Residents & Family
Frequently Asked Questions from Residents and Family Members
This page is designed to answer many of the commonly asked questions we receive from the Family Members of Nursing Home Residents.
General Questions:
How do we request an eye exam for a resident?
If the nursing home is in the Buffalo or Rochester area, chances are good we provide care for the resident’s there. If we visit the nursing home, simply contact the nursing home’s eye care coordinator and request the exam.
Who provides your eyeglass fitting and repair services?
In the majority of the facilities we visit, eyeglass services are provided through our affiliated optician, Mr. Tom Foote, The Mobile Optician. For more information about Mr. Foote and his eyeglass services, please visit his website.
Insurance/Billing Questions:
I received a bill for eye care services from you for my family member/friend who lives in a nursing home, but this resident now has Medicaid. What should I do?
Sometimes we do not receive fully up-to-date insurance information from the nursing homes, so we do apologize for the inconvenience.
If the resident was Medicaid eligible at the time of service, we will gladly waive any co-payments if you would kindly send us the resident’s Medicaid ID number.
I received a bill for eye care services from you for my family member/friend who lives in a nursing home, but I didn’t specifically request this service. Why was an eye exam performed?
As eye care consultants to the nursing home, we only perform eye exams when they are ordered by the nursing home and the resident’s attending physician.
Our contract with the nursing home requires that approval from the resident’s financially responsible party be obtained either on admission or prior to an exam being requested.
If you require further explanation as to why the exam consult was ordered, please contact the nursing home.
Are there any insurance plans that don’t cover in-house eye care services?
At the present time, Univera/Senior Choice is the only Western New York insurance plan that does not cover our visiting eye care service. We ask that residents with Univera/Senior Choice who need eye care be scheduled with a local ophthalmologist or optometrist who accepts the insurance.
We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but please note this is due to Univera’s restrictions.
Eye Care Questions:
Where can I find out more about various eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration?
We highly recommend the great free articles you can view at All About Vision.
Do you perform eye exams for individual patients who are home-bound in their private homes?
No, we’re sorry but insurance regulations prohibit us from making house calls to private residences.