The cost of dental care is always the top concern of patients, and it comes as no surprise. You hear it every day as you provide your patients the care that they need and want. How can we overcome this obstacle to case acceptance?

Before brainstorming new ideas and approaches, you must first do a true audit of the business systems and financial options that you have in place right now. Often, doctors we work with are living in a false reality when it comes to treatment presented vs. treatment accepted, the amount of dentistry that is being financed through patient financing platforms, and the variety of payment options made available to patients when discussing treatment plans.

Often, there is also a false sense of security in a team’s ability to confidently and comfortably discuss the financial aspect of treatment presented. If you and your team aren’t discussing and refining your communication skills on a regular basis, I would bet that there are cases falling through the cracks.

If you and your team aren’t discussing and refining your communication skills on a regular basis, I would bet that there are cases falling through the cracks.

Patient financing programs such as CareCredit^® (Synchrony Financial; Stamford, Conn.) have reports that can tell you just how much you are utilizing their services in your practice. You can even find out what your average acceptance rate is for your patients. This is powerful information when identifying what’s working and what’s not. I encourage you to contact the patient financing partners you have in your practice and find out your real numbers.

How savvy is your business team on the insurance aspect of your patients’ care and on flawlessly intertwining alternative financing options to pay for treatment not covered by their dental benefit plans? How and when do you talk about this? What verbal skills do you use when discussing dental benefits? And how do you build the value of the dentistry regardless of the coverage? Do you and your team understand the “why” behind your practice’s purpose, services and approach to fees clearly enough to help educate patients on what is available to them, why you are presenting their diagnosed treatment the way you are, and how to make the most of it? And are you and your team confident enough and sufficiently convinced of the value of the treatment to take that conversation all the way to the end with a patient?

The No. 2 reason people don’t visit the dentist over the span of a year is “no need,” meaning they don’t have any major dental issue happening in their mouths; therefore, in their opinion, there is no need to go see a dentist. This is a fundamental glitch on our parts as health care professionals and educators. I consider it the role and responsibility of every dental professional to educate patients on the importance of regular dental visits and professional cleanings. Researchers are continually discovering more and more about the oral-systemic connection and how dental professionals are truly on the front lines of patients’ overall health and well-being. Every time a patient falls out of active status, it is a terrible loss — not just for the practice, but for the patient.

At Jameson, we believe a patient to be “active” if they have been to the practice in the past two years. If you are discovering their inactive status after they have passed the two-year mark, you are at high risk of being too late, and those patients will be difficult to reactivate.

Time is often considered more valuable than money. Gone are the days when scheduling multiple appointments for the patient and running behind are an acceptable approach to care — not if you want to be considered in the top tier of dental providers, and not if you want your patients to accept the treatment you are presenting. Incorporating technology and scheduling systems that allow you to do more dentistry in less time and in fewer visits, staying on schedule, and finding more efficient and effective ways to communicate with your patients are important areas of your business to consider. Honor your patients’ time and you will earn their loyalty.

In these three areas of patient concern — cost, perceived need and time — we can often identify several areas and systems that practices can improve upon and sharpen to better serve patients:

1. Scheduling
2. Financing
3. Treatment coordination
4. Hygiene retention
5. Patient communication and education
6. Technology
7. Marketing (internal and external)
8. New patient experience
9. Case presentation
10. Insurance management

That list just names a few! Here is my ongoing assignment for you: For the next year, focus on these 10 things. At this month’s team meeting, take this list and rank yourselves on a scale of 1–10 (1 being poor and 10 being perfect) on how well you perform in these areas in your practice. Where did your rankings as a group fall short? Focus on the lowest ranked first; make a tweak, work on verbal skills, brainstorm and research solutions, get training or coaching — whatever it takes! Next month, review your progress, assign new action items to keep moving forward, and then attack the next item on the list that needs attention.

By the end of the year, if you visit each item one at a time and make small improvements month after month, I believe you will see at least a 10 percent increase in productivity and profitability while also helping you, your team and your patients become happier and healthier in the process!

In the end, focusing on your foundational business systems, while also strengthening your skills and confidence in patient education and communication, is the ultimate combination for increased case acceptance.

Here’s to your success.

Focusing on your foundational business systems, while also strengthening your skills and confidence in patient education and communication, is the ultimate combination for increased case acceptance.