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How to Increase Profits at Your Dental Practice

Posted by Joe Gargiulo | Thu, Jan 07, 2016 @ 07:00 AM

The rift betweincreasing dentists office salesen Americans having health insurance versus those having dental insurance is huge. Nearly 90% of those surveyed have healthcare policies, but only 60% have dental coverage.

Nevertheless, all is not doom and gloom, and most dentists can simultaneously provide their patients with stellar healthcare while increasing profits.

According to an August 2015 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, only 29 million Americans did not have health insurance during the first quarter of 2015. Those numbers represent an improvement of 7% over the previous year.

The figures for dental insurance are not as encouraging. In 2008, approximately 73% of Americans had some type of coverage, representing a decline of 13% in coverage in seven years.

The poor dental results are due to the fact that dental insurance has never been a common part of traditional employee benefits while in recent years, many longtime participating employers ended premium contributions. “If you work for the federal government, you can get dental insurance at a relatively low cost, but you will have to pay 100% of the premium,” stated Dr. Michael Bihari in About Health.

Furthermore, many patients struggle with copayments because of the widely used “100-80-50” coverage: 100 percent of preventive care; 80 percent for the basics (fillings, root canals); and 50 percent for major care (crowns, bridges). According to Cost Helper, a root canal on a back molar can be $500-$2,000, but typically costs about $1,000-$1,300. Readers without insurance report paying $500-$1,583 with an average cost of $1,184 while those with insurance pay $300-$1,654 with an average payment of $682.

Healthy Solutions

Practices can increase sales by helping patients help themselves and by “making the complicated simple.”

Consider promoting a risk-free offer in print advertising and/or via social media that encourages engagement and incoming calls. Briefly explain the importance of regular visits followed by a new-patient offer for a free cleaning in conjunction with a paid exam. The importance of taking time to explain everything up front in detail — especially to new patients and from the doctors — cannot be emphasized enough. Don’t get discouraged if your first campaign is not successful because consistency and continuity are critical. Ask a local public relations consultant to review your work by paying them for an hour of their time.

increasing dentists office visitsTake a pro-active role in managing your patients’ care without pressuring and up-selling them.

Education is essential. Be the harbinger of the most cutting edge information in the office and via social media. For example, have the staff create an in-house review of the most popular cordless toothbrushes and share it with your patients. You will have succeeded if you post the results on social media and they get shared on Facebook or re-Tweeted.

The days of one-size-fits-all healthcare are long gone, so consider marketing to specific segments of the population rather than recommending the same care to everyone. Young adults will certainly be receptive to dental education and special offers that affect oral hygiene and appearance, so it pays to be an authoritative voice advising them in the areas of daily maintenance. Meanwhile, topics such as periodontal disease, bridges or implants may resonate with middle-aged and senior patients.

Financial Solutions

First, it’s important to keep it legal.

“Always have patients leave your office with a written and signed financial arrangement,” states Dental Heroes. “If patients decline treatment, they need to sign a disclosure stating that they understand the risks, benefits, alternative treatment and disadvantages of not completing the treatment.” Failure at this step can be a legal liability.

More importantly, such statements make patients aware you are on top of their healthcare and instill a sense of teamwork between you and the patient. Tactfully remind them before their next scheduled exam that care is pending and focus on alternative treatments if they cannot afford your primary recommendations.

Never lose sight of the basics: doctors and staff who are always friendly and available to communicate with patients; office tours for new patients; a website with the latest information about services, staff and links to social media; a quarterly newsletter disseminated via print and email; a regular column in a local newspaper; a card rack in the waiting room with information about dental plans; and finally, attractive point-of-sale signage summarizing your in-house payment options.

Payment Solutions That Increase Profits at Your Dental Practice

CrossCheck's MED-RDC provides dentists with:

Click below to learn more about MED-RDC:

Medical Remote Deposit Capture Insider's Guide  

Topics: Dentists, Increase Sales

Written by Joe Gargiulo

Marketing Specialist Joe Gargiulo has 25-plus years in marketing, communications and copy writing. As a writer, he enjoys connecting story leads to all aspects of the human experience.