I know that Medicare covers for general eye checks, but do they rebate anything extra that you pay for at opsm? I payed extra $60 there to get my eye scanned with the machine, wanted to know if it could be claimed?
Medicare rebate for eye check
DEvok on 18/01/2013 - 03:24
Comments
From my experience, an eye check including retinal scan/photo at Specsavers is all on Medicare. They don't charge you anything in store, all done electronically.
Yes that is my experience too.
OP As the ad goes "Should of gone to Specsavers"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq3H1QZlct0
"Should've gone to Specsavers" ad run.
Funny set, looks like they did quite a few versions! =)
does the customer get a digital copy of the scan?
Sorry, I don't know. I just saw it on the TV.
What is the benefit of a digital copy?
What is the benefit of a digital copy?
so you have an image for your own records? i mean if you are paying for it then why shouldn't you get a copy
No, at specsavers the optometrist showed me the scans and explained the health or any concerns, but did not handout any prints.
my optometrist at opsm burned me a dvd with the scans
You need to ask for these things.
I went to OPSM to get a standard Eye Test, they showed me all the values then I realised I could only get them if I explicitly asked for a prescription.
They left the PD off it along with various other values. ><
I just called Medicare and they asked if my receipt had a 100 number, and it does. Was told I could claim, and now just went to Medicare centre and was told that because it was bulk billing i wouldnt be able to claim anything?
I believe that means (and I'm no expert) that OPSM has already claimed for the claimable amount on your behalf. Doesn't sound like you'll be able to claim the out of pocket expense.
Ah alright, so does that mean I'm actually losing anything or works out to be easier for the customer? Was thinking that I should be charged $100 and was able to claim $40 but opsm charged me $60 and they get paid the $40 from Medicare claims?
That's what it sounds like.
Maybe Specsavers is the better deal for next time, if there is no out of pocket expense?
Especially since - if there is an abnormality on your scan - you'll have to go to an Ophthalmologist and that's going to be quite expensive.
Thanks, so your saying that specs avers actually do the retina eye scan for free of charge, only need Medicare card?
I had a retina scan at Specsavers few months ago and didn't have to pay for anything
It's bulk billed, covered once every 2 years.
Hi, I am an optometrist who has worked at both OPSM and Specsavers. Regarding the cost of an eyetest, all Australians with a Medicare card can have an eyetest free of charge as many times as you need. If you feel like your vision has changed or you have a sore eye for example, you can have an eyetest under Medicare even if less then 2years. Even less than 2 weeks. All that changes is how much rebate the optom receives. The only time you shouldn't have an eyetest bulk billed is if you had a recent eyetest (say 9months or less) but want to buy frames elsewhere and are too scared to ask your optom for the script. Your optom legally has to give you your script to use how you please even if it is very old ie even if over 2years old.
Regarding the cost of a photo (digital retinal scan is just a fancy name of that) most private practise optoms and OPSM charge between $30 to $50 for the photo. This is because the machine costs about 50,000 and Medicare doesn't cover it. It is not really diagnostic because your Optom can look at the back of your eye anyway and see everything the photo shows plus more, but it is useful as a record to compare to next exam to ensure no changes..
Specsavers decided to stick to its budget image and does not charge anything for the photo and takes it on all patients as screening. This just means specsavers loses out $40 per person but they don't have to bother "selling" it. I personally don't think the SS camera is quite as good quality but only falls short slightly, and is a great deal for free. I do however think SS's decision to not charge was a bad idea as it makes it very difficult for independant optoms to compete as the machine is so expensive.
Specsavers have a MUCH lower profit margin per person, and rely on being very busy each day to make money. They have great equipment, and the quslity of eyetesting is just as good as opsm, but you may just feel rushed because they have to see more people a day because they don't charge you any extras and give cheap glasses.
If you are talking about a retina scan, I think Medicare does cover for 2 of them per calendar year. But it would best to call Medicare and ask.