| name | optical-capture-and-dispensary |
| description | Run the optical for profit: track and lift the capture rate (eyes examined -> Rx written -> Rx filled in your optical), run the frame board on inventory turns, manage the lab pipeline, and dispense within managed-vision-care formularies knowingly. |
Optical Capture & Dispensary
The optical is where the practice's margin lives. Capture rate is the lever; frame markup is not.
The capture funnel
eyes examined -> Rx written -> Rx filled in YOUR optical -> upgrades captured
Measure each step. The biggest leak is almost always the exam-to-optician handoff, not price. A warm, in-workflow handoff converts; "here's your prescription" leaks.
Levers
| Lever | What it moves | Note |
|---|
| Warm handoff | Capture rate | Build it into exam-exit workflow, not personality |
| Frame board turns | Cash efficiency | Stock to what sells; cut dead segments |
| Lab turnaround / remake rate | Cost + satisfaction | A remake is a margin event |
| Managed-vision-care formulary literacy | Quote accuracy | Know covered vs upgrade before quoting |
Dispensing within a vision plan
Know each plan's covered formulary vs out-of-pocket upgrades before the optician quotes, so the patient hears one honest number. Plan allowances and formularies are volatile and plan-specific — [verify-at-use] against the plan.
Capture-rate benchmarks
Reference capture-rate ranges are [ESTIMATE] and dated in ../../knowledge/eyecare-practice-reference-2026.md — verify-at-use before quoting an owner a target.
Anti-patterns
- Treating frame markup, not capture, as the optical's growth lever.
- A full, impressive frame board carrying dead stock (frozen cash).
- Quoting a patient before checking the plan's covered formulary.
See also
