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Bookkeeping & accounting for eye care practices

Bookkeeping and Accounting for Optometrists and Ophthalmologists

Bookkeeping and accounting for private practice ODs and MDs, optical clinics and ophthalmology practices alike, supervised by PizzelloCPA, PLLC. Exam revenue, optical retail with real inventory, vision insurance reconciliation, equipment depreciation, S-Corp planning, and HIPAA-aware workflows. From $199/mo.

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Eye Care Practices Are Two Businesses Glued Together

A typical OD practice runs two distinct businesses under one roof: an exam practice (services, vision insurance reimbursement) and an optical shop (real product inventory, retail sales, lab fees, frame and lens vendor relationships). Each has its own margins, its own cost-of-goods structure, and its own tax mechanics, and most generic bookkeepers cannot keep them apart.

The optical shop in particular is the part most bookkeepers fumble. Frames and lenses are real inventory with real cost of goods sold. Lab fees are a major COGS line. Vision insurance pays differently for exams versus materials. And remake, breakage, and warranty events all need clean accounting that does not silently inflate either revenue or expense.

We built our workflow around how OD practices actually operate. Every optometric client gets specialty optometry accounting: a P&L that splits exam from optical, real inventory tracking on the optical side, vision insurance reconciliation, and CPA oversight from PizzelloCPA, PLLC on the moves that meaningfully affect your tax bill.

Optometrists & Ophthalmologists We Serve

Solo OD with Optical Shop

One-doctor practice running both exam and optical retail under one roof.

Solo OD without Optical

Exam-only practices, often subleasing optical to a separate owner.

Multi-Doctor Group Practices

Multi-OD practices with associate doctors and partner draws.

Specialty Eye Care

Vision therapy, low vision, dry eye, and contact lens specialty practices.

Cash-Pay & Membership Model Practices

Out-of-network practices on subscription or membership pricing.

Practices with Multiple Locations

Two or more locations with shared overhead and consolidated reporting needs.

Ophthalmology Practices

MD-led medical and surgical eye care, comprehensive and subspecialty alike.

Surgical Practices with ASC Income

Ophthalmologists holding an ownership interest in an ambulatory surgery center.

Combined OD/MD Practices

Integrated practices employing both optometrists and ophthalmologists under one entity.

What We Handle That Generic Bookkeepers Miss

Exam vs Optical P&L Separation

We split your chart of accounts so the exam practice and the optical shop have their own revenue and direct costs. You finally see which side of the practice carries the margin and where overhead is being absorbed.

Real Inventory and COGS Tracking

Frames, contact lenses, and accessories are real inventory. Lens lab fees are a major COGS line. We track all of it cleanly and reconcile against your practice management system so what you bought, what you sold, and what is on the wall all match.

Vision Insurance Reconciliation

VSP, EyeMed, Davis, Spectera, and the rest pay differently for exam services versus materials. Each has its own contractual adjustments. We reconcile EOBs cleanly so your real revenue (net of write-offs) is visible by payer.

Frame and Lens Vendor Reconciliation

Lab partners and frame vendors send statements that need to match your purchase records. We reconcile vendor statements monthly so disputes get caught before year end and credits do not get lost.

Surgical, ASC, and Facility-Fee Income

Ophthalmology practices carry income an OD practice never sees: global surgical periods that straddle a month end, facility fees, co-management splits with referring ODs, and K-1 income from an ASC ownership interest. Each is taxed differently from professional fee income, and each needs its own line rather than being swept into one revenue account.

Drug and Injectable Inventory

Intravitreal injections and other buy-and-bill drugs are high-cost inventory with their own reimbursement mechanics. We track acquisition cost against reimbursement by drug, so you can see which are margin-positive and which are being administered at a loss.

Equipment Depreciation

Edgers, autorefractors, OCTs, fundus cameras, and slit lamps are real capital investments. We track depreciation properly, and PizzelloCPA, PLLC, our affiliated CPA firm, handles the Section 179 versus bonus depreciation choice, or we coordinate with your own CPA.

HIPAA-Aware Workflows, BAA Available

We never need access to PHI to do bookkeeping. We separate clinical and financial data by design and offer a Business Associate Agreement on request.

S-Corp Election and Reasonable Comp

Optometric services are SSTB so the QBI deduction phases out fast. The S-Corp self-employment tax savings still pencil out for most ODs. We benchmark reasonable comp against AOA and BLS optometrist wage data.

Bookkeeper and Accountant, One Engagement

Day-to-day optometry bookkeeping is handled by your dedicated bookkeeper. The accounting judgment calls, like revenue recognition on package sales, inventory method, depreciation elections, and reasonable comp, are reviewed by PizzelloCPA, PLLC. You get optical clinic accounting oversight without a second CPA bill.

