Article: VSP Audits & Turning a Profit: Frequently Asked Questions

[Stephen McDaniel]

Stephen,

Unfortunately, in today's world, businesses are making their decisions about which VCP to choose based on price and not much else. That is why the bottom feeding VCPs are winning contracts previously held by better paying plans.

[Jonathan Warner]

So you are incapable of giving a serious response.

[Stephen McDaniel]

[Ken Bova]

You're my hero Dr. Ruff. Congrats!

I'll disagree with Ken. Depending on your area and your patient repoir, you'll retain 10-50%. Get real good at figuring out how to admin out-of-network for VSP and real good at convincing patients the value of your continued services and you can get closer to that 50% all the while not having VSP breathe down your neck. I've read here many docs brag about their increased net after dropping VSP and not one regret. I hope to garner your same courage in the coming years. Please keep us updated along the way.

You mentioned an important aspect of this, my area. I live in sort of a depressed area. I think I know my area and those patients' would not come back to me under any circumstance. Think about it, you are paying a certain premium for a vision plan. If you only have to pay a minimum, why go to someone out of network. It's just like medical insurance. I would not go to a doc out of network and pay full fee.

[Jonathan Warner]

Stephen,Other than posting some pictures, you have totally failed to address the points I have made:1. Other VCP pay docs less than VSP does, therefore they are able to underbid VSP.2. Employers pick the cheapest VCP, not the best VCP.

[Stephen McDaniel]

Stephen,Other than posting some pictures, you have totally failed to address the points I have made:1. Other VCP pay docs less than VSP does, therefore they are able to underbid VSP.2. Employers pick the cheapest VCP, not the best VCP.

Jon you believe what you want to believe or what you've been programmed to believe. Doctors who go around making excuses for VSP are just as big a problem if not a bigger problem than VSP itself. Doctors who drink the kool-aid empower VSP and damage all of us and I have a big problem with that. Take VSP/Eyemed et al or not....just call it like it is. Large Companies selling our services at a discount for their own profit. They are not our friend. They don't even like us is all likelihood. We're a means to free Lobster Risotto lunches and Yoga classes for their employees and fancy Mediterranean Italian Villas and Golf at Pebble Beach for the Executives

I've addressed your point previously, you just didn't like the answer. For the sake of arguement I'll post it ONE more time:

"Jon are you the cheapest OD in your town? No? Yet patients still come and see you. When you compete on price you live and die by price. VSP had plenty of opportunity to sell themselves to Companies and providers alike focusing on their many PREVIOUS positive non-price oriented attributes. VSP has no one to blame but themselves and it's high time you recognize that. The blame shifinig PR nonsense is nothing more than damage control."

Now wake up.....you'll be happier and wealthier in the long run if you get your head out of your butt!

[Jonathan Warner]

Jon you believe what you want to believe or what you've been programmed to believe. Doctors who go around making excuses for VSP are just as big a problem if not a bigger problem than VSP itself. Doctors who drink the kool-aid empower VSP and damage all of us and I have a big problem with that. Take VSP/Eyemed et al or not....just call it like it is. Large Companies selling our services at a discount for their own profit. They are not our friend. They don't even like us is all likelihood. We're a means to free Lobster Risotto lunches and Yoga classes for their employees and fancy Mediterranean Italian Villas and Golf at Pebble Beach for the Executives

I've addressed your point previously, you just didn't like the answer. For the sake of arguement I'll post it ONE more time:

"Jon are you the cheapest OD in your town? No? Yet patients still come and see you. When you compete on price you live and die by price. VSP had plenty of opportunity to sell themselves to Companies and providers alike focusing on their many PREVIOUS positive non-price oriented attributes. VSP has no one to blame but themselves and it's high time you recognize that. The blame shifinig PR nonsense is nothing more than damage control."

Now wake up.....you'll be happier and wealthier in the long run if you get your head out of your butt!

I'm not the cheapest OD, and I've lost enough patients because of that to prove it.

That being said, companies don't give a **** about the quality of our services or those of the VCP, only the price. You still have not addressed my comments.

[Stephen McDaniel]

I'm not the cheapest OD, and I've lost enough patients because of that to prove it.

That being said, companies don't give a **** about the quality of our services or those of the VCP, only the price. You still have not addressed my comments.

How do you know that? Who told you that? VSP?

[Jonathan Warner]

How do you know that? Who told you that? VSP?

The fact that the better paying VCPs keep losing clients to the worse paying VCPs is the sad proof.

[Ken Bova]

I'm not the cheapest OD, and I've lost enough patients because of that to prove it.

That being said, companies don't give a **** about the quality of our services or those of the VCP, only the price. You still have not addressed my comments.

Jon, you are exactly right; it's about free enterprise. I've been around a long time and as much as I hate to admit it, price is still king. Many patients out there spell quality as P-R-I-C-E. No, I'm not happy with that. In my area, Walmart is the busiest optical in the area. When one shops for a specific car, he tries to find the best price. We shop for the best price when getting insurance. No, companies don't give a crap about our quality of our services or products, but only the cheapest VCP.

