| The
answers to the following questions were provided by Dr. Gerard
Lozada. |
| What
is the process?
|
| |
Parents call
the toll-free number and are asked what community they live in
and if someone in their family has seen an eye care professional.
If that doctor participates, then we refer back to that practice.
If they have not seen anyone in the family or the doctor does
not participate, we provide them with a name of a doctor in the
community that does participate. In larger communities, we often
ask more specific information, such as what part of the city they
would like to be referred to. Parents can also self-refer by calling
a doctor listed on the website, www.seetolearn.com.
In either case, all they have to do is call the participating
office and tell the receptionist that they are calling about the
SEE TO LEARN Program and that they would like to make an appointment
for their three-year-old. There is no voucher, and no one is ever
billed for the service. |
| What
eye doctors in Kansas participate in the program? |
| |
In
Kansas, there are 227 eye doctors who participate in 109 listed
communities. Not all of those 109 communities have full-0time
practices since some of theses locations are satellelite locations.
A list of doctors in Kansas who participate in the program can
be found at: http://www.seetolearn.com/member-list.html#kansas. |
| Is
there a sufficient number of eye doctors participating to meet
the demand? |
| |
Based on our
feedback, yes. According to participating optometrists and ophthalmologists
from around the state, the most common problem with the program
is the lack of children utilizing the program. |
| Who
qualifies and what data is captured? |
| |
Primarily, the
program was designed for three-year-old children. However, some
offices have chosen to provide the service for any child on their
first visit up to age 4 or 5. We track the assessments by zip
code, city and state, as well as age of the child and type of
vision problems found. |
| What
if a problem is found? |
| |
If a problem is found during
the assessment, the doctor will explain his or her findings.
The parent will have the choice to schedule a more comprehensive
exam with the doctor or another doctor of their choosing. This
would be a paid exam but depending on the office, there are
some that will go ahead and do any additional testing free while
the child is there. If the child is not covered by insurance,
Medicaid, HealthWave, etc., we can also tap the Vision USA program
or other community based resources, such as the Lions Club.
|