SHiFT 2022 Celebrates Success of Private Practice; VSP Vision Premier Program Shares New Investments in Programs to Support Patient Flow, Profitability, and Practice Success

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – The VSP Vision^™ Premier Program held its seventh annual SHiFT meeting September 30 to October 2 in Scottsdale, Arizona, drawing more than 800 attendees from across the country. The exclusive event offered eligible doctors participating in the Premier Program a chance to learn about new investments in promotions and practice-enhancing program updates, attend complimentary continuing education from Premier Academy360, hear from renowned keynote speakers and enjoy peer-to-peer networking.

New data was shared, underscoring the value of the Premier Program and its unique offerings that help private practices compete and thrive:

• Practices with the Premier Program banner on VSP’s Find a Doctor search receive 58% more clicks on average than those without
• 60 million patient visits to Premier Program locations since inception – 17 million of which are new patients
• $18 billion in revenue has been paid to Premier Program practices since inception

“Private practice is critical to the future of optometry, the future of VSP, and the future of patient care,” said VSP Vision President and CEO Michael Guyette. “Three out of four VSP members choose private practice for their eye care needs, and so we will continue to invest in the Premier Program and deliver unmatched value to the core of our network by providing more patients, profits, and support to the independent doctors who provide excellent care to those members every year.”

Guyette highlighted another example of the organization’s commitment to independent eye care at SHiFT, announcing that VSP Vision was joining forces with PECAA. PECAA will continue to operate independently and be led by doctors.

Key updates on Premier Program initiatives were also unveiled at SHiFT. The company announced nearly 100 doctors of optometry have been connected to jobs through Premier Pathways, which facilitates career support and matching services for doctors in every stage of their career.

To support practice profitability, the ongoing ‘Premier Pays More’ promotion enables Premier Program practices to receive up to $68 per pair on qualifying frames and lens products. Kicked off in August, ‘Premier Pays More’ will run through December 31, 2022, concurrently with the VSP Perfect Pair member rebate, redeemable exclusively at Premier Program locations.

Premier Academy360, which provides doctors and their staff comprehensive business-building training and education, has awarded more than 20,000 continuing education credits. To help ease challenges practices face with onboarding new employees, Staff360 Employee Onboarding and Development was launched last month. In the coming months, the program will also introduce a comprehensive step-by-step Certified Paraoptometric Exam Prep guide available at no-cost for practice staff pursuing CPO certification.

In response to doctor feedback for more peer-to-peer networking, the Premier Program also organized networking dinners for doctors this year. More than 50 events have taken place  across the country.

To learn more about upcoming peer-to-peer networking opportunities, and for more information about the benefits and business-building tools, resources, and training available to practices, visit: vspproviderhub.com.

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About VSP Vision
At VSP Vision^™, our purpose is to empower human potential through sight. As the first national not-for-profit vision benefits company, this is what drives everything we do.

For nearly 70 years, VSP has been the leader in health-focused vision care. Every day, the people that power our complementary businesses—VSP^® Vision Care, Marchon Eyewear, Inc., Visionworks^®, Eyefinity^®, Eyeconic, VSP^® Optics, and VSP^® Ventures—work together to create a world where everyone can bring their best vision to life.

That means providing affordable access to eye care and eyewear for more than 85 million members through a network of more than 41,000 doctors. It also means expanding access to vision care to those disadvantaged by income, distance, or disaster through VSP Vision^™ Eyes of Hope^®. To date, more than 3.6 million people in need have received access to no-cost eye care and eyewear through one of our Eyes of Hope programs.

Learn more about how we’re reinvesting in greater vision, health, and opportunities for all at vspvision.com.