Welcome to our Online Patient Center! Read our frequently asked questions about using vision and medical insurance. Our staff will do everything we can to make sure your experience is pleasant and convenient. We want to make sure you understand how to utilize your insurance so don’t hesitate to ask!
Questions about Insurance
Please understand that it is the patient’s responsibility to know if your insurance has any deductible, copayment, co-insurance, out-of-network, usual and customary limit, prior authorization requirements or any other type of benefit limitation for the services rendered.
Though we accept most insurance plans, we encourage you to call us to gain a clearer understanding of what benefits your insurer allows and learn about other means of financing your eye and vision care.
Vision Plans Accepted:
- Avesis
- Eyemed
- Spectera
- Superior
- VSP
Medicare Advantage Plans:
- AARP (not UHC West-back of card bottom centre)
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield Medicare Advantage
Medical Plans Accepted:
- Aetna
- Ameriben
- Anthem
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield Federal
- Cigna
- GEHA
- Humana
- Medicare
- Meritain
- Southwest Teamsters
- Tricare
- Triwest PC3
- United Health Care
We accept other plans as well, so if you do not see your plan listed here, please give us a call and we would be happy to assist you. Please contact your insurance provider for specific details regarding your benefits.
Vision benefits cover vision-related services and may be used for care related to the refractive condition, or vision of the eye. Visits for glasses and contact lenses are differentiated from “eye health” visits that involve a medical condition that requires medical treatment. In the event your doctor discovers a medical reason to be the cause of your vision problem which requires follow-up care, vision benefits will not cover it.
Many patients have a vision plan to cover their annual eye examination. Some vision plans are part of your medical insurance. If you do not have a vision insurance plan, you may schedule your visit under your medical insurance.
Vision insurance may pay for the majority of the cost of a routine eye exam when blurry vision, eyestrain or headaches are a problem. A routine eye exam is when your doctor checks your vision, analyzes your eyeglass / contact lens prescription and evaluates your entire eye health. Vision insurance may also cover some of the cost of materials, such as glasses or contact lenses. Most vision insurances usually limit the coverage to one exam per year.
If your doctor is finds a health condition or is concerned about a potential medical condition during your eye exam we may need to schedule you to return for a medical office visit, for which you may use your medical insurance. Medical conditions can be any problem from dry eyes to sight-threatening eye disease. Medical insurance is used when your doctor needs to perform more testing, special diagnostic procedures, or follow you to monitor a condition. Medical insurance will be submitted for as many visits as required for medical causes of blurry vision such as dry eyes, cataracts and glaucoma.
If we are not notified 24 hours in advance that you are unable to keep your appointment, you will be subject to a $50.00 no-show fee.
We accept cash, checks, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover & Care Credit. We also offer payment plans. Please ask our staff for details.
Care credit is a program that allows you to make purchases at AVC and pay them off monthly instead of all at once. Applying takes just a minute, and it’s usually easy to be approved. With care credit you’re able to get up to 12 months of interest-free financing! Ask our staff how to get started. In the unusual case you are not approved for care credit, we offer 4 months interest-free financing on all purchases of over $400. There is a $15 fee for this payment plan and this way, we spread the payment out over 4 months to make it easier on the purse.