Austin Vision Therapy Center Publishes Article On How To Have Austin Eye Care Covered By Insurance

Austin Vision Therapy Center has announced that they have recently published a blog post on their website that tackles the insurance coverage of eye care or treatment. The therapy center offers vision therapy for treating a number of eye conditions. Some of these conditions are poor focusing, crossed or wandering eyes, poor eye tracking, lazy eyes, headaches, and reduced academic performance. Unfortunately, it is possible that the treatment many not be covered by some insurance plans. The article offers suggestions on the steps that people can take to request for a review with the goal of having the insurance cover vision therapy.

Dr. Denise Smith, founder and clinical director of Austin Vision Therapy Center, says, “The first step is to review your Explanation of Benefits from your health insurance provider for pediatric eye care. This can help you determine if there is a statement about the exclusion or inclusion coverage for Orthoptics or Vision Therapy. Some of those plans explicitly state they don’t provide coverage for these services. Other plans may provide coverage for vision therapy for dyslexia, learning disabilities, and more. There are certain treatments for educational problems and learning disabilities that are not provided in the major medical insurance coverage. This doesn’t often include coverage for vision therapy, which is the treatment of the diagnosed problem.”

For those who are still unsure whether a particular Austin eye care and treatment is covered by their insurance plan after completing the first step, the next step is to request for a written statement. The written statement will provide a clear reason as to why the coverage was limited or denied. If the statement indicates that the coverage does not regard vision therapy as a medical necessity or will not be effective in treating the problem, additional documentation to support that claim can be requested. It should be noted that several research studies and clinical reports have already proven the effectiveness of vision therapy and orthoptics. It is possible that the insurance provider had not looked into those studies.

Meanwhile, some health insurance plans may state that it was their medical consultant who decided that vision therapy should not be covered. If such is the case, it is possible to request for the qualifications of that consultant. If an optometrist did not review the claim for vision therapy who will also be the one to provide those services, then a full medical peer review was not conducted. Two examples of medical peer reviews are the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) and the Fellows of COVD. Both groups are Board Certified in Vision Development and Therapy. It is possible to ask that the claim be reviewed by a Fellow of the COVD or by the Peer Review Committee of the College.

And lastly, there may be a need to provide additional documentation. Sometimes, the claim may be denied because the insurance provider or medical consultant believes there is insufficient evidence to prove the effectiveness of vision therapy. Thus, provision of additional documentation can result in the approval of insurance coverage.

Furthermore, Dr. Denise Smith wants to stress that even if the insurance company refuses to pay for vision therapy, it does not mean that people should not make use of this kind of service. People can also request their doctor at Austin Vision Therapy Center about payment options that may be of help to them in allowing family members to receive vision therapy.

Austin Vision Therapy Center was established in 2004 Dr. Denise Smith, who now serves as the clinical director. Dr. Smith and her team are committed to finding and providing solutions for various kinds of vision problems. People who are interested in getting more information about the services provided can visit their website at http://austinvisiontherapycenter.com/, or contact them by telephone or via email. Their office hours are from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm for Mondays and Fridays, and from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.