you can say- It’s no charge, but we would really like it if you recommended us to your friends and family or send us a patient.
Thanks for your comment- it’s a very good and timely question.
We did free adjustments and small repairs for all comers for awhile. One practice was in a small university town where it was common for the students and others to purchase elsewhere and bring the unadjusted eyewear into us for initial adjustment. This became such a practice interuption we started charging an adjustment fee with ninety day free adjustment option. There was a small sign stating no responsibility for breakage of outside eyewear when adjusting, repairing and/or replacing lenses. The fees brought in enough to cover practice utilities.
No matter what a “consumer” says, Zenni eyewear is definately NOT comparable to what I do in my office every day.
Period.
Bring ‘em on!
Barry