Tuesday Tip from Pride Institute: The out-of-dental-network blues

You may have a love/hate relationship with insurance, and you may have decided not to be a preferred provider with some different plans. This can actually strengthen your relationship with your patients because there is no third party questioning your treatment recommendations. Unfortunately, this decision can also lead new patients and sometimes even loyal patients to question why they should see an out-of-network dentist. It’s often your front desk employees who must answer patients’ queries.

Your appointment coordinator should sound professional and welcoming without coming across as defensive or arrogant. It’s helpful for her to indicate that this question has come up before, and that many out-of-network patients choose to come to your practice anyway. Here is a sample script you can use to train your front desk team.

“I’m so glad you asked that question. We work with other patients who are also concerned about what it would mean to go to an out-of-network dentist. What they found is that by choosing us, the fee difference between in-network dentists and us is surprisingly small, while the difference in quality is great. Our dentist decided that we would never compromise a patient’s treatment decisions and options because of insurance limits. I would be happy to do a benefits check and see what it would mean for you to come to us.”

My colleague, Dr. Wayne Pernell, has an amazing response to patients of record who bring up this issue. “We have searched and searched and cannot find any insurance company that’s willing to provide our patients with the kind of care they deserve. As a result, we’ve committed to helping our patients maximize whatever benefits they have, but we aren’t willing to compromise the care we give to our patients for any insurance company. We think our patients deserve better, and that’s why you came to us in the first place. We’re glad you’re here.”

Train your team to know that you’re proud of your practice and the service and compassion you provide.

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Tuesday Tips from Pride Institute are provided weekly on their Facebook page as well as in this column in DentistryIQ. To ensure you don’t miss any of Pride Institute’s proven methods to take your practice to the next level, visit prideinstitute.com, and like them on Facebook.