[Ken Bova]

How do you know that? Who told you that? VSP?

Go to any city in the U.S. and you'll find that the cheapest opticals are the busiest. The Walmart optical in my area is probably one of the busiest in the U.S. Our newspaper runs a community choice every year where different businesses are voted no. 1, 2, and 3. Walmart was voted no. 1 optical and Sears was voted no. 2 otpical this year. What made me happy was that I was voted no. 2 Ophthalmologist.

[Stephen McDaniel]

Go to any city in the U.S. and you'll find that the cheapest opticals are the busiest. The Walmart optical in my area is probably one of the busiest in the U.S. Our newspaper runs a community choice every year where different businesses are voted no. 1, 2, and 3. Walmart was voted no. 1 optical and Sears was voted no. 2 otpical this year. What made me happy was that I was voted no. 2 Ophthalmologist.

Your views are tainted by your surroundings, as are mine. My optical is probably busier than most Walmart opticals around here, in volume and sales, but there are so many of them that taken as whole would be a different story. The Lenscrafters (higher end goods, high prices, bad service, but good marketing) around here blow it out I hear. My demographic, very generally speaking, doesn't want to wear Walmart glasses and my contact prices are cheaper by exactly 99 cents per box on most products. If my area was like yours, or what you make it sound like, I'd carry a bunch of $2-$10 wholesale frames and crush walmart on price, quality, and service. Not hard to do at ball.

[Stephen McDaniel]

The fact that the better paying VCPs keep losing clients to the worse paying VCPs is the sad proof.

FACT: VSP still exists and keeps many clients yet they aren't the cheapest. How do you explain that? If it was all about price, VSP and all private practices would be kaput. Frankly, it's difficult to have these types of conversations when our local demographics and economical difference vary so widely.

[Ken Elder]

FACT: VSP still exists and keeps many clients yet they aren't the cheapest. How do you explain that? If it was all about price, VSP and all private practices would be kaput. Frankly, it's difficult to have these types of conversations when our local demographics and economical difference vary so widely.

What I have seen in the past number of years is big, national corporations are in a race to the bottom with respect to vision plans. The smaller, local businesses that provide vision benefits seem to be sticking with the VSP.

[Stephen McDaniel]

What I have seen in the past number of years is big, national corporations are in a race to the bottom with respect to vision plans. The smaller, local businesses that provide vision benefits seem to be sticking with the VSP.

Funny....I've noticed the same thing and even commented about it to my office manager a few weeks back.

[Jonathan Warner]

What I have seen in the past number of years is big, national corporations are in a race to the bottom with respect to vision plans. The smaller, local businesses that provide vision benefits seem to be sticking with the VSP.

Exactly!!!!

[Jonathan Warner]

FACT: VSP still exists and keeps many clients yet they aren't the cheapest. How do you explain that? If it was all about price, VSP and all private practices would be kaput. Frankly, it's difficult to have these types of conversations when our local demographics and economical difference vary so widely.

Now that Ken Bova (who practices in a demographic area similar to mine) has chimed in, you are finally getting the picture. I realize there are some people who prefer quality and service over price, but there is a higher % of those people in your area than in mine or Ken's area.

[Ken Bova]

Your views are tainted by your surroundings, as are mine. My optical is probably busier than most Walmart opticals around here, in volume and sales, but there are so many of them that taken as whole would be a different story. The Lenscrafters (higher end goods, high prices, bad service, but good marketing) around here blow it out I hear. My demographic, very generally speaking, doesn't want to wear Walmart glasses and my contact prices are cheaper by exactly 99 cents per box on most products. If my area was like yours, or what you make it sound like, I'd carry a bunch of $2-$10 wholesale frames and crush walmart on price, quality, and service. Not hard to do at ball.

Steve, I am not going to get into a .............. pulling contest with someone bigger than me (if you get my jist of this). I've been around for awhile; I still think I am 32, but just in an older body. My practice is 95% insurance and if I don't take them, my life style is affected. I am quite contented with my practice and the amount of patients' I see. I don't want a big umongous practice; I just want to do a damn good job. In my other posts, I was not complaining, but just stating how it is. You are in a great state (a right to work state). In Pa., the unions are somewhat strong and demand alot of fringe benefits with vision being one of them. I do alot of therapeutics and my income from that equals what I make from glasses. In many states, OD's cannot make a living without VCP's. It is what it is. We are not competing with each other taking all these insurances, but making a good living from them.

[Ken Bova]

Now that Ken Bova (who practices in a demographic area similar to mine) has chimed in, you are finally getting the picture. I realize there are some people who prefer quality and service over price, but there is a higher % of those people in your area than in mine or Ken's area.

Jon, to that, I say AMEN. I don't like some of these reimbursements that I get for glasses, but there are no other choice. If you or I drop a plan, there's always another OD out there who will take them. I even know alot of ophthalmologists who take all of these low pay plans.