About this time of year, I talk to you about boosting up your contacts with patients who have unscheduled treatment and remaining dental benefits. Most dental plans will renew in January, so starting to reach out to patients in the month of September will give you the next three months to persuade them to use them or lose them. It’s a win-win when patients can take advantage of their dental benefits and receive recommended dental care.
If you have been reading my blog articles and listening to my podcasts, you know that I love the Treatment Manager for tracking unscheduled treatment. In fact, I have given it a nickname . . .
“Mining for Gold.”
This report is one of the most important operational reports to work into your weekly routine. However, at the end of the year, I am asking you to boost it up a little more.
If you are actively working this report as I have taught you over the years, continue this process. Now, for the next few months, you can filter this report and create a separate list of patients who have unused benefits.
When you are actively working your Treatment Manager report during your weekly workflow, the goal of this process is to help educate your patients on the benefits of the recommended treatment and help answer questions. This is typically a no-pressure contact, but more to follow up because you care about your patient’s oral health. When you make contacts for the next couple months, I would build up a little more urgency in your scripts.
Try a couple of these verbal skills and see how they work . . .
- “Hey Kevin, this is Dayna from _______________ dental and I know we have talked before about the treatment that Dr. ___________ has recommended for you. In our last conversation, you told me you wanted to wait, and I respect that. Just in case you might not be aware of your dental benefit renewal date, I wanted to let you know you have a couple more months until you lose the rest of your $_____ remaining money.”
- “Hey Kevin, it’s Dayna from ________________ dental. At your last visit, we went over your recommended treatment and estimated patient portion. The $__________ dental benefits you have available this year does not roll over to next year, so I want to make sure you have every opportunity to use that money and not let it go to waste.”
- “Hey Kevin, it’s Dayna from ____________dental. I am reaching out to all our patients who still have money available from their dental plan to use for dental treatment. It is going to go to waste if you don’t use it by the end of the year.”
You can also see if your patient communication system can generate a campaign for unused dental benefits, but it might not be able to target specific patients. I always think a more personal touch can be more persuasive.
