Educating Patients on Their Financial Responsibilities
Program Two
Program Overview: The confidence, manner & specificity with which you communicate your financial policies & payment options to your patients dictates how they respect your fees & pay their bill. It is harder to collect money from patients with dental insurance than patients without! Jenny covers philosophies, tools, & techniques to financially start you off on the right foot; increase cash flow, create patients happy to pay.
Promised Outcomes: How to – elevate financial communication skills: educate 3rd party coverage patients to their financial responsibilities: Financial Agreement needed to cover diagnosis, cost & management behaviour: Telephone Shoppers & 2nd Opinion callers offer a precious gift: enjoy lower AR when practice financially proactive. Program is based on “inform before you perform, no surprises”
Full or Half Day Program
Review: “JdSG drew the Meeting’s second largest crowd, over 800 arrived ahead of time-with a goodly number being turned away. Program was Communicate Financially with your Patients” – Chicago Mid Winter, Nate Marcus DDS, FAGD
Program Focus
Websites, Telephones Etiquette and Financial Communication
1. Website: positively & professionally state your financial philosophies & policies in a win-win manner
2. Telephones & New Patients: guidelines to discuss fees, 3rd party, emergencies & focus on clinical needs
3. Telephone Shoppers: seven rules to make this your favorite phone call! Convert the doubter to a fan
Insurance: Educate Patients to Their Total Financial Responsibility
1. Assignment of Benefits – Accept Yes/No? Guidelines you must follow for legal and PR reasons
2. How to educate patients as to why their coverage is less than they expected
3. Patients who base treatment acceptance on “what insurance will pay” need special handling
4. Essential patients whose insurance company said “Doctor is overcharging for the area” learn the truth
5. Legally handle patients who ask you to “take their insurance coverage as their payment in full”
The Financial Discussion: Everything Happens Before Treatment is Scheduled
1. Financial Reception signs can support or sabotage your financial communications – get it right!
2. Your Financial Agreement: Ten financial/management essentials to prevent surprises
3. Financial Options: the three best payment options for your practice/patients
4. Cons of “Pay as you go” usually outweigh the Pros
Reduce Accounts Receivables: Doctor is not a Bank!
1. Your Billing system: decrease those monthly statement telephone calls – easy to solve
2. Collection Calls: implement 11-Step Action Plan to make collection calls productive & stress-free
Practice Accounting: The Devil is in the Details in Handling
1. Deposits vs. Transfers
2. Postdated Checks
3. Audit Trail Protection
4. Refunds to Patients/Insurance
5. Charging Errors
6. Professional Courtesies
Testimonials
“Jennifer deserves high praise. The course was concise, direct, relevant and humorous.” – Dr T Landis, Grand View, WA
“The lecture drawing the largest crowd was, as expected, JdSG on Accounts Receivable Management & Communicating Financially” – Connecticut State Annual Meeting