retrospectives

Managed Care: Where should you be headed?

A timeless tip from August 1996

In 1976, six million Americans belonged to HMOs. In 1996 the number is 53 million, and it may be 103 million by 2000. Two years ago, vision care providers were asking, “What is managed care, anyway?” Now, they're asking, “What should I do to survive in managed care?” We asked eight experts that question, and we were struck by the variety of their answers.

DYI DISCOUNT PROGRAMS

“By having our own discount programs we can go to the businesses in the community who don't have a vision program or who don't want to pay for a vision program. A lot of them just can't flow out pay for it because they are trimming costs. Then that enables us … to offer them something on a local basis.”

—Gary Scheer, independent optician /owner of Alvernon Optical, Tucson

GUARANTEED PATIENTS

“The main advantage of joining an established plan is that you become the recipient of an almost guaranteed flow of patients.”

—Steven Levenson, marketing manager, Kaiser Permanente

SPECIALIZING

“The people who come in here, in all walks of life and at any age, male or female—if they're into recreation, they care a lot about being better at what they do. They are using their discretionary income in a way that makes them happy to participate in their sports. Managed care doesn't play a role in these people's willingness to spend and receive optimum eyecare.”

—Donald Teig, OD, Institute for Sports Vision, Ridgefield, Conn.

JUST DO IT

“Managed care is here to stay. It's growing very quickly, and it's gobbling up market share. I think a doctor should follow the rule of thumb ‘When in doubt, join.'”

—David Kaufman, president of Connecticut Managed Eyecare, LLC; practice administrator for Robbins Eye Center, Bridgeport, Conn.

TEAMING UP WITH AN OD/MD

“If I wasn't affiliated with ODs, I would be without 45 percent of my business. Plus, with an OD or MD, you give the patients an opportunity to get all their eyecare needs in one place.”

—Christopher Gregg, optician, owner on Inver Grove Family Vision Center, outside St. Paul, Minn.

FADING INDEPENDENCE

“Sometimes, though, I think remaining independent is going to be virtually impossible. When I say that, I think there will be very close involvement with optometrists and ophthalmologists.”

—James Organ, independent optician, Ohio

BE READY TO NEGOTIATE

“What we have found around the country is that most people do not try to renegotiate, for some reason. They just take it. They say, ‘I'm losing money, and there's nothing I can do about it.' I vehemently disagree with that attitude.”

—Reed Tinsley, CPA, O'Neal, McGuinness & Tinsley, Houston

WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

“That's an opportunity we have recognized: that we probably could give a little more assistance to our providers in organizing their office and helping them take advantage of the efficiencies to allow them to function within the environment of managed care.”

—Joe Wende, vice president profession affairs, Davis Vision