A new service available from VISTAKON®, a division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. allows practitioners to offer their patients convenient contact lens delivery by mail. The program, known as ACUVUE® DIRECT™, is designed to enhance patient convenience, improve patients’ contact lens wear habits and drive health education. ACUVUE ® DIRECT™ has recently been tested in select markets and is now available nationwide. “

Jacksonville, Fla., March 06, 2009
Until now it has been tough for the private practitioner to compete with the convenience of the commercial mail-order suppliers of contact lenses,” says Joseph M. Thallemer, OD, in practice in Warsaw, Ind. “Once you lose a patient to the mail-order services, the ordering is entirely at their discretion and we don’t really know whether they are getting lenses regularly or not,” he says. In a typical practice, some contact lens patients take their prescriptions with them, rather than ordering lenses through the practice. Others order a box or two at a time, calling repeatedly throughout the year when they need more lenses.

Those frequent re-orders are a hassle for patients and a financial drain on the practice, says Ann Hoscheit, OD, FAAO of Summit Eye Associates in Gastonia, N.C. “From a business perspective, we can decrease staff time and overhead expenses as well as make it easier for our patients if more of them order a year’s supply at a time,” she says.

Breaking down consumer barriers

Market research conducted by VISTAKON has shown that cost is often a barrier, especially when it comes to the ideal of a one-year supply of contact lenses. For many patients, an outlay of $300 – $700 for an annual supply of lenses is simply more than they can afford to pay all at once, especially during these challenging economic conditions. ACUVUE® DIRECT™ will now let them spread the financial commitment out over four equal payments during the year—and still take advantage of cost-saving rebates.

After signing up for the program at their provider’s office, patients automatically receive a three-month supply at quarterly intervals, along with a fresh contact lens case (contact lens case included only in two-week lens wearers orders) to encourage good lens care habits , a reminder about their wearing schedule and during the final shipment the patient is prompted to return back to their provider’s office for an annual exam With each shipment, their credit card is charged for one fourth the cost of the annual supply, with the payment remitted to the doctor’s office. Credit card validation is automatically handled by an ACUVUE® DIRECT™ third party vendor, so the doctor doesn’t have to worry about verifying payment information each quarter. “

Getting that shipment in the mail serves as a visual reminder for the patient that he or she should be almost out of lenses,” says Christine Cook, OD, of The Eye Specialists in Virginia Beach, Va. And reminders are necessary, she says. “People are busy, and unfortunately, many patients stretch out a three-month supply to six or even nine months before getting around to ordering more.”

Dr. Hoscheit agrees that automatic shipments are a good way to encourage compliance. “When patients have lenses on hand, they tend to replace them more regularly,” she says. “I really think we’ll see healthier eyes with less contact lens-related problems and fewer unscheduled office visits when we have more people signed up for this program.”

A smooth start

Vistakon began training doctors and their staff on the ACUVUE® DIRECT™ program late last year and, so far, the response has been positive. “The online enrolment system is really easy to use, even for someone who isn’t particularly computer- savvy,” says Kathy Sparrow, an administrator in Dr. Thallemer’s office who has been registering patients for the service.

“One of my goals is to increase the percentage of patients who order an annual supply of lenses,” says Dr. Thallemer, explaining that only about 20% of his patients currently make that choice. “But even for those loyal patients who already purchase a 12-month supply from us, this service makes the experience much more convenient for them.”

Dr. Cook has also found a receptive audience among her patients, about half of whom are choosing to enrol in ACUVUE® DIRECT™. “I find that parents of college students really like the convenience of having the lenses shipped directly to their son or daughter,” she says.

The service allows providers to keep close tabs on orders. Each month, participating doctors receive a report and invoice for the lenses that were shipped out that month, notice of cancelled or postponed orders, and a list of patients nearing their prescription expiration.

Boosting retention

There are several mechanisms by which ACUVUE® DIRECT™ encourages patients to be compliant with annual exams. With the fourth shipment of lenses, patients are sent a reminder to make an appointment with their doctor for an annual exam. Participating doctors are asked to mail postcards and/or make telephone calls to those patients on their “soon-to-expire” list. And although patients can postpone a shipment, they can’t order any lenses beyond the expiration of their prescription. “

If ACUVUE® DIRECT™ can help my patients be more compliant and increase their likelihood of making an annual purchase, I’m in favour of it,” says Dr. Hoscheit. “In the current economic climate, it may be more important than ever for us to help patients afford the best care for their eyes.”

To register your practice, visit www.order.acuvue.com.

Source: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care - News Room