New Patient
From the time of scheduling until the time you head home we look forward to making your first experience with us a pleasant and memorable one.
What to expect from your first visit.
We ask that you complete and send us the new patient forms prior to your office visit. Prior to your appointment you will be contacted by one of our Patient Registration Specialists, and they will review the completed forms, insurance information, and medical history with you (such as previous surgeries, current medications, current medical issues, and the reason for your visit). If you haven’t had a chance to complete your new patient paperwork you will still be contacted for a pre-registration session – this helps to reduce your in office paperwork time. All minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Don’t forget to bring these items with you:
- Drivers License or Photo ID
- Insurance Card/ Drug Rx Card
- Pair of Sunglasses (we have extras if you forget yours!)
- Medications/Eye drops
New Patient appointments typically last about 1 hour and include pupil dilation. Patients are reminded that their vision may be blurry and light sensitive after their dilated exam which can make driving difficult. After your visit, we will collect any necessary co-pays, co-insurance and/or non-covered services at our check out stations.
We will provide you with your registration information for My Online Clinic, schedule you for your next exam, and answer any last minute questions you may have. My Online Clinic will be your online access to information about your eye exam.
Insurances & Vision Plans Accepted
Listed below are a few of the insurances we accept. We accept numerous other insurance plans, so please call our office at 864.335.0667 to inquire about your plan.
We are also proud to accept many of the Medicare Advantage plans being offered including; AARP Medicare Complete, Care Improvement Plus, BCBS Medicare Advantage, and Humana Gold Choice. If you aren’t sure if we accept your plan or not please feel free to call our office– we would love to hear from you!
Our office also accepts a variety of Vision Plans to accommodate annual, routine eye exams. We currently accept: VSP, Spectera, EyeMed (Vision Access Plan Only), Vision Eye Care Group and Physicians Eye Care. Please note: not all of our physicians participate with each plan, therefore at the time of scheduling your appointment please specify which vision plan you currently have, and which physician you would like to see.
How do I make an appointment?
Appointment requests can be made through our website or you can call us at (864)479-8828. We will want most of your demographic information in advance, and prior to scheduling the actual appointment, we will verify your insurance to make sure you are being scheduled with a Doctor who accepts your plan (please be prepared to provide us with the primary insured’s complete name, date of birth and social security number). We will do our best to get your appointment scheduled as soon as possible in the location of your choice. Patients under 16 years of age must be accompanied by the parent and/or legal guardian (or have the completed consent form).
What patient forms must be filled out and when?
All new patients, and patients who have not been seen within 3 years, will need to complete our New Patient Form. This Form includes your complete demographic information, medical history, current medical status, and consent forms. Our pediatric paperwork is for our patients 0-15 years old and must be signed by the parent and/or legal guardian of the minor. Our Contact Lens Fitting Evaluation & Management policy is for our patients who currently wear or would like to wear contact lenses, and this form must be completed prior to seeing the Doctor. All of our patient forms can be completed on the patient portal, printed from our website or mailed to our patients at their request. Please complete the paperwork prior to your arrival and either fax ((864) 626-0757) or mail the forms back to our office: ATTN: PATIENT REGISTRATION
What is refraction?
Refraction is a subjective test that is performed to check for changes in your vision, and/or to give you a new prescription for your glasses. The test also allows the Doctor to know what your best-corrected vision is, which helps them in making a determination if your vision problems are related to something medical. The refraction is performed using a phoropter or refractor. Your insurance may not cover this refraction service, therefore you may have to pay for this service at the time of the exam.
Why was I charged for a refraction?
Medicare and other insurances sometimes do not cover refraction charges (a refraction is the test to determine your best-corrected vision which allows us to provide you an eyeglass prescription). Your doctor may choose to perform a refraction, and if your insurance does not cover a refraction, then you will be charged for $45.
Do I have to pay anything at my visit, or can you just bill me?
The insurance company that you are contracted with determines if you will have a co-pay for your visit or if your visit will be applied to your deductible. It is your legal responsibility to pay for any co-payments and/or co-insurance due at the time of service, as well as any non-covered services.
What if I can't pay my full amount due at the time of service?
We understand that sometimes meeting a deductible can be hard (especially with a high-deductible plan). We do ask that patients make some type of payment at the time of service, and one of our Certified Patient Service Specialists in our billing department will be happy to make any additional payment arrangements for you.
Will my insurance pay for my visit?
It will be our pleasure to file your insurance for you, however, we are not always able to tell what your plan will or will not cover. We do our best to track trends that the insurance companies we file to respond to (i.e., non-covered services) but often we will not know until we file. You will still need to pay your co-pay and any known non-covered services at the time of service, but we will be happy to file your insurance for the remaining amounts and see how they respond.
I came for my annual eye exam, but you filed my medical insurance. Can't you just re-file the visit?
Vision plans are designed to be used for routine, annual eye exams. We do our best to ask our patients at the time of scheduling, confirmation, and check-in “Will you be using a vision plan today?”, but sometimes the information is not known. If we file your medical insurance for a routine eye exam your visit will more than likely be non-covered making the expense 100% patient liability. This is why it is so important to communicate the insurance you want to file. We cannot go back and change what we have filed. However, sometimes patients come in for a routine eye exam and there may be a medical issue preventing us from filing the vision insurance. This occurs in rare situations, but it can happen. Your doctor will let you know if something comes up that would prevent us from filing your vision plan and it will ultimately be your decision how you would like to proceed. We are here to help you make informed decisions at every step.
Why am I being charged a Contact Lens Fitting Fee?
In order for the Doctor to accurately prescribe your contact lenses for you, it is imperative that they evaluate your eyes and obtain additional measurements. A Contact Lens Fitting provides the Doctor with the necessary K-readings needed to make sure your contacts will not only fit great but be the best match they can be for you and your needs. Your Contact Lens Fitting also provides you with the peace of mind that your Doctor has taken into account your complete medical history, as well as your lifestyle to match you with the perfect lenses.