Your Practice Software, Connected

Crystal PM, RevolutionEHR, OfficeMate, Eyefinity, MaximEyes, Compulink, and similar platforms. We pull the financial data into QuickBooks Online cleanly so your software stays the system of record for clinical, and QBO is the system of record for finance.

Packages Starting at $199/mo

Every package includes a dedicated bookkeeper, monthly reports, CPA oversight (PizzelloCPA, PLLC), and tax-ready books.

Starter
From $199/mo

Solo OD, exam books, basic optical, vision insurance

Grow
From $349/mo

Optical inventory, multi-payer EOBs, equipment tracking

Surge
Custom

Multi-doctor, multi-location, partner draws, dashboard

Compare full package details

Common Questions

Do you split exam and optical in the books?

Yes. Exam revenue, exam direct costs, optical revenue, and optical COGS each sit in their own lines so you can see the margin profile of each side of the practice. Most ODs are surprised at how different the two pictures look.

How do you handle frame and contact lens inventory?

We track inventory in QuickBooks Online and reconcile against your practice management system monthly. Frame inventory in particular needs care because of board credits, returns, and aging stock.

Do you reconcile VSP, EyeMed, and other vision plans?

Yes. Each payer has different reimbursement rules for exam vs materials and different contractual adjustments. We reconcile EOBs against deposits and split the revenue cleanly by payer.

Do you offer a Business Associate Agreement?

Yes. Optometric clients can request a BAA during onboarding. We never need access to PHI to do bookkeeping; financial data is segregated from clinical records by design.

Should my OD practice elect S-Corp status?

Usually yes once profit clears about $80,000. Optometric services are SSTB so the QBI deduction phases out, but the self-employment tax savings on owner draws are still significant. We benchmark reasonable comp against AOA and BLS data during onboarding.

Do you integrate with Crystal PM or RevolutionEHR?

Yes. We pull the financial data from your practice management system into QuickBooks Online so your software stays the system of record for clinical and inventory.

I have multiple locations. Can you handle that?

Yes. Multi-location ODs need consolidated reporting plus location-level P&Ls so you can see which location is driving margin. We set up class tracking in QuickBooks Online to give you both views.

Do I need a bookkeeper or an accountant for my optometry practice?

Most ODs need both layers, and our engagement includes both. Your dedicated bookkeeper handles the monthly work: transactions, vision insurance reconciliation, optical inventory, and clean financials. PizzelloCPA, PLLC provides the accounting and tax judgment on top: revenue recognition, depreciation elections, and S-Corp reasonable comp. ODs searching for an optometrist accountant are usually looking for exactly this combination, without paying CPA-firm rates for routine bookkeeping.

Do you work with ophthalmologists, or only optometrists?

Both. The exam-versus-optical split, vision plan reconciliation, and equipment depreciation work the same way for an MD practice. Ophthalmology adds surgical income with global periods, facility and co-management fees, buy-and-bill drug inventory, and often K-1 income from an ASC interest. We handle all of it, and PizzelloCPA, PLLC reviews the surgical revenue recognition and the tax treatment of the ASC interest.

How do you handle income from my ASC ownership interest?

The K-1 from an ASC is separate from your practice income, and whether it is passive or non-passive depends on your involvement, which changes the tax outcome materially. We keep it out of practice revenue so your practice P&L stays honest, and PizzelloCPA, PLLC handles the character determination at tax time.

Do you work with optometrists outside North Carolina?

Yes. We are a fully remote firm and work with ODs and optical clinics nationwide, including California, Texas, Florida, and New York. Everything runs through QuickBooks Online and your practice management system, so your location never limits the engagement.

What does pricing look like?

Solo practices without optical usually start at our $199/mo Starter tier. Practices with optical retail or multiple payers usually land in Grow ($349/mo) or Surge (custom). Every engagement includes CPA oversight from PizzelloCPA, PLLC.

Cited authorities and resources

We benchmark our work against primary sources, not opinion. Some of the references we coordinate with for optometrists & ophthalmologists engagements:

S-Corp planning, reasonable-comp analysis, and tax-strategy coordination are included in our engagement. For legal questions, we coordinate with your attorney.

Guides from our blog for optometrists & ophthalmologists

Optical shop and contact lens inventory accounting · Vision plan reconciliation (VSP, EyeMed)

Not in eye care?

We serve the full private practice ecosystem. Therapists, Veterinarians, Nurse Practitioners, and more.

Bookkeeping that finally makes optical math honest

Book a free 30-minute consult. Bring a recent VSP or EyeMed remit and a current frame inventory snapshot. We'll tell you what's working and what's hiding margin.

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Or call us: 855.297.BOOK (2665)