Ways to grow case acceptance and revenue in your dental practice

Ways to grow case acceptance and revenue in your dental practice

Case acceptance greatly influences success in a dental practice. To boost practice productivity and create a more satisfying and gratifying business at a dental office, treatment acceptance must be successful. (Ahmad Soolari, Nafiseh Soolari, Habibeh Shams, Jasim M., 2015) But unfortunately, case acceptance has become a challenge for dentists. Its rate is decreasing due to several factors. According to a survey, “the majority of dentists (67.3%) fall short of accepting 90% of cases.” (Roger P. Levin, 2015)

The ability to present cases effectively is a talent that dentists and their teams may develop and master. It merely needs to adhere to all the procedures for presenting a compelling case, from the thorough assessment to present script. Several hurdles contribute to the decreased case acceptance rate and revenue for the dental facility. Below we are going to elaborate few tips and ways to grow case acceptance and revenue in your dental practice. These strategies can assist your practice in increasing case acceptance.

Barriers to dental care and case acceptance in dentistry

Psycho-social factors that act as a barrier to dental care access and hence case acceptance are: (Freeman, 1999)

  • Dental anxiety states
  • Financial costs
  • Perceptions of need
  • Lack of access

Top ways to grow case acceptance and ultimately increase practice revenues

Connect with patients throughout the process

This step is crucial for any dental practice to implement for better outcomes. When you recognize the needs and requirements of the patients, you will suggest better treatment plans accordingly by politely communicating with them.

Understand your patients’ goals: The first and vital approach is to determine what they want and need in terms of their oral health. In this process of understanding your patient’s requirements, you may include your whole staff and establish trust throughout the dental care journey. A dentist’s ability to relate to their patients accounts for around 85% of case acceptance, whereas technical competency accounts for just 15%.

Communicate frankly and build long-term relationships with your patients:

  • Talk to them about their life instead than merely dentistry to establish a genuine relationship. Research says that dentists who spend time productively communicating with their patients and coworkers are more likely to have stronger interpersonal connections and a more pleasant working life. This, in turn, is predicted to boost consultation efficiency and patient outcomes.(Waylen, 2017)
  • Do not just enter, make an introduction, and lean the patient back to start treating.
  • Talking about a patient’s day and remembering relatives and significant occasions might help you connect with them.
  • Patients are encouraged to embrace a new dental treatment regimen advantageous for them and your clinic when they feel your concern about their goals and requirements.

While talking, take care of your tone and body language too. Your tone and posture significantly impact patients’ views about you. It is surveyed that around 70% of the time, when listening, most individuals keep eye contact, encouraging presenters to go on. Additionally, it conveys your interest in them and is crucial for building rapport.(Wanless, 2009)

Help patients overcome concerns about cost

It is essential to remember that being empathetic and transparent during conversations about the expense of a treatment is a frequent issue. In a survey, when asked which elements were “extremely significant” in determining treatment acceptance, 95% of patients said the cost of the treatment was enormously important (71%) or moderately important (24%). (Ahmad Soolari, Nafiseh Soolari, Habibeh Shams, Jasim M., 2015) For patients without insurance, you must consider providing in-office dental plans or third-party financing solutions. According to a survey, most of the participating practice in the survey are doing some things correctly. In the practices surveyed, 89.6% offer financing options for more complex cases. (Roger P. Levin, 2015)

Hence, by demonstrating your concern for them and assisting them in determining the best payment method, you will earn their loyalty and the chances that they will accept your treatment plan.

Follow up with every patient

When a patient requests additional time to consider your plan, you must ensure your front desk staff follows up the following morning to know when the patient would want to conduct their prescribed treatment. The majority of the time, the client wants the treatment but needs more certainty. The most excellent method to reassure your patients is for your staff to follow up with them quickly. Additionally, your team must be mentally prepared to answer any of their queries or clear any of their confusion regarding that suggested plan.

Get better at presenting the case

Typically, suggested treatment regimens are only accepted by patients when they have fully understood them. In this regard, each therapy team member must do their share to explain to the patients the benefits of the suggested course of therapy. This entails responding to queries like:

  • What precisely is the suggested course of action?
  • What advantages will they receive from this treatment?
  • How long will it last?
  • What are my alternatives for paying for the therapy, and how much will it cost?

If your team discusses treatment strategies, teach them to follow a script. A survey states scripting enables anyone to affect patients successfully. But, only 26.3% of dentists who responded indicated they had created scripts for case presentations, and only 24.1% practiced scripts during staff meetings. (Roger P. Levin, 2015)

Present multiple treatment plan

When questioned, patients stated that the presentation of many treatment options (63% very important, 26% moderately important) had a role in their treatment selection. (Ahmad Soolari, Nafiseh Soolari, Habibeh Shams, Jasim M., 2015) Consider offering a variety of options for various stages of treatment to raise your case acceptance rate:

  • Mandatory: This includes procedures that are medically required.
  • Elective: Treatments that a patient may choose but are not medically required are called electives. It can be beneficial as one report says that “elective dentistry offers an additional source of income for practices.”(Roger P. Levin, 2015)
  • Cosmetics: Treatments that aim to improve the client’s smile are cosmetic. Although most doctors conduct thorough examinations, respondents claimed they frequently omit a crucial step: cosmetic evaluation. Only 21.6% of respondents to the poll said they also incorporated a cosmetic evaluation.(Roger P. Levin, 2015)

Removing patient barriers

Dental anxiety and fear cause people to avoid getting dental treatment. It is a relatively common issue in dental workplaces. It is critical to develop appropriate evidence-based therapy for such patients, or they might be a significant cause of stress for the dentist. (Appukuttan, 2016)

Consider using online websites for patient appointments. Open your practice in the early morning, evening, and Saturday. When you educate patients before treatment, their fears and barriers will be significantly removed, which is a good and promising approach for your organization.

MedsDental billing company for you to increase your revenue

Are you stressed because of your reduced revenue or facing patients without insurance and want to apply a strategy to boost it? Then MedsDental Dental Billing Company is the best option for your dental organization because we aim to increase your revenue using the latest technology and software. As a third-party service provider, we enhance your reimbursement when you outsource with us. The HIPAA-compliant services by our professionals are applied to keep data secure. Moreover, by using the experience of more than five years, we aim to improve your reimbursement because we believe in quality, not just contracting.

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