Eye Doctor

[minx]

I hate when a doctor is good, but their staff sucks.

I go to Dr. Church at Premier Eye Care.  I really like him, but I am totally through with his staff.

Started in 2021.  Went in for my annual eye exam, and their staff in their optometry department told me that our vision insurance (VSP) was going to go up in price and have a major cut in benefits - since spouse is a federal employee, we should choose a new plan.  So after research, Aetna looked good.  Called their office - said they were listed as a preferred provider, but wanted to double-check.  Yup, they accept it so no worries.

You can see what's coming - they don't accept it.  But throughout most of 2022, I was told they were working on becoming a provider, even by Dr. Church himself.  Finally right before open season, his staff admitted that they had no intentions of becoming a provider (thanks for letting me blow a year's worth of premiums assholes!).  Switched back to VSP.


I have something called low-pressure glaucoma.  Don't have high eye pressure, but have a bunch of other signs of Glaucoma.  So I'm supposed to get testing every 6 months to a year.  Last testing was the end of 2021.  I was told to come in for my regular annual eye exam in 6 months and then we would schedule the next round of tests.

Called yesterday.  Well, I need to come in for the exam.  What does that include?  And optimap ($49, not covered by insurance), and refraction to get a new prescription for glasses if needed.  Explained that I had not been in since the end of 2021, and thanks to their screw-up, I had to do the eye exam with a different provider because I needed new glasses.  After some back and forth, I got a little testy and said that I didn't understand why I couldn't be scheduled for a pressure check - I already had the refraction done, and I was honestly not impressed with the service I've received from their staff.

So the person I was talking with (Tamara) said that she could have Dr. Church call me.  No call of course.

I'm thinking I need to look for a new eye doctor.  And it pisses me off big time.

[k9krap]

I am with you and I’ve only been using them for a few visits. I love Dr. church, but am not impressed with the staff. Getting prescriptions refilled seems to be a major pain (it was for me). And why bother taking a blood pressure if you don’t even notice an abnormality? Plus, I am loving these new drops with hyaluronic acid but the doc didn’t even mention them until I told him I was taking hyaluronic acid capsules! Let me know if you can find someone. I’m thinking I need a retinal specialist, though, with all the issues I have. I just read this week that there is a new treatment for dry AMD (which is what I have). There hasn’t been any treatment at all except for supplements and those who have had it say insurance covers it. This is exciting news but I doubt I’ll hear about it at Premier.

I am overdue for a contact lens/refraction check.  I made an appointment at my last visit for April.  I asked Dr. Church if he thought I should switch brands, etc.  He said his view is if I’m not having issues I should probably stick with the status quo.  Well, if there is a type of lens that helps with dry eye issues better than the one I’m using, wouldn’t that be an improvement?  I’ve been using this brand since I started wearing contacts again after the cornea issues I had with dry eye.  Probably 20 years!  Surely there are some improvements since then?

[k9krap]

Guess what, minx? They don’t take my eye insurance either (I have FEP blue). I was past due for my yearly contact lens/refraction check so went today. When checking out, I had to pay full price for the lenses. I will use 1-800-contacts or Warby Parker next time, that’s for sure! If I’m not able to use insurance, I can get better deals through them.

Oh, and BP was stroke level - 228/122. And my back is killing me, both lower and that spot at my right shoulder blade. It’s hard to get a good breath.

[minx]

None of this is good Pam.

[k9krap]

Hopefully the pain will ebb. I can tolerate the ache but this is awful. I can’t get comfortable in the bed at all. I’m not sure if it’s neck, shoulder or back. I can’t turn my head to the left much, but I’ve had issues with my neck ever since I jammed it when I fell down the basement stairs and headbutted the facing wall. 🤣🤣 (I did go to the ER, because I thought I had whiplash or something (at the urging of my friend).). And my shoulder is nearing the end date, but this pain is nothing like the pain I had before it was replaced. So who knows from where the pain is originating. All I know is I cannot get comfortable at all. Heat doesn’t help, muscle relaxers did nothing.

Back to the eye doctor, I’m wondering why they have procedures that are “out of pocket”? Do they feel the insurance reimbursement is insufficient? Do they not want to negotiate these procedures? I’ve never been to a doctor that did this. Ever.

[k9krap]

I was again pondering the “out of pocket” procedures at this establishment tonight. The one I had done this time is an optomap, which takes a high resolution picture of your retina, or most of it. I had one of these done at every visit I had with my previous ophthalmologist and my insurance covered it. Since I have AMD, it’s important to have these images to compare the occurrences of drusen on my retina to make sure it is being controlled. So of course I opted to pay for it, but I shouldn’t have to! I now have Medicare and Blue Cross, plus Blue Cross’s vision plan, so I shouldn’t be paying anything.

And why are they even giving a patient the option? I want my doctor to tell me what he recommends and why, not some tech saying “some people prefer the o to map because they don’t like having their eyes dilated.” What?

On my first visit, I opted for the night vision test and the dry eye test, which are “out of pocket”. No one suggested that I should have them. They were just offered in a list of optional testing. This seems really odd and backward to me.

[minx]

I'd call and argue the optimap - they've always billed it to BC for me and it's always been covered - their insurance department is total shit though.

I've decided to write a letter to Dr. Church with my concerns to see if I get any response. As soon as I get off my fat ass to do so.

OTOH, I'm wondering if it's even worth it. Because either he knows that his staff is rude and gives out wrong information constantly, and doesn't care.
Or he's totally clueless about it, which is even worse, because as their boss, he should know what his staff is doing.

Either way, I'm thinking that I probably shouldn't be rewarding his practice with my business because it seems like a miserable place to work. But I also need to find a new eye doctor.

[k9krap]

I’ve only had 4 appointments there and have already noticed the turnover!

Regarding the letter, would he get it before one of the staff reads it?

He again apologized to me about the prescription refill fiasco in December.

[minx]

Yeah, you have a point there.