How to Find an Optometrist Who Takes Medicare

Medicare recipients selecting an optometrist who takes Medicare can save money and avoid the inconvenience of paying for services out-of-pocket and then waiting for Medicare reimbursement. The federal Medicare agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, maintains a convenient online tool to help patients find an optometrist who accepts Medicare.

Instructions

The Medicare Provider Directory

• 1

  To get a list of optometrists in a particular area who take Medicare, go to the official Medicare website, medicare.gov.

• 2

  From the category "Search Tools" in the middle of the page, click "Find a Doctor."

• 3

  Click the "Find a Provider" button in the middle of the next screen.

• 4

  The directory contains two blue boxes: "Physician Directory" and "Other Healthcare Professional Directory."
  Optometrists are listed as physicians, so click "Physician Directory."

• 5

  The "Find a Physician" page contains a set of search options.
  Click the small circle to the left of the search options to choose a search based on ZIP code, city, state, optometrist's name or distance from a specific city.

• 6

  Follow the instructions for the search method selected:
  1. ZIP code search. Enter the ZIP code and select a distance from the specified ZIP code for the search using the pulldown tab. Click "Continue."
  2. City search. Type the city name in the provided field and choose the state from the pulldown tab. Specify the distance for the search using the pulldown tab and click "Continue."
  3. State search. Select the state from the pulldown tab and click "Continue."
  4. County search. Select a state using the pulldown tab. Click "Next Step." Select a county from the pulldown tab and click "Continue."
  5. Name search. To determine if a recommended or nearby optometrist takes Medicare, enter at least the first two letters of her last name in the field provided. Select the appropriate state, and click "continue."

• 7

  At the "Select a Specialty Group" screen, click "Optometry" from the pulldown tab, then "Continue."

• 8

  A Medicare-participating optometrist bills Medicare directly and cannot charge more than the amount Medicare allows. Nonparticipating optometrists can see Medicare beneficiaries but can bill them directly for up to 115 percent of Medicare's allowed charge.
  To limit the search to optometrists who take Medicare, select "Participating Physicians."
  The optional gender preference field permits patients to specify male or female optometrists. Optometrists who have not submitted gender information to Medicare will appear in both search results.
  Click to select the preferred gender, or if there is no preference, click "Continue."

• 9

  Click a physician name to see credentials, participation status, gender, foreign languages spoken, practice address and phone number and group practice name and locations.