Patient Tip: Make sure your patients use their end-of-year dental benefits

The year is almost over, and that means it’s time to reach out to patients who haven’t used all their dental benefits.

Penny Reed of Penny Reed and Associates offers advice to help you connect with those patients and make sure they use their benefits before they lose them.

As 2013 comes to an end, you and your team members likely have a lot on your mind-from reflecting on successes and failures of the past year to thinking about what improvements you can make in the year ahead.

But as you start making plans and preparing for the holidays, don’t forget there is still an opportunity to bring patients into your practice to get the treatment they need before the year comes to a close. If you haven’t already, now is the time to reach out to patients who have unused dental benefits, said Reed.

Especially in today’s tight economy, it’s important to remind patients to make use of the benefits they have, Reed said. At the same time, you also must be aware that the dental benefits industry is continuously changing and is more varied than ever before.

Some plans have rolling benefits (meaning they don’t expire at year end), and they also may have a different renewal date other than Jan. 1.

Here, Reed breaks down best practices to help you communicate with patients regarding their unused benefits:

• Use your dental software to select patients with dental benefits remaining.

• Be sure the patients you send a notification to actually need services, and cater the communication to those services. For example, if they have no treatment plan, but are past due in hygiene, let them know you have openings in hygiene. Or if they have outstanding treatment, have them call the office to discuss phasing the treatment to get the most out of this year’s benefits.

• Send texts, emails and/or letters. One style of communication no longer fits all.

• Be sure you have appointments available. It is poor marketing to send out these notices and not have the capacity to see the patients.  Consider adding more hours or an additional hygienist.

Your patients are your practice. Without them, where would you be? You have to know the best ways to attract them to your practice, get them to accept treatment and make them happy, life-long patients.??

That’s where we can help. Check back regularly for tips on how to keep your patients happy, healthy and loyal.

Want more great advice from Penny Reed? Watch this Morning Huddle video for tips on how to save your practice $500 a day: