Successful dental practice owners know the best way to both help their patients and increase their profitability is to improve case acceptance rates.
And, let’s face it. Most dental schools don’t offer Improving Case Acceptance Rates 101 as part of their curricula.
No matter how detailed, glossy, expensive, and thorough your brochure is, or how well you and your team explain the features and benefits of your proposed treatment plan, your case acceptance rates could be better.
Here are three simple things you can start doing, right now, to begin seeing a rapid improvement in your case acceptance rates.
1. Include case acceptance on your daily morning huddle agenda.
The prime directive of Performance Improvement is this: What you measure you can improve.
It follows, then, that if you want to improve your case acceptance, you have to start by knowing your numbers. (You’d be surprised how many practices have no clue about theirs.)
Start by including case acceptance as a regular agenda item in your morning huddles. Look at the treatment plans your team presented versus how many your patients accepted. Calculate the case acceptance rate based on the dollar value of the treatment you presented versus the dollar value of treatment accepted. If, for example, you and your team recommended $100,000 in suggested treatment, and patients accepted $40,000 in treatment value, your case acceptance rate is $40,000/$100,000, or 40%. Many analytic softwares like Practice Analytics and Dental Intel will calculate this for you.
2. Examine and monitor each team member’s impact on your acceptance rate
In keeping with the “if you measure it, you can improve it” prime directive, you want to know the contribution each team member’s role has to your case acceptance rate.
Generate a daily and weekly report detailing the impact each team member has – so you can work with them to help improve their patient interactions.
You’ll want to examine every “touch point” the patient has with your practice, from scheduling the initial appointment, checking in, and getting the exam, through the treatment presentation, financing plan, and follow up call. Look for ways to improve the patient experience every single week. Ask yourself – and your team – these questions:
- Does each team member know the patient’s expectation of our practice?
- Does every team member contribute to exceeding the patient’s expectation?
- Does every patient have a positive experience before and during their exam? Are they invited to ask questions and discuss options?
- Is your treatment coordinator prepared with several financial options to assist your patients financially?
- How is the treatment plan presented? Is it friendly, conversational, and focused on what is important to the patient and connecting that to their optimal whole-body health? Or is it dry, technical, and focused on the procedure itself? Patients are much more likely to accept treatment if the presentation focuses on the specific outcomes they want, rather than on the technical details.
3. Follow up with every patient who leaves without scheduling treatment.
The sad fact is once a patient leaves your office without scheduling necessary treatment, it is highly unlikely they will follow-up, in spite of you and your team’s best efforts. They have their own busy lives, and the “Urgency” to complete treatment is gone.
How many times have you heard “I need to talk with my spouse” or “I need to check my work schedule” or “Let’s wait and see what my insurance says”? Digging deeper and understanding what is holding them back from completing their treatment is imperative to your success. Understanding and utilizing effective communication skills is vital before, during and after treatment planning your patient.
Designate a specific team member to call the patient within 1 week of their visit to overcome their objections and reinforce the urgency.
Most practices believe they have a high case acceptance only to realize that on average, they are between 20-35% acceptance. Our top-performing practices achieve 65% case acceptance and higher once they understand and employ how to communicate and be People of Influence.
What’s your current case acceptance rate for your practice? Is your team inputting the procedures correctly so it is accurate? Are you happy with it?
What are you and your team currently doing & focusing on to improve case acceptance in your practice?
Do you discuss case acceptance statistics in your morning huddles?
Could your team use some help in improving their treatment presentation skills?
Do you have a treatment follow-up plan?
Questions like these represent the first step to improving case acceptance – and profitability – in your practice.
At PBSG Coaching we pride ourselves on helping our clients achieve higher than industry average case acceptance percentages.
Contact us Now and schedule a Complimentary 30-Minute Strategic Discovery Call today.
One idea – one tiny shift in the way you do business – brings greater success to You, your Team, your Practice and your Patients.
Schedule Now and get yourself on the path you deserve.
