Solstice Provider Blog

The American Optometry Association considers MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015), a fairly recent healthcare payment reform, to be a big win for optometrists. Why? Because it distinguishes optometrists as physicians. Why is this important? It means that while optometrists are subject to the quality standards established by the new legislation, they are also eligible for the incentives that will be awarded to clinicians who meet the standards. As a result, it’s important for optometrists to understand this reform, the criteria that’s used to evaluate the overall quality of a physician’s services and the two avenues they can use to grow their payments from this federal health insurance program. 

Recently, my mom had a negative experience at a dental office. She left feeling cheated and insulted. Needless to say, her plan is never to return to that office. Feeling horrible for her, I made plans the next week to visit the office with her and get a copy of her treatment plan and claim form. We arrived at the office and soon after, one of the ladies at the front desk started preparing the documents. While she did that, my mom started to tell her about her experience and why she was displeased.The dental assistant started off listening and then it disintegrated into defending. As the conversation progressed, I watched her make three mistakes dental offices should never make with an angry dental patient: