General Information

IMPORTANT RECENTLY-ADDED INFORMATION ABOUT HIPAA COMPLIANCE

    Our practice is specialized in treating children's eye problems up to approximately college age as well as evaluating adults who may need repositioning eye muscle surgery. The offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. My appointments are scheduled from 8:15 AM until 3:45 PM Monday and Tuesday at the Vanderbilt Medical Group Franklin satellite clinic and Thursday at the Tennessee Lions Eye Center on the medical campus of Vanderbilt near downtown Nashville. Appointments are available with my partners, Drs. Donahue and Morrison, on other days at differing times. My surgeries are scheduled on Friday mornings at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and Wednesday morning for adults at the Vanderbilt Cool Springs Surgery Center or Vanderbilt Medial Center East Outpatient surgery. The offices are closed for major holidays (Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July).

    Waiting time for routine appointments generally varies from 2 to 6 weeks, sometimes longer during the summer and holidays when children are not in school. Emergencies are seen as soon as possible. I carry a pager and cellular phone and answer urgent calls 24 hours a day. When I am out of town, my practice is covered by my partners and staff physicians at Vanderbilt.

    Vanderbilt is a "provider" for most commercial insurance companies in the area as well as the major Tenncare plans (Select, Amerigroup, Americhoice). Some plans require prior referral and/or authorization from a pediatrician or other primary care physician. A number of plans separate "refractive" vision examinations (for glasses) from medical coverage (infections, injuries, cataracts) and limit provider access for this service. It is possible that your insurance plan could list Vanderbilt as a provider for medical coverage but not "vision," requiring you to go to another examiner for this particular service. See the Insurance Tips section for additional details.

    As a medical doctor, I am licensed to prescribe oral and topical medications as well as to perform surgery when indicated. I also prescribe glasses and provide advice for fitting contact lenses. Actual contact lens fitting is done by our outstanding staff optometrists, Drs. Brad and Lori Kehler and Dr. Jeff Sonsino. We do not stock medications for resale in our department but a Vanderbilt pharmacy is located adjacent to the Lions Eye Center office in the Medical Arts building. The Vanderbilt Eye Center optical shop is located on the 8th floor of Medical Center East, a building adjacent to Medical Arts.

    Vanderbilt directly bills insurance for qualified, participating plans. Co-pays and/or deductibles are paid at the time of the service. Surgical and/or office visit balances, if applicable, are generally billed after an insurance company has processed the claim. We accept VISA, Mastercard, and Discover as well as personal checks.