Dec. 4, 2019
Patients fall into buying “just what my plan covers,” but if they are purchasing fully covered frames and paying nothing more out of pocket, you are leaving money on the table. Brandon Blaker, OD, advises that you can help patients to buy the premium frames they may really want, and boost profits from an otherwise unprofitable area. The key is to train staff to reorient the conversation and emphasize to patients that their insurance plan provides a “great benefit” toward the cost of desired frames. He tracks revenue growth with this strategy with EDGEPro by GPN Technologies.
REDIRECT PATIENTS FROM “JUST WHAT MY INSURANCE COVERS.” Many patients opt for just what insurance covers, and this is a missed opportunity to generate additional revenues. Train staff to note the benefit of insurance paying part, if not the whole, of the cost of a pair of frames.
INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT. You can realize big financial gains from seemingly small increments, when patients pay an additional $10-$20 of their own money to augment their plan’s eyewear benefit. Reconsider your inventory and how you price frames; you can offer higher-priced frames if you make the conversation about “applying your benefit” and away from “just what’s fully covered.”
SET GOALS FOR LENS UPGRADES. Tell patients about the benefits of lens treatments like AR and Transitions. Even if insurance doesn’t cover the whole cost of the lens treatment, it may cover as much as 20 percent.
Brandon Blaker, OD, is founder of Hill Country Vision Center, with six locations in South Texas Contact: bblaker575@yahoo.com.
