Cathy Ciccolella: Senior Editor

SAN ANTONIO—What’s the best way to convey the importance of good vision—and high-quality vision care—to both consumers and employers? That was the challenge tackled by executives of managed vision firms attending last month’s sixth annual National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP) conference here.

 

 Peter Kehoe, OD, president of the American Optometric Association, addresses the NAVCP conference on issues facing ODs.

Liz DiGiandomenico of EyeMed Vision Care, starting her second year as NAVCP president, kicked off the two-day meeting by telling the roughly 80 attendees that the organization’s top priority for the year ahead is to “work with industry leaders to create a simplified consumer message on eye health and vision wellness.” Other focuses for the coming year include taking the wellness/eye exam message “to the grass roots level with eyecare providers,” as well as monitoring and influencing regulators and legislative bills that impact vision benefits and the optical industry, she said. In addition, DiGiandomenico cited “expanding our collaboration and partnership with [other] vision industry organizations” as a key NAVCP goal.

Since the total eyewear/eyecare market has remained relatively stable for the past three years, DiGiandomenico asked, “How do we grow the pie? By communicating the value of vision to every constituent involved in this industry.” Noting that last year only 63 percent of the adult population who were due for eye exams actually got them, she said that bringing that total up to 100 percent could add another $4 billion to $5 billion to the eyewear/eyecare “pie”—“and if all those people needed vision correction, it could add $10 billion.”

 
Managed vision veteran Steve Brewer receives the NAVCP President’s Citation from EyeMed’s Liz DiGiandomenico, the association’s president.
Meeting attendees heard various speakers discuss the most efficient ways to deliver the message about the importance of eyecare to consumers, including a proposed joint public-awareness campaign by the NAVCP and Prevent Blindness America (PBA) that would target employers with messages about how vision care for their employees could save in terms of both money and productivity.

Representatives of the American Optometric Association (AOA) were at the conference to discuss the relationship between optometrists and managed-vision plans. The AOA recently launched a new business unit called the Third Party Center, a retooling of prior efforts by the association to help advise ODs on vision benefits issues.

Barry Barresi, OD, the AOA’s executive director, asked, “Are vision plans broken, and need to be replaced with a new model of health insurance for vision wellness and eye health?” He said ODs have historically been segregated by vision plans “to the land of refractive care and dispensing of eyeglasses and contact lenses,” adding, “The separation of vision care—into wellness and refraction—for eye diagnosis and treatment harms the patient, the providers and the vision plans.”

AOA president Peter Kehoe, OD, also noted that although managed vision may increase an optometric practice’s patient flow, at least some of those consumers may be previous patients on whom the OD now makes less revenue. He said other optometrists have told the AOA, “When I dropped the vision plans, I saw fewer patients but made more money.”

During the meeting, the NAVCP welcomed a new first vice president, Don Yee of OptumHealth Vision; Yee succeeded Steve Brewer, now an industry consultant, who stepped down from the NAVCP board. Brewer, this year’s convention chair, received an NAVCP President’s Citation for his work with the group since its earliest days.

Other NAVCP officers remain the same for the coming year: Rick Corbett of Superior Vision Services, as the NAVCP’s VP-marketing; Richard Sanchez of Advantica EyeCare as VP-legislative affairs; Aspasia Shappet of MESVision as VP-industry relations; Pat Huot of Transitions Optical as VP-membership; and Jason Harrold of OptiCare Health Systems as secretary/treasurer. ■