When a patient presents for a routine vision exam (and this is the reason for the visit) and the doctor finds a medical eye condition, can the charges be filed to the medical insurance plan?

No. If the reason for the visit was for a routine vision examination, the visit cannot be billed to medical insurance per federally accepted billing guidelines. Therefore either:

1. the vision insurance is billed (if the patient has vision insurance and the doctors are participating providers in their vision insurance plan) or,
2. the patient is responsible for the examination fees on the day of service

Subsequent office visits and testing (on a different day) for the purpose of addressing the medical condition that was discovered as part of the routine eye examination are billed to the medical insurance.