This material is confidential, intended for the use by VSP doctors only. The contents may not be shared with any unauthorized person. This manual is the property of VSP.

All providers who serve Medicaid patients are required to complete and attest to having completed cultural competency training annually. Network doctors who own their practice are required to attest that they and their staff, including all employee doctors, completed the training. VSP makes this training available on VSPOnline and sends via email annually. You may take it at any time at least once per calendar year. The training modules include:

• Cultural Competency
• Better Communication, Better Care: Provider Tools to Care for Diverse Populations
• Seniors and Persons with Disabilities
• Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities

If you completed cultural competence training from another source, you may attest to that in lieu of taking VSP-provided training. The attestation is available on VSPOnline in the Cultural Competency training section or can be accessed from the link in the annual email reminder.

VSP requires network doctors to use an appointment scheduling process and system that allows appointments to be scheduled according to patients’ stated eye care needs within the timeliness standards established for VSP members. The intent is to ensure that patients are handled consistently and scheduled for appointments in a manner that recognizes the urgency of their eye care needs.

• Patients experiencing an eye care emergency should be seen immediately or referred to an appropriate alternative medical facility.
• Make every effort to see the patient at their scheduled appointment time. Patient wait time should not exceed 30 minutes.
• The site must have (or arrange for) a telephone triage, voicemail system, and/or answering service to provide routine, after-hours, and urgent/emergency eye care instructions, whenever office staff is unavailable to answer phone calls. Patients should receive a return call from this system for follow-up within a reasonable timeframe.
• Ensure a process is in place to follow up on missed and canceled appointments. Missed and/or canceled appointments and contact attempts must be documented in the patient's medical record.