The College of Optometrists

Can you transpose a hospital Rx to optimise the voucher value? Steve Taylor's Law book says cant, my assessor says can. Has this changed recently? Cant find answer on internet - any ideas where i can look? have tried all the normal websites.

http://www.monoptica.com/monoptica/online-CET/talk/reply.asp?ID=12275&Reply=12275

Try the above link.

hi, I was asked this in my disp exam in first set - apparently you can !

maybe you can but you will probably get a stroppy hospital optom calling you saying they aint going to pay it. HES does not equal NHS.

must admit I have never bothered to transpose a hospital Rx.

Also I think if you get Tim Hunter asking the question he will say "NO" also.

Tim has in fact posted a reply on this very subject on the NetTalk board a few weeks ago.

You're so right, the "existing" HES rules do not authorise the transposition for maximising voucher values and if you do then this stroppy hospital optom will indeed inform you that you have no legal right to alter a prescription we have issued and that the HES has no legal obligation to pay the higher voucher value. There will be some HES departments which may accept this but that's probably because they haven't got anyone checking their expenditure on vouchers, the HES voucher budget is not uncapped, is limited and is under seperate legislation from the GOS voucher. HES does equal NHS but not GOS.

Tim,

I had an Rx presented to me in disp exam with one eye in plus cyl and the other in minus. The examiner asked if it was ok to transpose one eye. What do you think in this case?

sorry not tim, but I would have said that it would be unusual for an optom to write one eye in plus and one in minus cyl, and that it would be sensible to contact the prescriber to verify that was his/her intention, or was it an error.

Susie

surely that has nothing to do with whether the prescription is from the HES or GOS or private practice it is about a poorly written prescription.

In such a case I would contact the original prescriber to make sure they had not made a mistake as it is likely it is a transcription error and what they have written as a minus cyl in one eye should be a plus cyl or v.v.

By the by, I'm not sure there is such a thing as an NHS prescription, HES or GOS but not NHS.