Start free assessment
PCO / Optometry Practice Protection
Optometry · Practice Protection · South Africa

Optometry Practice protection when the principal cannot give instructions.

For optometry practices where patient prescriptions, optical orders, diagnostic equipment, laboratory jobs and supplier accounts may depend on one principal.

Start the free Optometry assessmentView Diagnostic pricing
The practical problem

Trusted people are not the same as tested authority.

PCO looks at what must keep working when the normal decision-maker is unexpectedly unavailable and unable to give instructions — who steps in, what they may do, which systems they can use, what limits apply and what still depends on a professional, provider or formal approval.

Practice structures

The Diagnostic changes with the way the practice is structured.

01 · Structure

Sole optometrist

One optometrist carries most clinical and operating decisions.

02 · Structure

Optometry partnership

Two or more optometrists share patients, ownership or decision rights.

03 · Structure

Group / optical practice

Multiple practitioners, dispensary staff and shared systems create broader handovers.

Profession-specific focus

What PCO would examine in a optometry practice.

Patient prescriptions
Optical lab orders
Contact lenses
Clinical records
Diagnostic equipment
Medical-aid claims
Supplier accounts
Dispensary limits
Questions that matter

The Diagnostic tests the operating reality, not just whether a document exists.

Examples from the Optometry pathway:

01Who may review a patient with an urgent eye concern or amend a clinical plan if the principal becomes unexpectedly unavailable and cannot give instructions?
02Can another registered optometrist access refraction history, imaging and diagnostic systems through their own credentials?
03Who can authorise a remake, lens change, contact-lens order or supplier issue where clinical approval is needed?
04What can dispensing staff resolve on their own and what must be escalated to an optometrist?
05Can medical-aid claims, supplier accounts and collection of completed optical orders continue without the principal?
Practice Protection Diagnostic fees

Three structures. A defined entry price for each.

The Diagnostic price reflects the amount of work normally created by the profession and structure. Guided Protection Review and Practice Protection Plan fees are scoped only after the Diagnostic.

Sole optometrist
R4,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Optometry partnership
R6,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Group / optical practice
R9,500
excl. VAT · standard published scope

Profession-specific Practice Protection Diagnostic for this structure.

Standard published scope: one legal entity and an ordinary small-to-medium professional practice. Multi-entity groups, more than 10 professionals, or more than two operating locations / branches are confirmed by PCO before payment.
The full Diagnostic

Twelve protection areas have to work together.

01Decision responsibilityWho normally decides, who can step in, and where decisions must escalate.
02Professional eligibilityRegistration, scope, competence, supervision or other eligibility required for regulated work.
03Client / patient / matter handoverWhat is live, urgent, incomplete or at risk if the principal stops giving instructions.
04Records & information custodyWho may see records, what must stay confidential, and how access is controlled.
05Systems & authenticationNamed-user access, portals, MFA, recovery routes and single-person credential dependencies.
06Money & payment limitsBanking, payroll, suppliers, refunds, client money where relevant, approval limits and backups.
07Contracts, mandates & approvalsWho may instruct, approve, sign, vary, renew or escalate commitments.
08Providers & third partiesBanks, SARS, regulators, laboratories, insurers, vendors and other external dependencies.
09Deadlines & renewalsFilings, court dates, project milestones, licence renewals, audits and client promises.
10Staff & operating coordinationWhat managers and staff may do, where their limits sit, and what cannot be casually delegated.
11Escalation & prohibited actionsWhat must not be done without the principal or required professional/provider approval.
12Evidence, testing & reviewWhat proves the arrangement exists, who accepted the role, and whether access and fallbacks were tested.
How it works

From free indication to a controlled plan.

01Free AssessmentFive profession-specific questions and a mini report.
02Practice Protection DiagnosticPCO tests the full 12-area pathway and produces findings.
03Guided Protection ReviewResponsibilities, limits, evidence and fallbacks are worked through.
04PPP + NEXUSApproved arrangements become a managed Practice Protection Plan.
Important boundary: neither the free assessment nor the Diagnostic verifies that a POA, bank mandate, professional registration, provider permission, system entitlement or other arrangement is legally or operationally effective merely because the client says it exists. PCO identifies and tests the dependency; the relevant adviser, institution, regulator or provider confirms what only they can confirm.
Two useful starting questions

Would the practice know what to do tomorrow?

01Who may review a patient with an urgent eye concern or amend a clinical plan if the principal becomes unexpectedly unavailable and cannot give instructions?
02Can another registered optometrist access refraction history, imaging and diagnostic systems through their own credentials?
Start the free assessmentAsk PCO privately
Related profession pathways

Explore other professional practices.

Veterinary practice protectionAllied Health practice protectionPsychology & Mental Health practice protectionPharmacy practice protection