> [llms.txt](https://getlemma.com/llms.txt)

# Solo cataract surgeon? Three banking moves worth making

Cataract surgeons manage high-volume insurance-billed practices with distinctive cash flow patterns. Cases and reimbursements arrive in clusters on different schedules, leaving operating reserves sitting idle between billing cycles. Most solo practitioners stick with legacy banking relationships rather than optimizing their financial infrastructure. Three straightforward adjustments, the kind built into [healthcare-native banking that pairs virtual accounts with real yield](/mso-banking), can meaningfully improve cash returns.

## Move 1: Earn competitive returns on operating reserves

Solo cataract surgeons typically maintain $400K to $1.5M in operating cash for payroll, lease, IOL inventory, and reimbursement timing gaps. At conventional rates of 0.05% APY, this balance generates only $200–$750 annually. Shifting to up to 1.75% APY yields up to $7,000–$26,250 from the same capital base, the same shift behind [the three-bucket framework for practice operating cash](/provider-guides/optimize-yield-1m-practice-operating-cash), requiring no operational changes to the practice.

## Move 2: Isolate IOL inventory spending

IOL purchases represent substantial pass-through costs. Establishing a dedicated virtual account for implant spending, whether to Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, or J&J Vision, creates clear cost visibility alongside reimbursement tracking. It is the same per-stream logic that [multi-doctor ophthalmology groups splitting exam, surgical, and optical revenue](/provider-guides/multi-modality-ophthalmology-banking) use at larger scale, just applied to a single implant line. This approach enables precise per-case margin calculations rather than estimates.

## Move 3: Implement IntraFi sweeping for reconciliation deposits

Quarterly Medicare settlements occasionally deposit large sums in single transactions. Standard FDIC protection covers only $250,000 per institution per depositor, a gap we break down in [FDIC insurance for medical practices](/provider-guides/fdic-insurance-medical-practice). The IntraFi network distributes deposits across partner banks to maintain full FDIC coverage up to $10M per entity, operating automatically without workflow disruption.

These modifications require no practice restructuring and eliminate inefficient capital deployment.

## Your bank doesn't know healthcare. Lemma does.

Lemma is business banking for healthcare practices, MSOs, DSOs, and multi-entity groups: free ACH, up to 1.75% APY, $10M FDIC protection, entity management, cash sweeps, and an AI-powered lockbox that digitizes checks and EOBs on arrival.

Free for a single entity, $50/month per entity for groups. Open in 5 minutes. It's the last bank switch you'll make.

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