3 Ways to improve Case Acceptance and Collections

I’d rather do three things well than ten things for crap…

It’s a “mantra” (for lack of a better word) I’ve operated on for quite some time. And it’s served me well – especially when it comes to helping clients.

And to make this more palatable – let’s come up with a nice way of saying this.  How about: Better to focus on three things and do them well, than to try to focus on ten or more and get little to nothing done.

Better?

So, what do I mean by this? Well, let me give you a real-life example.

Early in my career (during the second Clinton Administration), I’m working with a new client on the MGE Power Program.  She’s a dentist, a mom with two small kids and practice with several unstable staff.  She’s overwhelmed.

So, we meet and work out roughly 18 action items she should take to start turning her practice around. We agree to check in the following week to check progress.

The next week comes and what’s changed? Nothing. None of the 18 actions items were done.

Why?

It had nothing to do with her competence or capability. To that end, she eventually ended up with a 7X increase on the MGE Power Program.

No. What went wrong is I took someone whose hands were already full (to the point where they were about to drop something) and piled on and asked them to carry more. Not a good idea. If anything, this lack of progress taught me something. If you want to help someone – give them something that they CAN do and have them do it. Even if it’s one thing!

So, we finished that week’s meeting with the three actions items. The most important changes that had to happen the following week in her practice.  Again, we planned to check back the following week.

And how did that go? Great – she got all three done.

And I’ve applied this concept ever since. Sure, it’s not as sexy to focus on only three things – but she finished all three. As opposed to going 0 out of 18!

And it’s with this spirit in mind that I’m writing this week’s post.

The Key to Increasing Collections

Whether you believe it or not – the key to increasing collections is CASE ACCEPTANCE. I could explain this seven ways from Sunday – but let’s look at some basic math:

A patient needs six crowns.  If you present all six to them (at $1,400 a crown) and they accept all 6, you’ll collect $8,400.

If they accept the two that insurance will cover, you collect $2,800. And the patient doesn’t get all the treatment they need.

And if they accept none, you collect well…nothing.

So, yes – the better you are at this – the more potential your practice has. Of course, you’ll need patients that need treatment – and that’s new patients and patients of record in recall. But you still have to be able to close them.

So, you want to do this – learn to sell better. Well, we have training for that – all in all we do about 20+ days of Sales training on the MGE Program. So, it’s not like I can press a button and you’re suddenly a better closer. But in lieu of training – what could you do to see improvement right now? I mean literally after reading this blog post? Well, with this idea of giving out a few simple action items that are doable, let’s have a look at three things you could implement – today or tomorrow – in your practice to start increasing your case acceptance!

1. Allocate Time for Sales

Selling in any business has two aspects: 1) the ability to close and 2) the organizational side of sales.

So, let’s look at an organizational step you could implement RIGHT NOW. Even if you’re mediocre as a closer, this has the potential to increase your case acceptance right away.

Think about it this way. Let’s say it takes 20 minutes to properly explain a treatment plan, answer a patient’s questions, etc.

And if we have a doctor who’s a good “closer” they’ll get an 80% acceptance rate.  A mediocre closer will have a 30% acceptance rate.

Well, remember it takes 20 minutes to properly present. What happens if I give the 80% closer 5 minutes to present? Well, they aren’t going to close much! And we’d be happy if the mediocre closer closed anything.

Conversely, if I give the mediocre closer that full 20 minutes, they’ll close 30% or three people.

In dentistry, it’s customary to build time into the schedule for diagnosis (exams, etc.) and treatment.  How much time are you building in for sales?

You spend five minutes on a recall exam.  How much time do you have to present treatment (or represent treatment already diagnosed)?

How about new patients? If you’re seeing initial exams in Hygiene and you’re the typical dentist, you’re allowing 20 minutes for the exam.  That’s 20 minutes to meet a patient for first time, build a modicum of rapport then…present a $5-10,000 treatment plan?!?! It’s not enough time.

But you have a Treatment Coordinator you say. They’ll present! Well, I want you to survey your staff – who are the patients most likely to listen to in a dental practice? Yeah…it’s you, the doctor!

So, the doctor should ABSOLUTELY be involved in the presentation process. And to do that you’re going to have to build in time. And not just for the big cases – the All on X or FMRs.  Even the “smaller ones.” The $4,000 or  $5,000 (or even less maybe). Why? Well, let me give you a thought experiment.  You’re presenting a $5,000 case to a patient who makes $60,000 a year. And you’re doing it in 5 minutes. You’re asking them for one month’s salary (before taxes).  If I asked you to spend one month’s salary after explaining something for 5 minutes, would you do it? Probably not – unless you were REALLY motivated.

So, time to present or what we’d call a “consult” isn’t just for the BIG cases. It’s for the medium ones and maybe even for what you might call a small case. Now to be clear – I’m not saying to schedule consult time to present an occlusal composite. That would be silly. That’s a simple: you need a filling, schedule with the front. But a case that’s several thousand dollars might need a consult!

If you don’t have enough time to present a case properly (properly being the operative word), it’s better to schedule a follow-up consultation. We have a saying here at MGE – don’t start presenting a case you don’t have time to close! There’s a reason for this – and we teach it (along with all of our sales tools) at the MGE Communication & Sales Seminars.

