May 1, 2024
By Wes McCann, OD
By presenting myopia management as an essential health investment and providing manageable payment options, health care providers can help ensure that all children have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of early myopia intervention, regardless of their family’s financial situation.
Photo Credit: iStock, Getty Images
Presenting myopia management fees to low-income families can be a challenging task. However, with a careful and compassionate approach, it’s possible to communicate the critical importance of early myopia control and the long-term health and financial benefits it can offer. I’ve developed strategies to present myopia management fees to low-income families, emphasizing the pathological importance of myopia control, the potential for long-term savings, and the flexibility of payment plan programs.
Understanding Myopia and Its Management
It is critical we explain simply what myopia is to a parent and why it concerns you as the health care practitioner. A sample conversation with a parent might look like this:
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common vision condition where distant objects appear blurry while close objects are clear. Beyond the inconvenience of needing glasses or contact lenses, myopia can lead to severe eye health issues, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts, and myopic maculopathy if left unmanaged. Early intervention through myopia management can significantly reduce the progression of myopia and the risk of these associated pathologies.
From there, we can delve further into how myopia can be managed effectively:
This involves a two-step approach: ongoing monitoring of the eye’s condition with measurements of the elongation of the eye to detect any worsening of myopia and applying specific treatments to slow its progression. These treatments include using specially designed contact lenses or eyeglasses and, in some cases, pharmaceuticals intended for children. The advantages of managing myopia are significant, not only improving vision clarity but also contributing to the preservation of eye health and minimizing the potential financial burden of needing stronger prescription lenses in the future.
The Economic Perspective: Investing in Your Child’s Health
For many families, especially those with limited financial resources, the cost of myopia management may seem prohibitive. However, framing it as an investment in a child’s long-term eye health and economic well-being can help shift the perspective. By managing myopia from an early age, there is a lower likelihood of the child developing high myopia, which requires more expensive high-index lenses and is associated with a greater risk of severe eye diseases.
Early intervention can lead to significant savings over a lifetime by reducing the need for frequent prescription changes, minimizing the risk of costly eye conditions, and avoiding the higher costs associated with stronger prescriptions. Furthermore, by investing in myopia management, families can help ensure their children enjoy better vision and quality of life, which is invaluable. This is something I emphasize to all of our patients and their families.
Payment Plan Programs: Making Myopia Management Accessible
One of the most effective ways to make myopia management more accessible to low-income families is by introducing payment plan programs. Services such as Affirm, CareCredit, or Sunbit allow patients to break down the total cost of the myopia management program and treatments into smaller, more manageable payments over a period of three months, six months, or even a year. This approach makes it feasible for families on a tight budget to afford the care their children need without incurring financial strain. A combination of $1,000 in myopia management products and services throughout a year can be broken down to as little as $39 biweekly for a patient.
Payment plan programs offer several advantages:
- Flexibility: Families can choose a payment schedule that fits their budget, making it easier to manage their finances without sacrificing essential health services
- Ease: By automating payments, these plans reduce the administrative burden on both the family and the health care provider. The office does not need to chase outstanding balances, as the payment service manages the process.
- Access: Payment plans open the door for more children to receive myopia management, ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent anyone from accessing necessary health care.
Communicating the Value of Myopia Management
When presenting myopia management fees and payment options to low-income families, it’s crucial to communicate clearly and empathetically. Here are some strategies to consider:
- Educate about the importance of early myopia management: Explain the long-term health risks associated with unmanaged myopia and the potential for significant cost savings over time.
- Highlight the investment aspect: Emphasize that starting myopia management treatment is an investment in the child’s future, both in terms of health and financial savings.
- Introduce payment plan options early in the conversation: Make sure families are aware of payment plans from the beginning so they do not dismiss myopia management as unaffordable before understanding the flexible payment options.
- Provide examples and testimonials: Sharing success stories from other families who have benefited from myopia management can help build trust and demonstrate the value of the program.
Myopia management represents a crucial investment in a child’s future health and well-being, offering significant long-term benefits, including reduced risk of eye diseases and financial savings. Understanding and accessing myopia management can be challenging for low-income families, but it becomes much more feasible with the right approach and the availability of flexible payment plans. By presenting myopia management as an essential health investment and providing manageable payment options, health care providers can help ensure that all children have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of early myopia intervention, regardless of their family’s financial situation.
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Dr. McCann attended Western University and Nova Southeastern University where he earned three Honours Bachelor of Science degrees, an accelerated MBA, and Doctorate of Optometry. Dr. McCann owns eight practices in London, Ontario, and the surrounding area, and he is a professional consultant for Johnson & Johnson Vision. He has been on the faculty at the Canadian Dry Eye Summit and has lectured at hundreds of events and across various platforms on contact lenses, ocular disease, dry eye disease, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. Dr. McCann has taught clinical externs from the Waterloo School of Optometry, has served on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Association of Optometrists from 2016-2018, and is currently on the Board of Directors for Eye Recommend. He has been published in numerous journals, including Review of Optometry and Review of Myopia Management. In 2017, he was a recipient of the Top 20 Under 40 Award for his business achievements and community involvement in London, Ontario. |
