Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does AA EYECARE not accept more vision plans?
A: Vision plans have very low reimbursement for doctors. Many docs have to sign contracts with them to drive glass sales through their stores, hoping that the revenue from selling glasses could make up for the loss in exam fees. Since AA EYECARE is only leasing the office space from Costco and does not get any profit from Costco Optical's sales, it is not financially viable for AA EYECARE to sign these unfair contracts with vision plans. All of the health insurance plans AA EYECARE is contracted with tend to have routine vision coverage every 12 to 24 months so AA EYECARE won't bill your eye exam to your vision plan unless there is no alternative. This is why it is best to also bring your main health insurance card to your visit to avoid coverage issues. Even if your health insurance rejects a routine eye exam claim, it will go towards building your deductible, which is good for you. Regardless of the exam situation, Costco Optical does accept most vision plans for material purchases, which is the original purpose of these plans.
Q: Is an ultra-widefield retinal imaging system such as Optomap better than dilation with drops?
A: The advantages of Optomap versus dilation are obvious. It is faster and does not have the side effects of dilation with drops, which include light sensitivity, blurriness, and general discomfort for up to 4 hours after the drop. Dilation also requires you to sit in the office waiting for half an hour and the doctor has to shine a strong light into your eyes for up to 5 mins to look in your eyes. An imaging system also has the advantage of snapshotting everything, which makes it easy for doctors to cross-compare to detect small changes in the future. A picture is also worth a thousand words. Optomap does not rely on doctors to use words to describe what he or she sees. Nevertheless, dilation is needed in a few rare scenarios: in pediatric exams where a child's prescription is uncertain due to over-accommodation, when a patient's pupil is extremely small or a dense cataract is preventing Optomap from obtaining a satisfactory image, and when special compression tools are needed to see retinal breaks near the front of the eyeball.
Q: How does Medicare work for my eye exam at AA EYECARE?
A: AA EYECARE does have an official contract with Medicare. However, whether Medicare will pay for an eye exam depends on many factors that are impossible to find out at first, including whether AA EYECARE is also contracted with the specific plan of your secondary insurance. Since Medicare does not have a customer service system for verifying coverage, the only sure way to find out if Medicare will pay AA EYECARE is to let AA EYECARE bill Medicare for the exam. For every new Medicare patient visiting AA EYECARE, the current policy is to pay a refraction fee of $50 since it is assumed that Medicare will not pay for the routine portion of the exam. The medical assessment portion of the exam will be reported to Medicare and then forwarded to the secondary insurance by Medicare as needed. Regardless of whether the insurance pays for the exam, AA EYECARE will surrender the right to bill the unmeet amount to patients later, and in exchange, does not guarantee the refund of the $50 refraction fee. This will not be a problem for returning Medicare patients.
Q: How does MassHealth (Medicaid) work for my eye exam at AA EYECARE?
A: AA EYECARE does have an official contract with MassHealth. However, AA EYECARE can only bill MassHealth if you have a MassHealth Standard plan. If you are unsure what type of MassHealth plan you have, you could text your MassHealth ID to Dr. Li at 857-423-8709 to let him check it for you. MassHealth could also be a secondary supplement to certain commercial insurance carriers such as WellSense or Mass General Brigham ACO, which AA EYECARE is a part of. Depending on the type of plan, a copay could apply at the visit. Other MassHealth plans are unfortunately not accepted by AA EYECARE.
Q: What if I am considering LASIK or other refractive surgery?
A: Dr. Li has extensive experience in the refractive surgery industry from his work at surgical centers. Dr. Li still maintains those connections and offers co-management services for refractive surgery. Feel free to ask Dr. Li any questions during your yearly exam regarding your candidacy and recommendations for refractive surgery. If you have already decided to proceed with the surgery, you can also schedule a free pre-op visit to kick-start your process. Dr. Li will help you schedule your surgery appointment at the surgery centers he worked at in Boston (TLC or LVI). Feel free to look up these nationally renowned centers for more information.
Q: What if I just want a secondary opinion or a recheck of my prescription?
A: If your prescription is more than 1 year old, Dr. Li needs to perform a comprehensive exam because he is legally liable for any eye problem missed during any yearly visit. It is also good for your eye health to have yearly eye exams. If your prescription is between 3 months to 1 year old, Dr. Li will charge a refraction fee of $50. If Dr. Li adjusts your script within 3 months after it is written, the fee will be waived if it was Dr. Li who made a mistake before. Costco also allows free remake of glasses as long as it is within 3 months of purchase. Feel free to text Dr. Li at 857-423-8709 to ask about your situation.
Q: What if I just want a contact lens fit with an existing glass prescription?
A: If your glass prescription is more than 1 year old, Dr. Li needs to perform a comprehensive eye exam before contact lens fitting because he is legally liable for any eye problem missed during any yearly visit. It is also good for your eye health to have yearly eye exams. If your glass prescription is between 3 months to 1 year old, Dr. Li will charge a repeat refraction fee of $50 in addition to the standard lens fitting fee since Dr. Li needs to know the most up-to-date glasses script for the best chance of a successful fit when your prescription is no longer recent. Dr. Li usually does not need to repeat refraction if your glasses script is less than 3 months old, so the standard fee for contact lens fit will apply (please check fee details on the booking page). Keep in mind that you get a $20 discount if you do your eye exam and contact lens fit on the same day, which is encouraged. There is also a training fee of $20 if this is the first time you try contact lenses. Feel free to text Dr. Li at 857-423-8709 to ask about your situation.