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Connectivity to Claims, Product Ordering and Training

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NEW YORK—Even before the economy took its current turn, the business-to-business implications of the Internet presented immediate opportunities for eliminating paperwork and saving time for businesses in every field.

With today’s climate sharpening the need to reduce costs and to improve productivity and efficiency throughout ECP practices, optical retail, supplier and lab operations, there is new momentum behind the growth in the number of people doing a portion of their business online.

Far from the initial skepticism created by the initial dot-com boom and bust, there is now a willingness to engage in the resources available across the optical industry as email and the currency of the Internet has become more familiar and an ingrained component of doing business 21st century style.

Leaders at the industry’s largest portals, Eyefinity and VisionWeb, are reporting that integration efforts among suppliers and systems and practices have progressed to the point where they are scaled to accommodate a great variety of needs on the part of ECPs and retailers. User numbers are growing and transactions are growing, they report, as more people in more practices take advantage of the computer and the Internet’s capabilities in their daily business.

At VisionWeb, Ken Engelhart, president and CEO, observed, “Yes, if the overall top line of consumption is flat or down it will affect everyone to some degree. But as we see it at VisionWeb, the whole category of electronic connectivity is a growth category, nowhere near mature. More people are moving every day to doing a larger portion of their business online. It’s more important than ever for ECPs to be as productive as they can—suppliers, too.”

Today, Engelhart reported, there are some 80,000 registered accounts on VisionWeb; some are multiple users at one practice or retail company. An estimated 75 percent of all registered accounts are in the U.S., ECPs using either the VisionWeb.com portal, practice management integrations, or third-party Web sites powered by VisionWeb’s technology. The remaining 25 percent are accounts using an international Web site or international practice management integration, powered by VisionWeb’s technology.

He noted, “We are running about 30 percent or more ahead in weekly transactions since the year started—and that doesn’t include claims processing. Several things are impacting this. In the U.S., there’s traction in people beginning to be less fearful to adopt e-ordering in general. Further, in the past year or two, VisionWeb has continued to add suppliers to its mix—nothing makes utility easier than having a broad enough supplier base to e-connnect users.”

VisionWeb has over 15,000 users per day sending orders to over 100 Web sites, ‘cobranded’ and connected to VisionWeb.

Its supplier ranks have grown from 365 a year ago to approximately 450-500, according to Engelhart, in virtually every optical product category, from labs to spectacle lenses, contact lenses and a growing roster of e-connected frame companies.

VisionWeb’s equity partners include Essilor of America, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Advanced Medical Optics, Jobson Medical Information, Marchon Eyewear, the American Optometric Association and Transitions Optical. Engelhart said, “Our equity partners are industry leaders, however, VisionWeb’s mission from the outset has been and continues to be the ‘open and neutral’ portal.” A full list of affiliates and integrated technology partners and industry companies is posted on www.visionweb.com.

Engelhart also pointed out, in terms of the AOA’s involvement, “Last year, there were 31 participating state affiliates with VisionWeb and we are now up to 38 participating state affiliates. Last year, we gave $47,000 back to the affiliates and we anticipate a higher amount this year. All of which means that we are really getting critical mass in terms of involvement.”

Over at Eyefinity/OfficeMate, which is the business solutions division of the VSP family of companies, Jim McGrann, president, commented, “If you take a look at the combined entity, what we focus on is to be a provider of business solutions to help practices run more effectively, to put technology solutions into practices that help them be more efficient and provide a great return on investment. We have about 25,000 ECPs who visit Eyefinity every single day. The main thing that brings them there is processing insurance claims, including VSP claims. But as time has gone on, more than 60 percent of the business we do comes from sources outside of VSP, since doctors are processing claims from other commercial and government plans.

“Of that 25,000, some 5,000 are now actively using other services like eBuy, eLearn and eLab to order products and services as well as to take advantage of other training and practice management programs for their staff. A lot of the real future opportunity is education, explaining to people who are using some of our services that other options can create real efficiencies for their practice,” McGrann said.

VisionWeb’s Engelhart summed it up: “In a tough environment, you have to manage much more tightly than before. Our message is ‘Take advantage of online.’ There’s never been a better time to explore it.” ■