What to Consider When Choosing a Payment Solution for Your Eye Care Practice

Running a successful eye care practice is anything but easy. Between managing scheduling, billing, compliance, and staff, the administrative workload can get overwhelming and take time away from providing excellent patient care. One area of running an optometry or ophthalmology practice that often gets overlooked is payments.  

Payments might seem straightforward, but they can become a significant source of frustration and administrative burden. Inefficient payment processing and errors can also negatively impact your bottom line. Whether you’re just starting to accept credit card payments, using a solution that doesn’t connect with your practice management system, or even running on an outdated integrated tool, using the wrong payment solution has hidden costs. 

The guide will walk you through key considerations when choosing a payment solution, why integration is crucial, and how the right system can set your practice up for success.   

The Hidden Costs of the Wrong Payment Solution 

Staff spending 15 minutes reconciling a payment. Patients sigh because they can't pay how they want to. Endless double data entry and toggling between multiple screens. Sound familiar? 

These small moments add up to major inefficiencies and lost revenue. Some of the most common challenges practices face with outdated or standalone payment tools are: 

• Double data entry and errors. Without an integrated payment solution, your staff likely has to enter payments into multiple systems, resulting in errors and time spent correcting them.   

• Delayed reimbursements and cash flow. When errors happen often and processes are slow or manual, revenue gets delayed. 

• Confused and frustrated patients. Complex processes and limited payment options create unhappy patients.  

• Compliance risks. A system that isn’t fully secure and compliant puts sensitive data at risk.  

• Mounting admin work. The more time staff spend chasing payments and correcting errors, the less time they have for patient care. 

Clearly, payments are much more than just transactions. They involve security, workflows, and trust.

Must-Have Features in a Modern Eye Care Payment Solution  

If you’re evaluating payment solutions, it’s not just about who can process transactions. Today’s patients and staff expect much more. Here are the features you’ll want to prioritize. 

End-to-End Security and Compliance 

Your practice handles sensitive clinical and financial information every day. Your payment system should be fully compliant with PCI-DSS and HIPAA standards. To ensure compliance and data security, look for a solution that has: 

• Encryption and tokenization to protect patient financial data. 

• Secure storage of cards on file so patients can pay quickly and easily every visit. 

• Regular compliance updates that keep your practice aligned with the latest regulations. 

Patients trust you not only with their care, but also with their financial information. That trust should be protected with a highly secure payment system.  

Full Integration with Your EHR and PM System 

Integration is quickly becoming a must for efficiency. A payment solution that connects directly with your EHR and PM system eliminates that “swivel-chair” workflow your staff may experience from toggling between platforms. With integration, you can: 

• Automatically post payments to patient legers  

• Avoid the errors caused by double-entry  

• Save time on reconciliation 

• Create a more efficient payment workflow, so staff can focus on patients instead of admin work. 

Multiple, Patient-Friendly Payment Options 

Today’s patients expect a modern, easy, and smooth payment experience. Many no longer carry cash or a checkbook and are looking for ways to split their payments to make high bills more manageable. Look for a payment solution that supports: 

• Integrated, modern payment devices that take Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc. 

• Online payments through a seamless patient portal. 

• Mobile and contactless payments for convenience. 

• Text-to-pay links so patients can pay anytime, anywhere. 

When patients have options, they’re more likely to pay faster and have a more positive experience with your practice.  

Reporting and Analytics 

Real-time reporting and analytics are crucial for keeping a pulse on cash flow, identifying issues, and understanding your practice’s financial health. This is especially beneficial with an integrated payment solution, allowing you to view important information, such as payment trends and days in accounts receivable, directly within your existing platform.   

Efficiency and Automation 

Anyone who has worked in eye care knows that manual processes kill productivity and take time away from patients. Today, optometry and ophthalmology practices are expected to do more with less—making automation a must when it comes to admin work like payment processing. A payment solution that automates tedious tasks can: 

• Eliminate double entry and manual reconciliation 

• Automatically send payment links when patients have a balance

• Store payment preferences securely 

• Keep legers accurate in real time 

A more efficient payment process results in lower costs and a better experience for both patients and staff.   

Scalability and Support 

As your practice grows, your payment solution should grow with you. The right partner will offer scalability and full-service support. Look for vendors with a proven track record in healthcare and responsive, 24/7 assistance, so you can have peace of mind.  

Spotlight: Sightview Pay powered by Global Payments 

Choosing the right payment solution for your practice doesn’t have to be stressful. Sightview Pay powered by Global Payments delivers all the features you need, right inside our industry-leading EHR and PM platform. 

• Automatic Payment Reconciliation: Payments are automatically posted to patient ledgers in your platform, meaning no more manual entry.  

• Modern Payment Options: Integrated devices, text-to-pay, and card on file.

• Advanced Security: PCI-DSS and HIPAA-compliant with encryption and tokenization. 

• Smarter Insights: Real-time reporting and analytics provide clear insights into cash flow and financial health. 

• Reliability and Support: 24/7 support from Global Payments, a trusted leader in healthcare payment solutions. 

Whether you’re handling copays, surgical payments, or optical sales, Sightview Pay streamlines the entire payment process inside your platform. This means better cash flow, happier patients, and more efficient staff.  

Future-Proofing Your Optometry or Ophthalmology Practice 

Technology is advancing and patient expectations are shifting fast. An outdated or unreliable payment system puts you at risk of falling behind in security, efficiency, and patient satisfaction. 

What does a future-proof payment solution look like? It’s a system that: 

• Keeps pace with trending payment methods and expectations 

• Adapts to evolving compliance regulations and security risks 

• Grows with your practice and frees up staff time 

Investing in or switching to the right solution now can save your practice from future headaches. 

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Payment Solution Matters 

Payments impact almost every aspect of your practice, including security, financial stability, staff workload, patient experience, and more. The right solution makes all the difference.  

For optometry and ophthalmology practices, prioritizing security, integration, modern options, analytics, and automation is key for long-term success. Sightview Pay powered by Global Payments is our integrated solution designed specifically for eye care. It simplifies workflows, delivers a better patient experience, and keeps your practice future-ready.  

Looking for a payment solution that helps your practice run smoothly? Book a demo today to see Sightview in action.