But in any event, if you don’t have time to present, bring a patient back for a consult. And key here – do it within 1-3 days. Don’t stretch this out. You can do this first thing in the morning and first thing after lunch. We don’t want the doctor in the middle of other things – this is supposed to be an uninterrupted, distraction-free time where you can focus on the patient.

Now, ideally, you’d of course present the same day.  But again, if that’s just not possible – you have a patient in the chair you have to get back to, or the patient has to leave, then bring them back.

Now, you might think: “Won’t the patient cancel/no-show for this consult?” This is always a concern. So, what can you do? Well, when you get to the end of the exam, explain to the patient you’re going to review all of the information you’ve gathered today and work out what’s the best course of action (or treatment) for them, and you want to have them back (within 1-3 days).  You might even ask your assistant or Hygienist when your next slot for this is available and check it with the patient (helps reinforce them showing up).  If they ask what you found, gently explain something to the effect that you want to go through everything and ensure you work out what’s best for them and you’ll explain everything and answer their questions when they come back.

And again, if you and the patient have time to discuss this TODAY. By all means do it! But if one or both of you don’t, bring them back.

If, when scheduling a consult, the patient asks if something alarming is going on, i.e.  “Do I have oral cancer” or something…and they don’t, you might want to at least tell them this. Again, you’re the doctor, but nothing is worse than thinking you have something terrible going on and waiting to find out…we’ve all enjoyed that with medical tests, right? Why do it if you don’t have to!

And you’d also schedule consults for patients of record on recall. Don’t have time to really explain the treatment – bring them back!

Lastly, many of our clients during the intake with a new patient ask questions to determine who might be a patient with extensive treatment and which might not.

Obviously, the doctor is going to decide when they see them, but there are questions you could ask that would point you in the right direction. I’ve included a link to download a copy of the New Patient Intake Form from DDS Success, MGE’s online platform. To give you an idea, asking a patient about the last time they saw a dentist, what treatment they recommended and if they did it or not. Or if there’s anything they’d like to discuss with the doctor during their appointment can be very illuminating.

Let’s say a new patient says the last doctor recommended 3 crowns and an implant and they didn’t do it. Well, that’s more extensive treatment – you get the idea.

And what does all this matter?

Well, here’s something many of our clients do. When their front desk is scheduling a new patient that they suspect needs extensive treatment, they schedule them for an hour and half initial. This would be 40 minutes in Hygiene (x-rays, probing, etc.) and then the exam with the doctor for 15-20 minutes and then 30 minutes baked right into the schedule for the doctor to present.

And this works well – if your receptionist is sharp.  So, use at your own risk. If you’re not ready for this, schedule as you always do, try to present same day (time allowing) or start bringing people back within 1-3 days for a consult.

2. The Presentation Process

Let’s keep this simple – and again you’re the doctor, so ultimately how you do this is your decision. I’d advise you have your Treatment Coordinator with you during the presentation (there are modifications to this – but that’s a topic for another day). At minimum, what I suggest you do in this 20-minute presentation is:

1. The Problem: Clearly describe the issue using simple language. Try to avoid dental terminology. i.e. don’t use words like radiolucency, buccal surface, abscess, etc.
2. The Solution: Explain the proposed treatment. Make sure the patient understands what you want to do. Use models, diagrams, or real-life examples to illustrate your point. For instance, show them a model of an implant or a crown to give them a visual understanding. Make sure they get it.
3. The Consequences: Discuss the potential outcome if the issue is not addressed. And be truthful. For example, “If we don’t treat this now, the infection could worsen, leading to more extensive and expensive treatments like root canals or even losing the tooth” (and then explain the cost of an implant).
4. The Fee: You’re going to tell the patient the fee – but before you do, ask them: “Do you want to do this treatment?” If they say no or I don’t know, go back to 1-3 above. If they say yes, tell them the fee. This is a biggie. And potentially a game changer. I could get into why this is important, but remember: who is the patient most likely to listen to? This potentially makes a HUGE difference. Now, once the fee is presented, you’ll get any number of responses: “Wow, that’s a lot of money” or “Can I do a payment plan, etc.” If the patient indicates it’s a lot, try two things: 1) Acknowledge this – it is a lot of treatment, and 2) ask them: “How would you normally pay for something like this?” They may say “payment plan” or “credit card” in which case, send them off with your Treatment Coordinator to work everything out.

And last point on this: if you find things “sticking” on the money, go back to that question: Does the patient want this? If not – why talk money? Why discuss how they are going to pay for something they don’t or might not want? That would be silly. Go back to 1-3 and re-explain.

And our last point.

3. Plan Your Day

A lot of offices have a “Morning Huddle.” We call it a “Morning Production Meeting”.  A Morning production meeting can significantly improve case acceptance. This meeting is not about clinical details but about planning your day to maximize sales opportunities. Review the day’s patients, especially those in hygiene with outstanding treatment needs. Ensure that you or a designated team member has time to discuss these treatment plans with the patients.

You can download a handout that explains how to run one of these Morning Production Meetings here.

So, again, if you’re looking for improvement – start simple. Try these three things and see how they go. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at jeffb@mgeonline.com.

Hope this helps and have a great week! And if you have any questions or need help with anything, you can always schedule a free consultation here.