That ruffled some feathers. Last week, me bringing up the evil doers of insurance, playing tricks and not giving many treats to the Dentists (or the Patients, for that matter).
\nLike stealing candy from kids on Halloween, insurance companies rob patients of benefits and doctors of money necessary to do good, make right, and be healthy.<\/p>\n
But, you know what\u2019s worse than all of those big dumb insurance companies that dentists blame so much of their woes and worries on\u2026it\u2019s the way we condition and train our patients to think, act, buy, and engage with our practice.<\/p>\n
Some do good, very very few do great, but most think they are at the mercy of the patients\u2026not having money, waiting until next year, doing just the minimum, whatever insurance pays for.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t matter if you are in or out of network, usually we have done a really great job of making dentistry not that important in the patients\u2019 minds when it comes to actually putting their money where their mouth is.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t you just love that. C\u2019mon, that\u2019s funny, and exactly what we are talking about. \u201cPut your money where your mouth is\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Why.<\/p>\n
Because it is the entry way into your body and is what determines pretty much every other aspect of your health. If you start unhealthy up there, you are darn sure going to be unhealthy everywhere else.<\/p>\n
You want your patients to believe in putting their money where their mouth is. Besides there is no other part of someone\u2019s body that is going to be seen more than this one. It just makes sense.<\/p>\n
And yet, we go out of our way to be bashful, easy, convenient for patients.<\/p>\n
Let me tell you something: if patients already believed their oral health was important they would have gone somewhere else or come to you a long time ago.<\/p>\n
They are under-educated about this (or plain misinformed).<\/p>\n
If not YOU, Your Practice, Your Team – then who is going to stand up for what\u2019s right and tell them the truth?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s really a simple concept.<\/p>\n
Do you want just \u2018a lot of patients\u2019 or do you want \u2018a LOT of DENTISTRY\u2019. Last time I checked you get paid on dentistry, not on patients. And you know the best part of this whole thing, your patients get healthy by \u2018a lot of dentistry\u2019 too, not just on number of visits, check-ups, hygiene appointments or anything else.<\/p>\n
I promised you the three biggest self-sabotaging things we do with patients that shoot ourselves in the foot, rob patients of their health and steal money right out from under your nose.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right, exactly the same as the insurance companies. You are no better than them if you are not practicing comprehensive care and limiting yourself to nothing more than an urgent acute based dental clinic (which may be for some people we usually call it corporate dentistry \u2013 the enemy in other words).<\/p>\n
To an extent, they can be beneficial. They are wonderful for the patients who you do not serve, those patients who need this type of healthcare. Truth is, if everyone would just stick to their own patients it would work out just fine. The right patients for you aren\u2019t for them and vice versa.<\/p>\n
Bad news, you can\u2019t control what they do and you aren\u2019t going to stop them.<\/p>\n
Good news, you can control what you do and you have all the leverage in the world if you will avoid doing these three things.<\/p>\n
You will differentiate yourself from corporate dentistry and you will empower your patients to move from insurance-minded cost-of-care to optimal benefit driven complete health care.<\/p>\n
Which do you want to be?<\/p>\n
Your environment, language, culture, team, experience, process, and every other part of your patients\u2019 interaction (verbal, non verbal, tangible, intangible, physical, visual), all play a part in this and all affect the mindset of the patient.<\/p>\n
So\u2026are you ready?<\/p>\n
#1 \u2013 we never give ourselves a chance at helping patients because we start talking about insurance way too early. You weed out patients with money thinking that they are just patients with insurance\u2026there are ways around this. Of course you might have to know their insurance depending on your practice model but your engagement should be getting to know the patient not their insurance.<\/p>\n
Remember this and I say it all the time (and people think I\u2019m a genius, which is certainly true, but this is very common sense)… If a patient has insurance it means 2 things, one: they or someone they live with has a job, and two: that means they have income\u2026they are a great patient possibility.<\/p>\n
#2 \u2013 we make everything about money, we do, not the patient – because we do not properly guide the visit. Now there are dozens of ways we sabotage ourselves and our patients health by letting money get in the way and I\u2019ve created an entire presentation about selling high-fee large comprehensive cases and getting around money issues \u2026you can access a replay through this publication only right here\u2026<\/p>\n
The Ultimate High Fee Case Accelerator >>><\/a><\/p>\n \u2026so I\u2019m not going to take up time talking about it, I have given so many tips\u2026but the most important one is: listen to how many times your team brings up money or does not properly handle it when patients bring it up. There is a time and a place but it\u2019s not at the beginning and it\u2019s not inside of the treatment room. This practice is about health not money (isn\u2019t that what every dentist says), well then, how about we practice what we preach.<\/p>\n #3 \u2013 and this is the big one\u2026we step-by-step patients through dentistry instead of educating them and presenting comprehensive treatment plans in a specific way. We surprise them when they come back in and then we think it\u2019s a fun game to keep surprising them and we make an excuse that we are doing it this way so you can maximize your insurance or we can wait until next year or whatever.<\/p>\n Guess what, we do this so often, not everyone but many people do and if you don\u2019t or if you think you are a 7 or 8, I guarantee you, you have team members that are well below 5\u2019s.<\/p>\n The entire point is this: educate your patients \u2013 take time to build real relationship \u2013 create patients for life not patients for the moment \u2013 not patients who come when they have to but come because they want to.<\/p>\n And there in lies the secret switch of moving from insurance minded patients\u2026to health focused patients. In network or out of network, it doesn\u2019t matter, it\u2019s all about what\u2019s inside of your patients\u2019 minds and whether they see you as a commodity of necessity or a provider of choice.<\/p>\n Together we can raise the perception of dentists and the importance of dentistry and make a difference in people\u2019s lives. I\u2019m honored to be a part of this great industry with you\u2026let\u2019s have the good guys and girls stick together\u2026we will not give in or falter to people or companies or governments or organizations that work to make every dentist or practice seem like one in the same because they are not.<\/p>\n You deserve to utilize your skills and do the dentistry you love; and you deserve to be paid what you are worth and have a thriving prosper practice that has unlimited potential. Because that is the way it\u2019s suppose to be.<\/p>\n Just like your patients deserve what\u2019s best for them without restrictions or obstacles, the right to choose their dentist, their outcomes and their benefits because every patient matters and every visit counts.<\/p>\n Now, will someone please give me a Hell Yeah!<\/p>\n Next week I\u2019m going to do something for you that I have never done, I\u2019m going to share with you my most advanced psychological patient buying triggers that allow you to move patients from skeptics to believer to investor in their health and in your dental services. It\u2019s going to be amazing. And I\u2019d suggestion you not miss it. Plus I\u2019ve got another big announcement to make too\u2026just for smart dentists like you.<\/p>\n Last week I gave you an opportunity you should have taken advantage of\u2026many dentists did. If you would like for me to personally guide you in the elimination or mitigation of your in-network insurance dependent production and help you with a strategy, one that will be customized and support specifically your goals and objectives, then I will do it, complimentary, as part of my custom profit blueprint package.<\/p>\n You can go here and request your time and we\u2019ll put something together so you can take action before the end of the year and start keeping more of the dollars you are doing dentistry for in the first place and better serve your patients.<\/p>\n