Michael Holland believes in giving back to the community, and currently practices with his father who is also an optometrist. This belief came from being inspired by his own father who helped people receive treatment even when they could not afford it. Holland reports that “he instilled in me a desire to provide service to the community.”
The AOA News provided a short review on how Dr Holland and his father are providers of Vision USA, a program of Optometry Cares – the AOA foundation. What does Vision USA do? Well it matches doctors who participate in the program with uninsured patients who need comprehensive care in their area. Since it’s inception in 1990 Vision USA has made more than 430,000 patient assignments.
here are over 2,800 optometrists who provide these services- comprehensive eye exams, to low income uninsured patients. The AOA reports that the number is also growing. This year, 108 volunteer providers joined the Vision USA network, which is a massive improvement showing the need for more volunteers in the system.
What makes Vision USA different and unlike most medical missions taken up by optometrists, is its service which is focused on US residents as its niche. How do patients qualify? Patients must have no insurance of any sort, including Medicare or Medicaid to participate in the program. They must also meet certain income requirements and will have no vision exams in the past two years, Patients must of course be U.S citizens or legal residents. Vision U.S.A currently operates in 39 states
For Dr. Holland, incorporating Vision U.S.A into his practice has proven to be a seamless measure. He estimates that he has seen up to 6 to 10 patients within the past 25 years. One of the challenges Dr. Holland faces is not knowing where his referrals come from, or how patients know about his affiliation with Vision U.S.A. Being able to trace this information back to the source could prove helpful in understanding his volunteer patients needs and how his practice can fulfill those needs.
To learn more about Vision USA and how it is helping uninsured patients, visit the Vision U.S.A site and this article by the AOA news
