Eye care specialists see opportunity with the ACA to add younger patients using Spot vision technology

LAKE MARY, Fla., April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Reimbursements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) should make adding younger patients a profitable growth strategy for eye care professionals. As part of the ACA, eye examinations and the prescription of eyewear are a potential covered benefit up to the age of 18. While the act provides funds, the Spot handheld binocular autorefractor is making it easier than ever to attract and serve this important patient population.

"If you are not accustomed to working with small children, it's time to get used to it," said Dr. Fred Dubick in the March/April 2014 edition of "Invision" magazine[1].

With today's mounting pressures on healthcare providers, finding new revenue opportunities is of increasing importance. According to industry estimates, a new patient that requires spectacles can add over $900 of revenue in six years[2].

Dr. Mark J. Page, an optometrist with Arizona Vision in Phoenix, Ariz., has found success in treating children in practice and employs Spot to measure refractive errors in patients eight years and younger as well as to assess pupil size and to complement cover tests. "It's so easy to use, especially for kids that have never had an eye exam before," he said. "They just relax."

"The parents are all so appreciative," stated Page. "They see it as very advanced. It's another component to set us apart." He recently used Spot to conduct screening for Chinese school students taking classes on the Arizona State University campus and gained 10 to 15 of those children as patients. "I think Spot contributes to the bottom line in terms of getting new patients to come to us," he stated. "Parents say, 'We go to this other guy but he doesn't have this. Maybe we'll come to you.'"

"Spot has become a great practice building tool," said New Mexico pediatric ophthalmologist Kenneth Adams, DO. "I think it's a tremendous vision screening device. When we conduct screenings with our young patients, we offer free screenings to their siblings as well. When they learn about this, oftentimes they will bring the entire family. By screening them with Spot, we identify an average of three to five siblings a week who need an eye exam."

"The ACA is providing an opportunity to profitably serve a large underserved market," said PediaVision vice president Jeff Mortensen. "Spot is enabling eye care professionals to go after it."

About Spot
The award-winning Spot, invented by PediaVision, is dedicated to solving undiagnosed vision problems affecting millions of people around the world each day. For more information, including how to order Spot, please visit www.SeeSpotNow.com.

Sources
[1] Source: INVISION Magazine, March/April 2014
[2] Source: VisionMonday Summit 2010 presentation, The Economics of Independent & Corporate Optometry Practice http://www.visionmondaysummit.com/2010/presentation/vms2010_s3_akermandwight_cibavision.pdf

Contact:
Jeff Mortensen
(888) 514-7338 ext. 109
[email protected]

SOURCE PediaVision