Tacoma Family Eyecare

I recently spoke with the Costco optometry desk and asked which insurance most customers use. I was told that VSP Vision was the most common, so as a self-employed person, I went ahead and purchased a VSP policy. I then called Costco and scheduled an appointment with their outside provider, Tacoma Family Eyecare. That's when I was informed that their billing department would not bill VSP directly, and that I would have to pay out of pocket and file the claim myself. Unfortunately, the time required to handle the claim process on my own would outweigh any benefit of having the insurance in the first place. After looking into it further, I learned that many independent optometrists opt out of direct VSP billing because VSP's reimbursement rates for exams are lower than those of other insurers. In other words, they simply don't get paid as much. I wish the representative at Tacoma Family Eyecare had been transparent about this from the beginning instead of giving me the runaround. Honesty--even if it's not what I want to hear--goes a long way in building trust, especially with something as important as eye care. Given this experience, I'm disappointed that Costco partners with a provider who can't or won't bill one of the most commonly used vision insurance plans. This doesn't align with the level of service I've come to expect from Costco. Unfortunately, this experience has made me reconsider using them for my eye care needs.

I was looking for a certain eye drop filled by prescription only. I was led to this office not knowing they were inside Costco. Scheduling online and filling out insurance forms was easy online, extremely easy in fact. I was already impressed. Checking in was easy. Dr. Kathy Kim gave me options other than the eye drops I didn't even know existed. She obviously is very competent. She spent time with me. I didn't feel rushed. I feel confident I'm getting excellent care and look forward to working with the solution she suggested.

I cannot speak highly enough of Dr. Kris Lee. Her professionalism, care, and dedication made my visit a very pleasant experience. She took time to examine all aspects of my eyes. Her expertise and kindness are truly invaluable. Thank you very much. Gerard W.

I had an exam a few days ago. It was exactly as what I would expect from Costco. It was quick and easy. The optician at the glasses area was professional and very pleasant. The glasses arrived after a few days. Everything was seamless and nice. The day before I went to go pick up my glasses, I got something in my eye. It was some kind of irritant that was not bad enough to go to the doctor, but an irritant that bothered me. It was still bothering me when I went to pick up my glasses so I stopped by the eye exam place where they performed my eye exam a few days ago and politely asked the receptionist if the doc could take a quick look at my eye to see what kind of debris was irritating my eye. There was only the doc and the receptionist in the room. The doc heard what I needed, and instead of taking a few seconds to look at my eye, she told the receptionist, as if I wasn't standing right next to her, that I would have to pay full price for another exam and fill out the paperwork. It would have cost her a minute or two to be kind, but instead was only interested in extracting money from me. It made me sad and hurt my feelings, as I had just a few days earlier paid for an exam. I won't ever give them any more of my money, because they refused to give me a minute of kindness.

My experience with Dr. Santa Elena today was incredible!!! She was thorough, highly educated, professional, warm and thoughtful. Highly recommend her to tend to your optical needs!

The doctor was quick, kind, and efficient, but the people who work at the front desk seemed to be in a very bad mood and annoyed with having to help me. I felt very uncomfortable and unwelcome. They also didn't really know my Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance well since it's Ameriben, out of Alaska, but works in all 50 states. They were not willing to find out anything and said I needed to call and was welcome to go to LensCrafters if I wanted. The doctor was good though.

I've been going to see Dr. Pham for years and she is wonderful! She always gets my prescription right and I have astigmatism. Dr. Burbank and Dr. Chung are amazing as well.

Been buying my glasses at the Tacoma Costco for years and never knew they had an eye clinic next door til now. Glad I gave them a try. Easy to make an appointment. Front staff was attentive and did some testing where I saw the doctor who was extremely kind. They answered all of my questions and took care of all my ocular needs. Would definitely recommend them! Great price too!