The College of Optometrists

Today, I had a local specsavers on the phone asking for a patient's prescription. And I very much obliged and gave the patient's Rx. What came next shocked me though.

They started asking me questions about what the recall period we have offered to her.

Fair enough I lost a dispense this time round to a competitor but why are they trying to lure my patient away (The px turns out to be someone who I see very regularly for the past decade). Maybe I sound paranoid. But I do not want to lose my patients even if only for eye exams to a local specsavers. Maybe next time, that patient will spend again at my doors after their 'experience' elsewhere.

Anyways, I asked her why does she need this info. And the reply was that it was part of the info that she required as part of the 'customer's' registration. And I replied "we actually charge for this information. Do you want to pay?" And the reply to that was "no thanks" and a phone slam.

Anyone with such experiences?

Gosh thats a bit cheeky, I actually never give out information over the phone because I seem to remember that you cant give out inforamation over the phone unless you are a qualified DO or Optom and the person recieving the information has to also be qualified. Therefore my staff always say that for the above reason and also because we have nothing signed by the patient allowing us to release the information to a third party we wouild be breaching guidelines and also flouting data protection, we will of course send a copy to the patients home address or they are welcome to collect it!

I know its a bit petty but I dont work for Doug and Mary and neither do my staff!

If the situation was the otherway around Specsavers would not give out the Rx over the phone or otherwise without the concent of the Px!

I would welcome the SS having this info as the patient isnt loyal to the practice. Id tell the patient to choose where she wants her specs from and get test done there also as per Colleges statement released last year.

Local SS rang for a (previously loyal) pxs Rx the other week as she was in for a contact lens consultation with them, told them it would need to be faxed as I couldn't give it out over the phone, and was told snottily "Well you'll have to do it straight away because she's in with the optician now!" I suddenly forgot that I was the Optom and told a wee white lie, that it couldn't be faxed till the optom was free, so they'd have to wait!

Clinical details are confidential to the patient & should be delivered personally to them or collected personally by them & signed for with a fee charged for the reproduction thereof. No way should you FAX details AT YOUR EXPENSE without the signed consent of the patient. On rare occasions, in an emergency a personal call from one practitioner to another may be acceptable providing clinical confidentiality is ensured & the patient's permission is obtained by the initiating practioner, duly recorded & signed for in the patient's records. Otherwise NOTHING divulged for your own safety

Damn right michel.

Giving the patient a copy of thier rx at the end of the exam is where your duty ends.

We charge £10.00 for copies of both cl specifications and prescriptions.

We dont post or fax them without extra charge.

Why on earth would you want to give away your customers at your own expense.

Don't say "goodwill", as any goodwill is off down the road along with your profits.

I can`t believe that after publicity about continental naughties, unfair dismissals and countless anecdotes at local levels that anyone reading this forum is still surprised at their "dirty tricks". New branches especially are "run" by generally young directors up to their eyeballs in debt so the temptations to operate at the limits of good professional behaviour are enormous and it is reasonable to expect that these limits will be tried increasingly often.

what were "continental naughties"?

Claiming to be cheapest opticians in Holland. Court ruled that one out.

i wouldnt worry too much!we had a specsavers open up next door to us-claiming they were taking at least 10 of our pxs a day from us.Gaurenteed your px who they stole will be back to you-a bad experience makes you realise how good another is. As long as there are opticians there will be sumbody thatll try to cut the legs from under us-the main thing is to not rise to it!Ooh and every px that comes to you for a dispense with s.s. rx I'd ring them to verify rx-its a waste of their time but great fun!

Never mind hearsay. Specslavers have just paid out on another case of unfair dismissal......remember the last one earlier this year with the optometrist? well this time an optical assistant was paid a total of nearly £24,000 in loss of earnings, non payment of bonus etc. The simple fact is that so few employees professional and non professional with reasonable axes to grind against the great Marydoug get to Tribunals is fear of combatting a billion dollar organisation.