RANCHO CORDOVA, CA – VSP Global has expanded access to essential medical eye care services for most VSP Vision Care insured members and their covered dependents in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The police went into effect April 1 and runs through April 30 for most VSP members who did not already have this benefit.
These members now have access to supplemental medical eyecare for the detection, treatment and management of ocular and visual conditions, and can see their VSP network doctor in-person or remotely to get treatment for a variety of conditions including conjunctivitis, eye trauma and sudden changes to vision, the company said in a press release. Eligible members can also use their routine VSP coverage for lost or broken glasses or replacement contact lenses to meet immediate eyewear needs by contacting their VSP network doctor.
“Expanding essential medical eye care services for VSP members is critical to ensure they can access the care they need in this COVID-19 environment,” said Michael Guyette, president and CEO of VSP Global. “In doing so, we can help keep VSP members and their VSP network doctors connected, lowering the likelihood of our members visiting primary care physicians or emergency rooms and reducing demand on our strained healthcare system during this unprecedented time.”
Recently, optometrists were included as essential critical infrastructure workers as part of guidance from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Additionally, as new legislation allows optometric physicians the flexibility and recognition to treat patients remotely, a webinar resource for VSP network doctors, “Optometry & Telemedicine During COVID-19,” is now available from Premier Academy360. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine can make it safer for doctors and patients by allowing doctors to communicate, evaluate and manage certain eye health needs, the release explains. The webinar explores guidelines and how a practice can implement telemedicine, as well as information about telemedicine coverage through VSP plans. It is available here.
Additionally, Eyefinity is providing telemedicine functionality to all Eyefinity EHR users to enable efficient documentation and coding of remote patient consultations. This supports VSP network doctors’ ability to ramp up telemedicine capabilities for patients with essential eye care needs. In the coming weeks, Eyefinity is also slated to make available patient video chat technology for Eyefinity EHR users.