The Story

Minnesota Vision Therapy Center provides specialized vision therapy programs, typically costing$6,000–$8,000 over 8–12 months, with minimal insurance reimbursement($200–$300). The practice was facing several barriers to growth: a 60%consult-to-start rate, with drop off driven by cost and timing; the majority of patients required financing; high upfront costs caused families to delay or reconsider treatment; and financing options were ineffective, with low approval rates through CareCredit and low utilization and high fees (~7%) with Affirm.Staff also managed in-house payment plans manually, creating operationalburden, and complex payment scenarios (HSA/FSA plus financing) added friction.As a result, families often hesitated or delayed starting treatment—even when they wanted it.

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The Goal

Families were saying “we’ll think about it” instead of committing, financing was introduced after the consult, creating drop-off, families struggled to understand the true monthly cost, and staff spent time explaining payment options, tracking in-house payment plans, and coordinating follow-ups.

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The Cherry Solution

Minnesota Vision Therapy Center implemented Cherry as their primary financing solution and restructured how they present pricing during consultations. Instead of leading with total cost, the practice now presents clear monthly payment options usingCherry to reframe treatment as manageable and accessible. A payment estimator is embedded in 100% of consultation packets, personalized with promotions and real program pricing, so patients immediately see what they can afford—no guesswork. Financing is now introduced at the point of decision, presented during the in-person consult rather than after, reducing the need for separate financing calls and eliminating drop-off between interest and commitment.Cherry also replaced in-house payment plans, removing manual tracking of payments for the majority of patients, shifting administrative burden off staff, and improving operational efficiency and scalability.

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Results

Decision timelines improved from ~5–6 weeks to ~2 weeks, with more patients moving forward sooner after the consult and fewer “think about it” delays. Financing helped table the cost issue for many families, so patients no longer shut down immediately when hearing price. Minnesota Vision Therapy Center saw 6 Cherry-funded treatments in the first month, with an average transaction amount of $6,300+,and eliminated the need to track in-house payment plans, simplifying consult conversations. Looking ahead, the practice expects 5–8 Cherry-financed treatments per month at full adoption, with 6–10 new patients per month and high financing eligibility.

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