So I went to my eye doctor's office today at Chelsea Eye & Cosmetic Surgery -- the same place I paid four grand to have Dr. Christopher Coad, MD, FACS, perform LASIK surgery on me in 2010 -- for a check-up. As I blogged earlier this week, I'm needing low-strength readers these days, so I figured it made sense for his office to have a look at my eyes. I verified they accept my type of insurance prior to the appointment, then when I got there they made sure all of my information was current, before preceding to try to make me sign a paper acknowledging that if the doctor determines I need a new prescription, I would have to pay an additional $75 for him to "generate" the prescription. (A "refraction fee.")
What kind of scam is this?
I thought one of the principal reasons for getting an eye exam is to determine whether or not you can see properly -- and if not, to get corrective lenses, which you need a prescription to do.
I balked. I've never heard of such a thing in my life. I could perhaps see an additional charge if I were seeing Dr. Coad, who is a medical doctor (ophthalmologist) and the brand name, but this is for seeing a staff optometrist who can't even sell me a pair of glasses. (It's a doctor's office, not an optician.) I'm guessing this is some reaction to changes in health care laws that perhaps are making him get paid less via insurance -- he does get my copayment, too, though -- but I could go to any Lens Crafters on the street and get a free exam and obviously a prescription for glasses, so I guess it no longer makes sense for me to have a relationship with this man or his office.
The fact that I made my appointment in person and this was not addressed, then specifically asked them to call me to remind me about my appointment and they did not only added a double layer of poor customer service to the whole thing, which was a colossal waste of my time. (I'd love to hear what they'd say if I asked them to pay me $75 for my time and energy.)
Am I missing something?
