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Check Processing & Payments Information

Dentists: Drill Deep for Faster Payments

Posted by Heather Brautman | Fri, Jan 24, 2014 @ 09:03 AM

It’s not a birthday invitation people are going to be rushing to RSVP to. But we’re taking a moment to celebrate the innovation of something essential to the dental industry – the dental drill. Patented in 1875, this small medical device has been crossing demographics to instill fear in just about everyone who has ever come in its path. The modern dental drill turns 138 years old on January 26, so read on for advice on how to celebrate, sugar-free of course.

Fear Less, Be Fearless

Just because you’re on the operational side of the dental drill doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be afraid each time someone new sits down into your chair. There’s a whole other kind of pain that some dentists leave themselves open to – the pain of payment hassle. Whether it is you or a tech or a hygienist, you’re removing someone qualified to aid at your side and putting him in the place of trying to process patient payments. A check verification and guarantee service can bring a great big toothy smile to your face, because the program has benefits such as payment processing in seconds from a desktop computer. A quick scan and the payment is deposited into your practice’s bank account.

Pain Points

To a patient suffering from a broken tooth, root canal, or gum emergency, the only goal in site is to ease the pain. Your job is to help with that, but unfortunately, another kind of pain may result from a successful procedure – the pain of the bill. Even with insurance, costly dental procedures may exceed what a patient has available to pay, but you won’t know this until after you’re in the morass of trying to collect the money. Instead, ease the pain by allowing patients to write a set of checks, to be deposited in an agreed-upon fashion, over a set period of time. Your office is completely covered for the entire amount agreed upon, by the check guarantee service. It’s like nitrous oxide for the bank account!

Keep Up with the Times

If you’re thinking that accepting checks as payment for dental procedures went out with the cavemen, think again. Most Americans continue to use checks, and even prefer them for larger-value payments. You are charged fewer fees with check payments, as well. If it seems rather “old school,” just be glad you’re not using old school tools, too. Just guess how positively your patients would react to you reaching to your implements tray and hauling out a Bow Drill, the granddaddy of our birthday dental drill. The earliest instance of a dental tool, the Bow Drill dates back to 7,000 BC, and had a stringed wooden bow tied to a rotating spindle, all used to penetrate teeth. Kind of makes checks seem rather nouveau, doesn’t it?

An Apple a Day

The old prevention suggestion of an apple a day may be more of a dental stereotype by now, but your practice is right to be all about prevention. You should have services in place to prevent problems such as stopped check claims, bounced checks, and other hassles that will take you away from the chair. Sink your teeth into our MED-RDC guide, which gives you all these benefits and more. We promise, no cavities!

medical remote deposit capture

Topics: Dentists

Written by Heather Brautman