Written by: Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS, CEO of Dental Practice Solutions
INCREASING FEES IN YOUR DENTAL PRACTICE can be a tricky subject. Patients don’t like to pay more, especially if they’ve been around for a long time and they’re used to the old rates, but it can’t always be avoided. So, what’s the best way to go about raising your fees so that it won’t cause any problems?
Increasing Fees, The Right Way
Each year we recommend that our clients take a look at their fee schedule and their PPO insurance fees. We include this for all of our clients, so they know if they are within the range of fees for their community. We also work with clients who are looking to eliminate PPO’s in their dental practice, so we are looking over their current PPO’s.
For our clients, each month we provide a PPO Wizard and review fees of treatment completed. We are constantly inspecting your progress and any inefficiencies that may occur.
We recommend a slight increase in your fees annually, depending upon what your range of fees are for your community.
Managing Patient Responses
When you make a slight annual change to your fees your patients are not likely to notice a change.
When you look at this dessert plate, what words come to mind?
It is the same thing with your patients. How you talk about fees, treatment plans, payment options and anything you say to your patients, it is all in the words you choose and how you say those words that really matters.
Bring Us Your Questions
If there’s more you’d like to know about handling fee increases, give us a call. We’re here to help ensure that your practice gets the success it deserves, and part of that is navigating the tricky waters around patient fees.
We are happy to take a quick look at your fees and PPO’s. Just ask us about the PPO wizard we use.
Keep working hard! You’re doing great!
ABOUT Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS
DENTISTRY TODAY considers Debbie a top dental consultant for the past 18yrs.
The focus of Dental Practice Solutions is to create healthier, longer lives for your patients while supporting the practice to optimize their hygiene department. The team at Dental Practice Solutions, takes an integrative approach with your team to create an increase in your production and collections without working harder. When you continue to use the systems implemented, you will benefit from production that creates dividends year after year, for the life of your dental practice.
Debbie is also a former Hygiene Program Director and clinical assistant professor for the dental hygiene program at USC in Los Angeles.
Debbie is passionate about supporting dental teams to provide a profitable, patient-centered dental practice through improving systems and efficiencies in the dental hygiene department.
Grab You No-Cost Hygiene Department Training:
Free Gingivitis Webinar and Schedule a Strategic Planning Session: Enroll in the webinar and view at your leisure by clicking this link.
Call to Schedule: 949-351-8741 or send an email to: admin@dentalpracticesolutions.com