FTC Proposes Changes to the 2004 Contact Lens Rule and Sets Deadline for Comments

By Staff
Friday, November 18, 2016 10:10 AM WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Trade Commission proposed changes to the 2004 Contact Lens Rule, and also provided details on how the public can comment on the agency’s proposal by Jan. 30, 2017.

Higher Frequency of Exams and Eyewear Purchases Among
Those Americans With Vision Benefits, NAVCP Reports

By dba Staff
Thursday, October 13, 2016 12:15 PM LOUISVILLE, Ky.—With the annual open enrollment period now underway for millions of Americans, the National Association of Vision Care Plans, www.navcp.org is stepping up to emphasize the correlation between vision benefits (in employer health plans) and healthy eyecare habits, illustrating higher frequency of both eye exams and eyewear purchases among those Americans who have benefits. The findings are from a new survey issued by NAVCP last month.

When Assessing Vision Benefits, Employees Say Lens Choice Matters

By dba Staff
Thursday, March 3, 2016 1:10 PM PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—Employers have long assumed that offering a generous frame selection as part of a vision benefit package is important to their style-conscious employees.

Opti-Port ‘Managing Managed Care Workshop’ Keeps Multi-Office Members Ahead of the Curve

By John Sailer
Wednesday, August 12, 2015 1:00 PM

CHICAGO—In an effort to help its members navigate the impact of managed vision care, the Opti-Port national alliance of multi-office eyecare providers held its fourth annual managed care conference here, July 30 to 31, 2015. The 2015 Managing Managed Care Workshop boasted a record number of attendees.

Lens Bundling Drives Profits While Reducing Patient and Staff Confusion

By Jay Binkowitz and Evan Kestenbaum, MBA, dba Contributors
Wednesday, July 8, 2015 10:06 AM The explanation of ophthalmic lenses along with fees has been and continues to be one of the greatest challenges we face, especially as it relates to vision care plans. We tend to go with complex explanations of features and benefits along with "billing language" to explain each "add-on," (a term we dislike), in a way that results in severe patient pushback and lost sales.

Five Common Billing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

By Evan Kestenbaum, MBA, and Heather Mather, dba contributors
Thursday, August 21, 2014 11:00 AM No matter how many practices you manage, insurance billing can be complicated for many optometrists. Follow these tested and effective techniques for avoiding the five most common billing mistakes.

'Fear' of Lost Patients, Not Just Rate Reimbursement, Influences ECPs' Choice of Managed Vision Care Plans

By Staff
Wednesday, January 8, 2014 10:03 AM A vast majority of eyecare professionals (82 percent) cited rate reimbursement as the most important attribute when choosing a managed vision care plan, according to a webinar on "Measuring Vision Plan Quality Outcomes" presented Nov. 19, 2013 by Ron Krefman, OD, FAAO, CEO of focalCenter, for the National Association of Vision Care Plans.

Most Consumers View Vision Care Plans as 'Very Important'

By dba Staff
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 2:06 AM A majority of consumers view vision care plans as "very important," according to the Managed Vision Care Patient Experience Study produced jointly by Jobson Optical Research and focalCenter. Some 67.8 percent of those surveyed responded that vision insurance was "very important" to them, while another 22.7 percent said that it was "somewhat important."

Profit from Your Frame Sales in Today's Managed Care Environment

By Jay Binkowitz and Evan Kestenbaum, MBA, dba Contributors
Wednesday, May 1, 2013 2:06 AM We can all learn a lesson about the recent trials and tribulations of J. C. Penney. Ron Johnson, formally an Apple executive, was hired as CEO to help J. C. Penney's turnaround. In 2012, he started a new strategy of bottom line prices, no discounts, no coupons, no nonsense. In 2012, sales dropped 25 percent, losing revenue and market share to its competitors.

Lens Bundling Drives Profits While Reducing Patient and Staff Confusion

By Jay Binkowitz and Evan Kestenbaum, MBA, dba Contributors
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 2:06 AM The explanation of ophthalmic lenses along with fees has been and continues to be one of the greatest challenges we face, especially as it relates to vision care plans. We tend to go with complex explanations of features and benefits along with "billing language" to explain each "add-on," (a term we dislike), in a way that results in severe patient pushback and lost sales.

Online Calculator Helps EyeOne Unify Seven Locations and Determine Patient Expenses

By dba Staff
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 2:06 AM With seven locations throughout central Virginia and the Shenendoah Valley, EyeOne has found a way to accurately calculate its patients' out-of-pocket expenses at the moment that they are making their eyewear purchasing decisions.

What's the Status of Each State's Health Care Exchange?

By dba Staff
Thursday, October 25, 2012 2:06 AM Update: As of December 14, 2012, this is how each state has decided to Implement Their "Affordable Insurance Exchanges."

Now that the Supreme Court has determined that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional, many states are in the midst of establishing exchanges through which individuals and small businesses with up to 50 full-time employees will be able to purchase health insurance.