Vision Service Plan (VSP)

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Vision Service Plan (VSP) is a GOLD level sponsor of the American Optometric Association.

The Case for Private Practice

The trends are clear. Eye care is a growing challenge across the nation.

Estimates suggest we're spending $51.4 billion annually on adult vision problems in the United States. On top of that, more than 30 million Americans over the age of 40 suffer from leading causes of vision loss such as cataract, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. So it's no surprise that by the year 2020, the demand for vision care among those age 55 and older is expected to increase by nearly 38 percent.

Who will manage this rising need? At VSP, we believe private-practice doctors can make a difference. Here's why:

Accountability: Nothing drives accountability like having your name on the front door of your practice. As a doctor practicing in the same part of Indiana for more than 20 years, my office has become an important part of the community. Yes, we're there to participate in Rotary or coach baseball, but it's more than that. It's about the trust we've earned from patients who stop to ask us about an eye condition in the grocery store or who send their friends and family to us for care. Located in the biggest of cities and smallest of towns, many private practices offer 24-hour accessibility, solid relationships with primary care physicians and specialists and a unique understanding of the local demographics.

High Return Rate: Statistics show the public regularly seeks eye care, with most turning to private practices for those needs. Sixty-one percent of insured adult Americans seek an eye exam each year, far more than the 16 percent who get an annual physical with their primary care physician. When you consider that 64 million people in the United States had eye exams at private practices, more patients are getting a WellVision Exam^® more often in offices like mine each and every day.

Disease Detection: Combine high return rates with the high level of trust and accountability private practices have earned and you have a goldmine of opportunity to spot and help manage the onset of serious diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.

So, what's VSP doing to support private-practice optometry?

• Since 2000, VSP has added more than 13,500 doctors to its panel, which now stands 25,000 providers strong.
• More than 95 percent of all VSP members seek care from a VSP network doctor. That's a far cry from the 44 percent of EyeMed members who went to corporate retail chains for their eye exams.*
• VSP has donated more than $20 million to the Vision One Loan Program, established private-practice clubs on university campuses, and supported legislation that furthers private practice.
• VSP has assisted more than 1,000 doctors with practice transition activities and, through EyeSeek^®, helped nearly 400 doctors fill positions in their practices.

As impending eye care needs grow, we need more doctors putting on their lab coats in cities and towns across our nation just like I did more than 20 years ago.

At VSP, we're working hard to ensure the success and growth of private-practice optometry.

*Source: VSP Proprietary Research, Synovate Consumer Eye Exam Experience Study, April 2007