Step 1: Choose Your Date Range
Start by deciding which patients to target. We recommend going back 2-3 years of appointment history.
Why This Matters: The more recent the appointment, the "hotter" the prospect. A patient who came in 6 months ago is more likely to respond than someone from 3 years ago. But even older patients have value - they're still in your network.
Example Date Ranges:
- Most recent: January 1, 2025 to November 15, 2025
- Next batch: January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024
- Earlier batch: January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023
Pro Tip: Process one year at a time. This keeps things manageable and organized.
Step 2: Pull Appointment Data from Your System
Use the SpexFetch data mining tool to extract patient appointment information.
What Gets Pulled: All appointment types - comprehensive exams, glaucoma workups, contact lens fittings, everything. This gives you the complete picture of who's been in your practice.
Output: An Excel file formatted specifically for the SpexFetch application.
Important: The mining tool automatically removes duplicates. If a patient came in multiple times during your date range, they'll only appear once with their most recent appointment date. This prevents you from accidentally contacting the same patient multiple times.
Step 3: Organize Your Patient Lists
Break your Excel files into manageable chunks of no more than 1,000 patients per file.
Why 1,000 Patients?
- Keeps processing times reasonable (instead of many hours)
- Easier to track progress
- Less overwhelming to manage
- More efficient overall
Example File Structure:
Step 4: Run Each File Through Each Vision Plan
Here's where the real work happens. Take each Excel file and run it through every vision plan you want to check.
Why Check All Plans (Even If Patient Didn't List That Plan)? Because patients may have dual coverage or may have changed insurance since their last visit. This maximizes your results.
Example Process for One File:
- Run through VSP
- Run through EyeMed
- Run through Versant
- Run through Davis Vision
- Run through Superior Vision
- (Continue with any other plans you accept)
Reality Check: If you accept many vision plans, one file might need to run 2-6 times (once per plan). This is normal and expected.
Your Choice: You can choose to only check your most popular plans if checking every plan feels like too much work. Focus on where you'll get the most value.
Step 5: Develop a File Naming System
This is critical. You need to know what you've run, what you haven't run, and what still needs processing.
Recommended Naming Convention:
What This Tells You:
- Which plan was checked (VSP, EyeMed, etc.)
- Which year of patients (2025, 2024)
- Which batch number (1, 2, 3)
- How many total batches for that year (of 4, of 3)
Create a naming system that makes sense to you and stick with it consistently.
Step 6: Run the Files and Wait
Load your Excel file into SpexFetch, select the vision plan, and start the process.
Processing Times:
- Could be 1 hour
- Could be 6+ hours
- Depends on file size and which plan you're checking
Speed Differences Between Plans:
- Versant, Davis Vision, and Superior Vision: Fastest (about 2x faster than VSP)
- EyeMed: Fast
- VSP: Slower but still automated
What You Should Do: Nothing! The app runs in the background. Go see patients, do paperwork, go home for the day. The app keeps working.
When It's Done: You'll get a pop-up notification on your screen telling you the results are ready.
Step 7: Save and Organize Your Results
When each run completes, save the results file immediately and organize it properly.
Recommended Folder Structure:
Folder Hierarchy:
- Top Level: Year patient last visited
- Second Level: Vision plan name
- Files: Individual batch results
This structure lets you quickly find results and track what you've already processed.
Advanced Technique: Multiple Computer Processing
If you want to speed things up significantly, you can run SpexFetch on multiple computers simultaneously.
How It Works:
- Computer 1: Running VSP checks
- Computer 2: Running EyeMed checks
- Computer 3: Running Versant checks
Warning: This is complicated! You're essentially managing a small assembly line. Your organization system becomes even more critical.
Requirements for Success:
- Excellent file naming convention
- Detailed notes on what's running where
- Clear tracking system
- Strong organizational skills
Recommendation: Start with one computer until you're comfortable with the process. Then expand if you need more speed.
