FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Primary or Supplementary

Is dilation of a patient who is over 60 a primary or a supplementary examination? Go to answers...

Is dilation of a diabetic a primary or a supplementary examination?  Does the age of the patient make any difference? Go to answer...

If fields or dilation is done on the examination day is this a supplementary examination or not? Is it only supplementary if it is repeated or refined? Go to answer...

I may wish to dilate a patient's pupils during a primary exam but this might be inadvisable because they are driving. If I bring them back for a dilated fundoscopy, can the second visit then be a supplementary examination? Also, I may dilate a patient's pupils during a primary exam and then decide I need to do a visual fields test that would need to be done on a different occasion. Is this then a supplementary examination? Go to answer...

If a patient, who is not one of our patients, comes into the practice with a sore eye or some such concern and is likely to have been a private patient, can I claim the examination as a supplementary? Do I need to find out when they were last tested and if it was a private or NHS examination? Go to answer...

Should I only perform a supplementary in relation to a primary, except when it is a child referred by HES for cycloplegic refraction? Go to answer...

Can we do more than one Supplementary test per initial Primary presentation? Go to answer...

A patient with learning/communication difficulties presenting for an eye examination will undoubtedly take longer than a regular eye test, and it is often necessary to adopt different testing methods in order to obtain a sensible result. Can I claim a Supplementary Fee as well as a Primary Fee in such a cases, due to the added length of the appointment and tailored techniques? Go to answer...

What is the position regarding patient referrals to colleagues who work in the same practice?  Would we both be able to claim a primary examination? Go to answer...

Should every "new" event should be considered a new Primary eg a 45 year old patient who had a primary test in January and attends annually because of glaucoma in her family, comes in with a red eye in June.  For the red eye examination only vision, slit-lamp and IOP are performed.  Is the June visit a Supplementary or a Primary as it is a new event? And when the patient returns for her annual check in January what date do you put as her last NHS eye exam? Go to answer...

Can a Supplementary Examination be done without having carried out a

Primary Examination? Go to answer...

If the patient comes in for a Primary Examination, and returns for their Supplementary Examination more than 6 months later, does this count as another Primary Examination? Go to answer...

If fields or dilation is done on the examination day is this a supplementary examination or not? Is it only supplementary if it is repeated or refined? Go to answer...

OTHER CATEGORIES:

Getteing Started :: Day to day management :: Completeing the form
Locums/Self-Employed/Optometrists/Registration
Primary or supplementary :: Problems/Concerns :: Referrals :: Referral Protocols