Ophthalmologist for Clalit members

An ophthalmologist at Clalit is an ophthalmologist who is in an arrangement with the Clalit health fund. If you have determined that you need the services of an ophthalmologist, it is worth choosing a doctor who can meet all your needs and who can evaluate, manage, treat and monitor the condition of your eyes. Today, the process of choosing the best ophthalmologist can be difficult, because there are so many ophthalmologists in the medical market.

If you are a member of one of the health funds, you can choose from the list of ophthalmologists the fund offers, consult private doctors who work with the funds, and even receive full or partial financial assistance for a variety of eye surgeries or treatments.

The Clalit health fund

Clalit is the largest and most advanced health organization in Israel. The Clalit health fund provides medical services to about 4.7 million customers. Clalit aims to lead in providing quality, accessible, proactive, innovative and humane medical service to every patient, at any time and in any place. The Clalit health fund has about 2000 medical centers in a wide nationwide distribution, including 14 hospitals that maintain ongoing contact with various specialists.

Among other things, through the Clalit health fund, surgeries can be performed at various hospitals such as HaEmek in Afula, Carmel in Haifa, Meir in Kfar Saba, Soroka in Beer Sheva, Kaplan in Rehovot, the Rabin Medical Center, Schneider in Petah Tikva and Yoseftal in Eilat. All these surgeries are performed with the accompaniment of a professional team and maximum comfort. After the medical procedure, additional follow-up is usually required, which will be performed by the surgeon within the Clalit health fund.

Choosing a Clalit ophthalmologist

There are additional factors that are important to be aware of and that will help in the process of choosing the treating physician, beyond choosing the ophthalmologist from the fund's pool of doctors. The first and most decisive factor is the reason for the referral – in some cases, the best treatment may require an ophthalmologist who specializes in a particular field. This is because ophthalmology is a broad field of medicine that includes several separate sub-specialties, allowing for professional treatment that is better suited to the patient's issue.

Recommendations for a Clalit ophthalmologist

Consult friends, relatives and colleagues to see if they have recommendations for an ophthalmologist who provided them with satisfactory care. As stated before, the doctor you received recommendations about may have a specialty different from what your medical problem requires. A doctor who suits one person may not suit another, and vice versa, because this is a subjective experience. In addition, you can read many reviews and opinions online about the ophthalmologist you are considering being treated by. In this situation too, it is important to remember that everyone's experiences are unique, but you can still benefit from a range of opinions and determine whether the general consensus is positive and whether it is still worth continuing to see the ophthalmologist.

The price of an examination with a Clalit ophthalmologist

Examining the requested price of the treatment is another criterion. Many surgeries in the State of Israel are subsidized by the government and the various health funds, so it is possible to decide whether to add payment for innovative procedures and advanced technological means. For example, a patient with Clalit Mushlam Zahav or Platinum will be entitled to a subsidy for certain high-priced procedures.

It is also important to make sure that the hospital and the surgeon use the most up-to-date methods. The instruments and machines used to examine and treat the eyes have advanced significantly in recent years, and the technology now available allows better optical results, faster recovery and a lower risk of problems. The best care is made possible by certified ophthalmologists who continue to study and stay updated.

Examining the doctor's abilities and expertise is important, because the more experience a doctor has with the medical problem or the surgery, the greater the chance that the results are expected to be better. You can certainly ask the treating doctor how many patients with a problem similar to yours he has treated or, if it is a special treatment, how many of this specific type he has performed. In addition, it is important to inquire about the success rates of the proposed treatment and also about the rate of complications.

Availability

A high level of availability is another decisive factor to consider when choosing a treating physician. Consultation, preliminary examinations and usually follow-up visits are required before the surgery and also after the treatment. In addition, the treating physician must be accessible for urgent emergencies and attentive in case of any side effects, so that he can determine the level of urgency and advise you on how to respond. Also, if questions or concerns arise regarding the proposed treatment or afterward, the treating physician must be attentive and patient.

In summary, a friendly and professional doctor is one of the most important things for most patients. Dealing with an illness can be challenging, and a friendly doctor with a positive atmosphere can make a big difference in the patient's experience. The treating ophthalmologist must be focused, professional and patient, and equally so must the rest of the medical staff.

Prof. Mimouni, an ophthalmologist specializing with a sub-specialty in cornea, is not in an arrangement with the Clalit health fund and sees patients at his clinic privately.