Over 5,400 spectacles have been dispensed to people in need across NSW since Vision Australia took on the NSW Spectacles Program in July. The program was previously administered for 22 years by VisionCare NSW.
Luisa Ferronato, Spectacles Program Project Manager at Vision Australia said technical issues that delayed the full launch of the program for two weeks have been overcome and most of the 250 optometrists who have signed up as NSW Spectacles Program providers have quickly mastered the online facilitation process. She said initial concerns about the administrative time and effort required by providers to facilitate online claims have been dispelled.
The new online system enables registered optometrists and optical dispensers to immediately find out whether a patient is eligible for free spectacles, based on answers entered to three questions. If a person is not eligible, the system enables the provider to print off the reason why straight away and in any of six languages, which helps with patient communication. Approved patients can have their spectacles dispensed immediately.
Sydney optometrist Janis Stein says it saves valuable time. “It is definitely much quicker to process online than using the complicated written forms. The jobs come through much more quickly,” she said.
VisionCare NSW was forced to close its doors in July following the Department of Family and Community Services’ decision to shift the NSW Spectacles Program contract to Vision Australia. VisionCare NSW’s General Manager Hugh Thompson said having held the contract for 22 years the news came as a shock. “There was a tender (process) but we were told that no one got the tender. They said they were working with us and we asked for a long contract. We went to a meeting to find out what was happening as we were continuously being given short term contracts and that’s when we were told.”
Not Involved in Tender
Mr. Thompson said VisionCare NSW was not aware that Vision Australia had been involved in the tender process, and indeed, the organisation wasn’t.According to Ms. Ferronato, Vision Australia saw the call for tenders but decided not to make a submission because at that point the organisation “wasn’t ready to move into the spectacle supply space” and the tender requirements “didn’t fit where we were heading”.
Having identified no successful tenderers, the Department of Family and Community Services approached Vision Australia to discuss alternative arrangements.
Ms. Ferronato said the requirements changed and it became apparent that Vision Australia was now suited to take on the role. “The new role involves back of house functionality rather than the previous model which was heavily involved in the supply of spectacles,” she said. Vision Australia pre-screens patients for eligibility if they call in to find out about the service and directs them to their nearest program provider. When necessary, Vision Australia staff are available to help allay any angst felt by patients who discover they are ineligible for the program.
Quality Questioned
Under the new arrangements, optometrists and optical dispensers are free to source and dispense their own frames and lenses, which, Ms. Stein says is advantageous because, “it’s good to be able to use your own suppliers to negotiate the best deal”. Michael Christensen from The Optical shop in Campbelltown said this arrangement also enables him to move old stock without placing it on sale. “For the first time, there is another option to turn over last season’s premium stock,” he said.
However, Mr. Thompson said several spectacle suppliers have been hurt by this new arrangement and they’re angry. Under the Vision Care NSW spectacle program they were required to keep plentiful stocks of inexpensive eyewear which is no longer required. “They didn’t know what was happening, they got the same notice as we got,” he said.
With providers now dispensing their own stock, a question mark has been raised over the quality of frames and lenses being provided. Ms. Ferronato said Vision Australia has put measures in place to mitigate the risk.
“Under their agreement, the spectacles dispensed must meet Australian standards and adhere to warranty periods etc,” she said, adding that in addition to this, Vision Australia is using two methodologies to manage quality. “We are surveying patients for satisfaction with glasses and monitoring the rate of repeat frames ordered due to damage.”
She said most optometrists are happy with the new system with some investing in smartphones and tablets to enable mobile access to the portal. She acknowledged that there are a few who still hold concerns. “Some optometrists and optical dispensers are the only provider registered in their area and they feel they’re carrying the load, which is a concern for them.
“There were some original concerns that managing patients through the portal would take a lot of time and the reimbursement rates didn’t reflect the cost of this. However, those optometrists and dispensers have since told us the system is much faster to administer than the previous system and the service is better.”
Ms. Ferronato said Vision Australia meets with Optometry Australia fortnightly to compare and contrast feedback from their members with feedback received by Vision Australia. “So we’re hearing the positives and negatives and responding accordingly,” she said.
