MANAGED CARE UPDATE

4 Quick Steps to Grow Your Contact Lens Fits

by Randolph Brooks, O.D. 

If your practice is like mine, you've probably experienced one of these scenarios: You wonder why a patient went to another optometrist to get fit with contact lenses you dispense. Or, a new patient tells you his last doctor doesn't fit the contact lens modality he wants, even though you know otherwise.

Contact lenses do present opportunities and challenges, especially in today's managed-care environment. New patients often come to us because we participate in their plans. Some already wear contact lenses; some would like to try them. Your existing patients might not know about new modalities that would work for them. Or, they just don't know that you fit these types of lenses.

By expanding your contact lens offerings and letting patients know about them, you can keep existing patients, attract new ones and even offset discounted exam fees. You might even win back some contact lens dropouts. Here's a four-step approach for building your contact lens practice under managed care.

1. Think positively.
Third-party payers have some obvious disadvantages. They often discount your fees. Patients will likely go to another doctor if you don't participate in their plans. Or, they won't want to pay for options their plans don't fully cover.

Still, managed care can boost your contact lens practice. You have new patients to educate about contact lenses. Vision plans often tie materials directly to the provider, so patients are less likely to walk with their prescriptions. Patients whose vision plans offer some coverage for contact lenses are more likely to consider this option than if they had to pay the full freight themselves.

2. Start with your current patients.
Consider hanging a sign in your reception area that reads: "Have you ever been told that you cannot wear contact lenses because of your astigmatism or because you need bifocals? Please ask again."

Internal marketing is a cost-effective and often successful way to tell all your patients about new advances in contact lenses. You can use your office computer to sort patients by demographics. Send letters or call patients to educate them about appropriate options. Pay special attention to presbyopes, astigmats and especially to spectacle lens wearers who have never considered contact lenses.

3. Win back patients you lost to alternative sources.
Unfortunately, some patients think of contact lenses as a commodity. Consumer advertising has helped reinforce this misperception.

Start by educating those patients about ocular health. Then encourage them to get their lenses from you by offering competitive replacement fees. (Remember, patients often price shop for their contact lens replacements.) Also, shift your costs from materials to professional fees. This emphasizes the professional side of your contact lens services and may help retain patients. 

Find out if your state law requires you to release contact lens prescriptions to patients. You don't want to alienate new and prospective patients, or violate the law, by refusing to give patients their prescriptions when they ask.

4. Find new patients.
External marketing remains a viable option, especially if you want to attract patients whose employers offer a managed-care plan in which you participate. Some vision-care plans may restrict your ability to advertise to patients. However, you can try other options, such as writing articles in employee newsletters. One possible topic: new types of specialty contact lenses.

As more patients join third-party plans, we often look for new ways to offset reduced exam fees. Why not start with something we already offer, namely contact lenses? By offering more contact lens options and making sure patients know about them, we can provide better service and successfully grow our practices.

Send questions to Dr. Brooks c/o Review of Optometry, 201 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA 19089; or e-mail them to reviewofoptometry@jobson.com.