What is Medicare’s Deductible and why do I have to pay it?

Medicare Part B requires that a deductible be paid yearly by Medicare members. For 2008 the deductible has increased to $135. What does this mean? It means that before Medicare will pay for any of your office visits, you have to first meet this deductible. You will have to pay this $135 out of pocket.

If you have a secondary insurance it is possible you will still have to pay this $135 because most supplements do not cover this deductible. If you are curious about whether or not your supplement pays this amount, your insurance’s customer service should be able to assist you.

Most doctors’ offices will request that you pay this deductible amount when you are seen at the beginning of the year so you should be prepared to pay this amount when you go. Once you have met your deductible Medicare will pay 80% of covered services leaving you or your secondary insurance responsible for the remaining 20%.

Most office visits and testing that you would have done here at The Eye Care Institute are covered services; however, if you have a Refraction done, a test to determine your glasses prescription, you will be responsible for this amount because Medicare deems this service as non-covered.

What the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) Test May Find

Your visit to the eye doctor may include a test called the HRT. A few of the reasons you may need an HRT include:

Glaucoma
Optic disc assessment is the single most predictive factor in helping to detect glaucoma. The HRT can help identify patients at high risk for developing glaucoma. Structural damage can be detected up to 8 years earlier using this modern technology. In addition, glaucoma progression can be monitored more closely with the use of the HRT.

Retina
The HRT performs Retinal thickness measurements enabling the doctor to follow structural changes due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), as well as Cystoid Macular Edema (CME).

The goal of The Eye Care Institute is to provide the best care possible to the patient. The use of modern technology is one way to assess the overall health of your eyes.

The role of an Ophthalmic Assistant

Ophthalmic assistants, technicians, and technologists (ophthalmic allied health professionals) perform procedures under the supervision of an ophthalmologist. Ophthalmic allied health professionals are part of an eye-care team who supply important information to the doctor treating the patient.

Some of the duties performed by ophthalmic allied health professionals include taking patient histories, assisting patients around our facility, obtaining eye measurements, administering diagnostic tests and eye evaluations and maintaining ophthalmic instruments.

At The Eye Care Institute, some of our Ophthalmic Assistants are certified, while others are not. However, all receive continuous training here at The Eye Care Institute. Regardless of status, we call our clinic staff "techs" for short. The credentialing certificate is provided through the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO). JCAHPO certification is the standard of excellence in ophthalmology recognized worldwide by employers and peers as validation of an individual’s knowledge and experience. To learn more about JCAHPO, or the role of a ophthalmic assistant, please visit www.jcahpo.org. Locally, Spencerian College and The Eye Care Institute have partnered to offer a certificate training program to become a ophthalmic assistant.  To learn more about this exciting new opportunity, visit www.Spencerian.edu.