Full-Scope Care, Powered by the Costco Brand

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Building a Practice Around the Patient

By Drew Provost, OD

August 4, 2026

I grew up with optometry around me, but I didn’t arrive at this career by following a straight line. I started college at 15, skipped 11th and 12th grade and graduated from undergrad at 19. My original plan was to go to law school, but that didn’t work out as expected. When I talked with my dad, who was an optometrist, he recommended this path. I’m glad he did.

A NATURAL FIT FOR MEDICAL CARE

After school, I wanted to build something in a way that felt innovative and high tech. A colleague in Atlanta told me about the opportunity to start an independent practice as a leaseholder at Costco. I liked their perspective on member service and the opportunity it offered. I had never even stepped foot in a Costco before, but the timing was right.

In 2006, a brand-new warehouse opened, and I started a cold start practice there. Costco was very supportive, and I brought a lot of drive and energy to the opportunity. I was there six days a week, stayed accessible to patients and made sure we welcomed walk-ins whenever possible.

From the beginning, I saw Costco as a partner. Building a strong relationship with the optical team and other Costco employees, and the large, built-in traffic with thousands of members daily helped my practice grow. When people came in for something simple and had a question, we tried to be helpful and make the experience easy. That approach helped build trust. When I relocated to Texas, I was drawn to continue my career in this setting.

FULL-SCOPE CARE IS THE PATH FORWARD

What really makes the Costco model work for me is the ability to practice full scope without feeling pressured to rely on material sales. My focus is on the patient. If someone comes in for an annual exam and I find dry eye, early macular degeneration or another medical concern, I can address it. That freedom allows us to look at the person in front of us and ask, “What do they need?”

Leasing from Costco gives us access to state-of-the-art technology like Optos and OCTs. With these instruments, we can accurately diagnose and monitor conditions like diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. We also have the flexibility to add additional instrumentation to tailor our practice or our patients. We have added Topcon topographers with dry eye diagnostic tools to allow us to objectively diagnose dry eye, providing our patients with clear visuals about their condition.

In the future, we plan to add even more dry eye treatment tools in the office. This improves treatment plan effectiveness and helps reinforce the medical model of our practice.

MY STEPS TO SUCCESS IN FULL-SCOPE CARE

I found success in following these steps as the business grew.

1. Work on the practice, not just in it. I learned the importance of working on the practice instead of only in it. That meant stepping back, creating systems and making sure the business could support the kind of care I wanted to provide.
2. Build systems early. For us, that meant establishing a mission, core values, an employee handbook and a training manual so everyone could move in the same direction.
3. Train staff and hire doctors intentionally. Training staff well and hiring doctors who understand your approach is essential. I want everyone on the team to be aligned with the mission and confident in the level of care we expect to provide.

OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH

We expanded from one small location in North Austin in 2012 to four locations this year. With seven full-time doctors, we saw more than 20,000 patients last year. This year, we are on target to be closer to 25,000. That volume is making a major impact on our communities.

Today I spend much of my time supporting our associate doctors and practice managers so we can deliver a consistent level of care. I continue to invest in our team, which is our greatest asset. If patients have a great experience and our staff enjoys where they work, the business grows naturally.

While my dad and I never practiced together, I’m thankful that he steered my career in this direction. I learned a lot from him early on: Do it right the first time, explain the tests as you go and always do your best to take care of the person as a whole. That mindset has stayed with me, and leasing from Costco allows me to deliver that full-scope care exactly as I envisioned it.

Drew Provost, OD, is the owner of Great Hills Eye Care, with four Costco lease locations in Liberty Hill, Georgetown, Pflugerville and North Austin, Texas.

A Medical Eyecare Practice with Room to Grow

By Karishma Arora, OD

I was drawn to optometry at the age of 16, when I began working as an optometric technician. From the very beginning, I knew this was the career for me. I loved connecting with patients, taking the time to get to know them, and having the opportunity to care for them year after year.

As I pursued my education, I realized I wanted to provide more than routine vision care. I was especially drawn to specialty and medical eyecare because I wanted to help patients with a wide range of eye conditions while providing care that goes beyond simply prescribing glasses or contact lenses. That passion has shaped the way I practice and my commitment to delivering thoughtful, patient-centered care.

COSTCO AS A LAUNCHPAD FOR FULL-SCOPE CARE

Costco has been a great fit for that vision. I started there as a moonlighting doctor, and I loved the way it was run and how kind everyone was. It felt fast paced, but also welcoming.

My office has two fully equipped exam lanes and another room as a dry eye suite. In the dry eye suite, I was able to add a med spa chair to do the many dry eye treatments offered in the practice. I currently have invested in Optilight, Optilift, LLLT and Miboflo. I average about 3-4 dry eye patients a day while still maintaining a busy primary care practice. Many of these patients return every two weeks for follow-up care, which allows me to stay involved in their progress and adjust treatment as needed.

I also manage glaucoma with equipment I did not previously have, and that has made a big difference in the type of care I can provide. I have diagnostic tools like OCT, visual field testing, fundus photography and meibography. Costco even provided the OCT through a lease arrangement. That support matters because it helps a doctor expand into full-scope medical care without having to make every investment alone.

MEDICAL CARE AS THE FOUNDATION

Medical care is not an exception here. It is part of the foundation of what I do. My goal has always been to make medical eyecare a priority, and I have been able to do that because I have the equipment, the support and part-time associates who are also medically oriented and help fill in where needed.

I work closely with primary care providers, especially for patients with diabetes, and I send reports so we can build better relationships across the medical community. Some primary care doctors even recommend their patients to go to Costco, which surprised me at first. One patient told me their doctor recommended Costco after an eye exam, and I was struck by that kind of trust of the Costco brand. When you start building those relationships, it really doesn’t matter where you are—what matters is the care and communication.

I also have cataract surgeons who send dry eye patients to me because they know I have the time and equipment to manage those cases well. That kind of referral pattern has helped reinforce that medical eyecare can thrive in a setting that is often associated only with routine exams.

TRUST, CONVENIENCE AND A STRONG PATIENT BASE

Another reason the Costco model works for me is the high foot traffic, patient flow and the sense of trust. People already love Costco, and that reputation helps and brings thousands of members near my office each and every day. I also value convenience for families. I see multiple family members at once. Many patients appreciate getting routine care and more advanced services in one place.

I have also built strong relationships with local ODs. In the past, I would send patients out for diagnostic testing. Over time, I realized I couldn’t keep sending everything out.  I needed to make care more convenient and more integrated. That mindset and the support from Costco has made the practice even stronger.

A PRACTICE BUILT FOR ACCESSIBLE, FULL-SCOPE CARE

From the beginning, I wanted patients to be able to receive comprehensive care in one place. That approach has been a strong match for our patient population and office location. I am excited to be expanding my reach, opening a second location this month. There is a real need for accessible, full-scope eyecare, and I’m proud that my practice reflects that.

Read more about opportunities with Costco here.

This article is sponsored by Costco

Karishma Arora, OD, is the owner of Arora Vision Associates with two Costco lease locations in Cherry Hill and East Hanover, New Jersey.

Read more on the medical model here.