Providing access to personalized vision care for all Americans and elevating the role of eye doctors in the health care continuum is a central focus for VSP. For more than 50 years VSP has been rooted in the belief that private practice eye doctors deliver the best care and value to patients. Through the years, as VSP has grown, our commitment to eye health and promoting personalized care from private-practice eye doctors has remained constant.
Why is private-practice so important to us? Private-practice doctors develop long-term relationships with their patients and their patients’ families. When patients visit the same doctor year after year, their doctor can track subtle changes in their eyes that could indicate symptoms of eye disease or systemic conditions. And our extensive network of 24,000 private-practice doctors makes it easy for members to find a VSP doctor close to where they work or live. VSP works together with the VSP Family of Companies to support our doctors’ efforts to provide complete personalized service, and educate their patients about the important link between eyecare and total body health.
Our network of private-practice doctors provides valuable disease detection and ongoing patient care through our Eye Health Management® program. VSP’s Evidence-Based EyecareSM leverages medical best practices, comprehensive eye exam standards, and coordination of care with patients’ primary care physicians to deliver a world-class patient experience. This results in the best possible outcomes for patients and yields cost savings for employers by supporting their disease management and wellness initiatives. All of these efforts reinforce the important role that eyecare plays in overall health care.
How can we sustain this level of care? By supporting and reinvesting in private practice. When optometric students are ready to enter the marketplace they can turn to EyeSeek, which enables students, recent graduates, and other eye doctors to locate opportunities with VSP private practices. In addition to strengthening our ties with optometric schools and students, VSP’s Vision LoansSM program provides funds to eye doctors for partnership buy-ins, down payments or the purchase of their first practice. Since its inception in 2003, Vision LoansSM has issued loans totaling $15 million. Additionally, VSP will continue to support legislation in all states and the District of Columbia to allow eye doctors to practice to the fullest scope of their education and training.
With all these tools, VSP will continue to support private-practice eyecare, and our doctors’ efforts to continually enhance VSP members’ vision care experience. It’s who we are. It’s what we stand for. It’s everything we do.
I’m interested in hearing your point of view on private-practice eyecare.
Rob
This is my second submission to this blog and while I did not receive a reply or see my comment posted, I hold some optimism that you will see fit to reply to this one. It is interesting that on the one hand VSP says it is pro-private practice while simultaneously instituting policies that are anti-independent wholesale laboratory. Everyone should be concerned about the centralization of eyecare. A recent mailing from VSP had the company president and the board chair speaking of the perception that VSP is the 10,000lb gorilla (of managed vision care). Well, that may be so but the gang from Italy isn’t far behind. In fact, if one puts one’s ear to the ground, rumors may be heard that Luxottica is going to buy VSP. At one time I would have scoffed at such a notion but now I have my doubts. They continue to add to their stable of retail outlets; continue to develop their managed care division; and hold licenses to many of the top designers’ eyewear. Two obstacles stand in the way of their total domination: VSP on the clinical/retail side and Essilor on the wholesale side. They have a history of buying anything that stands in their way or strengthens their position (eg. Pearl and DOC).My message/request/most fervent plea to Mr. Rob Lynch and Dr. Daniel Mannen is if you are truly in our (private practitioners) corner, give us back our private labs. With the exclusion of these labs from the signature plan, you have instituted a lose-lose-lose situation. The patient loses because it takes more time to process their orders. Also, the private labs are often in the same community as the patient so by forcing us to use other labs these monies are removed from local circulation. The second loser is the private practice because of the extra staff time involved in processing the order when it goes out and when it comes in. Finally, the lab loses for obvious reasons. What may not be so obvious is the demise of the independent wholesale lab. Here in Missouri we have two independents left where once many flourished. Without the assistance of these labs many of us would have found it a lot harder to turn a profit. They carried our lab bills when times were hard and gave us personal service and attention when we took on new employees who lacked an optical background. Dr. Mannen, I don’t know if you still practice but even if you don’t, I’m sure you can relate to private practice optometry’s similar demise as more and larger chains have flourished.If you are truly all about caring and supporting private practice then by extension you should be as supportive of independent wholesale labs. It will cost you nothing to bring them back on board as full participating partners in the delivery of our patients’ vision care. And after all, isn’t this what it’s all about?I look forward to your response.Dr. Robert E. Smith6975 Olive Blvd.St. Louis, MO 63130314.863.3937
I practice in the only state that does not allow prescriptve authority in glaucoma management .I have become increasingly frustrated when I read VSP dedication to the success of private practice.Where in reality,VSP reimburses $67/$55 for exams in my state when my colleagues in neighboring states of CT and VT are reimbursed $76/$61 .It appears that because we can’t treat glaucoma we are being treated unfairly
FOR A COMPANY THAT HAS VERY COMPETENT EMPLOYEES (WHERE I ‘AM’ A ‘PATIENT’) – PEARLE VISION ‘MANAGEMENT’ (HOME OFFICE) HAS MUCH TO BE DESIRED- – THE EFFICIENCY OF THE INDIVIDUALS SERVICING ME, IS NOT TO BE QUESTIONED- ‘THEY DID THEIR JOBS’ CHECKING ON HOW FAR ‘BLUE CROSS’ GOES FOR REIMBURSEMENT, HOWEVER, VSP POLICY IS SOMEWHAT VAGUE FOR REASONS OF ‘THEIR’ OWN.
Dear Mr. Lynch,This does not pertain to us, as a whole sale lab. I am taking a chance that you might actually read this. I have tried to get a hold of you since you took over. Alas….no luckWe are a national laboratory with no VSP, how did that happen? Here’s hoping you will give me the chance to speak with you about this, and excuse me for the interruption.Parke WilkinsonDirector-Sales & MarketingMJ Optical, Inc.
I am happy to see VSP blog. The first 7 posts display useful and historical content. I believe many accolades can be delivered and concerns can be addressed by such a civil forum. I am happy to see VSP offer vision care insurance to the underserved and uninsured while maintaining stringent provider credentialing. I am appreciative of the substantial contribution by VSP toward continuing education of eyecare providers and expect to see VSP sponsored online CE soon (hey, I can ask…). I am very interested in what we all think about recred-entialling. I believe MD/DOs do so every 7 years though the recred. system is not without flaws. I see eyecare insurers, colleges of optometry and regulatory bodies playing a major role. I am working on solutions to make this a positive process for all. Thank you for your attention.Robert T. Kocembo, ODClinic Preceptor, PCOBoard Examiner, NBEOVSP Provider, Detroit, MI