Vision care providers-are you ready for ACA?

San Diego-Is your practice on track to be compliant with the eye health provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which take effect Jan. 1, 2014?

ACA compliance requires significant changes to provider enrollment policies and procedures. Among other provisions, the new healthcare laws require that a yearly comprehensive eye exam be covered for individuals age 19 and under. This could mean potentially millions of new patients who previously did not have coverage.

“Optometrists and ophthalmologists should be prepared to employ the new laws and ensure that they are included in the various health care plans that will become available under the health insurance exchanges,” said Sandy T. Feldman, MD, a nationally-recognized ophthalmologist and corneal expert.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), a few of the top changes for vision care providers as a result of the ACA include:

• The development of a health insurance exchange that will create thousands of newly insured individuals and patients.

• The expansion of Medicaid to individuals who are 133% below the poverty line could mean a potential significant increase in Medicaid patients.

• The formation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) and Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) as cost-containment measures could mean potential savings for providers as a result of improved management of a patient’s care.