CareCredit, a leading provider of promotional healthcare financing, today announced the expansion of an existing relationship to a multi-year agreement with Vision Group Holdings, which oversees and manages two of the leading LASIK surgery providers: The LASIK Vision Institute (LVI) and TLC Laser Eye Centers. Under the terms of the agreement, CareCredit will be the first patient financing option recommendation at 48 TLC Laser Centers locations in 30 states and at 82 LVI locations. Forty-eight of these locations are new to the CareCredit network.

“CareCredit is pleased to build on our existing relationship with Vision Group Holdings, which has been established since 2003,” said Greg Pierce, SVP and General Manager, CareCredit. “We know many vision care patients appreciate the availability of financing, and we continue to work with Vision Group Holdings’ LVI and TLC teams to provide value to their patients.”

CareCredit research shows the importance of the availability of financing in a survey to consumers considering vision surgery and services. According to a 2014 study* on how consumers approach their healthcare decisions, nearly half (48%) of vision surgery patients said they viewed care as an absolute necessity. The same study showed more than three-fourths of patients considering a procedure said they also research financing options. Among vision surgery patients, 93% said they researched the procedure and 79% said they researched financing to pay for it.

“The Vision Group Holdings model focuses on providing the best possible patient experience and outcomes, and the availability of patient financing also plays a significant role in that mission,” said Ben Cook, CEO and president of Vision Group Holdings. “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with CareCredit, so we can provide more people ways to fit these life-changing procedures into their budgets.”

*Path to Purchase Research, conducted for CareCredit by Rothstein Tauber, Inc, Q3 2014.