Episode #361

20/20 Money Episode #361: Embracing vision plans to profitably grow your practice w/ Dr. Chris Smiley

October 6, 2025

Dr. Chris Smiley offers a contrarian—but experience-backed—perspective on one of the most divisive topics in optometry today: vision plans. While many private practice ODs are dropping them entirely, Dr. Smiley makes the case that with the right strategy, vision plans can actually be a powerful engine for growth, profitability, and sustainability. He challenges the myths around reimbursement, explains how to leverage Coordination of Benefits (COB), and breaks down how most high-volume practices still rely on vision plans to scale. This episode is for any OD who’s felt bullied by plans—but still wants to build a thriving private practice without burning bridges, burning themselves out, or missing hidden revenue.

As a reminder, you can get all the information discussed in today’s conversation by visiting our website at integratedpwm.com and clicking on the Learning Center. While there, be sure to subscribe to our monthly “planning life on purpose” newsletter that’s filled with tips and ideas to help you plan your best life, on purpose. You can also set up a Triage conversation to learn a little bit more about how we serve in the capacity of a personal and professional CFO: helping OD practice owners around the country reduce their tax bill, proactively manage cash flow, and make prudent investment decisions both in and out of their practice to ultimately help them live their best life on purpose. If you’re interested in learning more about how OD Masterminds creates space for real conversations, real accountability, and real growth, please check out the link in the show notes of this episode to learn more.

And with that introduction, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Chris Smiley, OD.

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Resources:

20/20 Money Ultimate Financial Success Masterclass

OD Mastermind Interest Form

20/20 Money Episode #223: How one OD used fear and the unknown to positively uplevel himself and his practice into a multi-location practice; a convo with Dr. Chris Smiley OD

Evaluating VCPs in your practice to determine which ones to cut with Dr. Adam Ramsey, OD

https://pumpkinplan.com

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Episode Transcript

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