THE DIFFERENCE IN VISION CARE FEES & MEDICAL CARE FEES
TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDING AND CONFUSION ABOUT OUR PROFESSIONAL FEES FOR VISION CARE VS MEDICAL CARE, PLEASE READ AND SIGN THE FOLLOWING:
No Insurance Coverage
If you are healthy and have healthy eyes, wellness eye exam fees will be charged for your eye exam and/or contact lens exam to correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia.
If you have a general health condition or an eye disease, then a medical eye exam fee will be charged for your medical eye care. (further explanation under Medical Insurance below)
Vision Plan and/or Medical Insurance
Many Patients have vision plans and many have medical insurance coverage for their eye care, some have both. Your eye care problem will determine which insurance carrier we will file with for your eye care visit. Often, there is no way to know before your examination which type of insurance we file. If you have questions about your insurance coverage and/or your eye care fees, please feel free to discuss them with our staff or providers.
A Vision Plan
A Vision Plan will pay for your wellness eye exam if you are healthy and have healthy eyes.
The results of your wellness eye exam are used to correct vision problems such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and/or presbyopia.
A Vision Plan usually (but not always) requires a co-pay if you are examined for contact lenses.
A Vision Plan does not pay for your examination if the examination requires medical decision making and/or the treatment of a medical eye condition.
Medical Insurance
Medical insurance will pay for your eye care if your examination requires testing and medical decision making because you have:
· Systemic health problems (diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid, etc.)
· An eye disease (cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, allergic conjunctivitis, ocular surface disease, etc.)
· A medical condition that requires taking high risk medication such as Plaquenil
If you have a medical problem or we discover a medical eye problem during the exam, we are required to furnish a medical level eye examination that is determined by your medical insurance carrier. The complexity of your medical condition and the level of decision making required to treat the problem are factors used to determine the exam fee level and co-payment amount. WE DO NOT SET THESE FEES, YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER DOES.
Also, depending on your medical problem, certain supplemental tests may be necessary. The fees for these tests are usually but not always covered by your insurance carrier. If covered, they often require you to pay additional co-pays. Medical Insurance Carriers have very specific guidelines regarding every aspect of your medical eye care testing and documentation which they require us as the provider by signed contract to follow.
OUR OFFICE DOES NOT MAKE THESE RULES, THEY ARE MADE BY INSURANCE CARRIERS
IN THE EVENT WE DO NOT TAKE YOUR MEDICAL OR VISION PLAN, WE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH AN ITEMIZED STATEMENT THAT YOU CAN FILE WITH YOUR CARRIER. I understand that once I opt to self-pay, I forfeit the right to submit these services for reimbursement to my insurance company. It is my responsibility to resolve any reimbursement directly with my insurance company, and Riz Eye Care/ Meyerland Family Eye Care/ Northshore Eye Care/ Tomball Eye Associates will not assist in this process.