Dentaltown November 2019 - 91

Ask permission and let
patients participate
Because you and your team know that
talking about money can be uncomfortable
and because the patient's mouth and money
are very personal topics, it's important to ask
permission before the financial conversation
and ask again at the end (people tend to
remember what they hear last, not what
they hear first). When you ask permission,
you can also set the patient's expectations
of what that discussion is going to focus on.
It can be as simple as saying, "Mrs. Jones,
the doctor has shared the care that you need
and I'm here to answer any questions or talk
about any concerns you have. Then, we will
walk through the specifics of treatment, the
timing and how your benefits may contribute
to the cost of care and your payment options.
Does that work for you?"
Invite that patient to participate in
the conversation. Ask questions, confirm
understanding and seek out information
that will help you better structure payment
options around the patient's needs. Practicing financial conversations together can
make the team more comfortable during
the discussion. When your team is more
comfortable, your patients may be as well.
And they may be more likely to take the
next step and schedule care. ■

As much as people don't like talking
about money, they do like being in control
and having choices. When you let patients
know the cost of care, give them all their
options so they can choose what's best for
them. When you offer options one at a
time based on the practice's preference,
patients may feel there are additional,
more preferable options that you didn't
offer.

Talk about the patient's
investment in time.
"First, let's talk about what care
means in terms of your time. There
are two options. We can spread your
time investment over the course of
two appointments. Or, if you prefer,
we can do the treatment in one
longer appointment. Which of these
options would you prefer?"

These four steps can help you have
great financial conversations:

Discuss dollars and benefits.

Confirm understanding and
the patient's desire for care.
"Mrs. Jones, I want to confirm
that you understand the doctor's
treatment recommendations and
that you want to invest in your
health."

"The cost of care is $3,200.
I understand your employer has
provided you with dental benefits.
That's terrific. We will work hard to
optimize your annual benefits and
anticipate, based on working with
your insurance company and other
patients, that your employer has
arranged for them to contribute
$1,000 to the cost of your oral
health."

Give them the total
and all their options.
"Mrs. Jones, as mentioned, the
total cost of care is $3,200. When
you apply your benefi t contribution
of $1,000 that leaves a remaining
balance of $2,200, which is your
investment in your health. Let's
work together to find a payment
option that works best for you. As I
mentioned earlier, we have several
you can choose from. We accept
cash and provide a cash courtesy.
We also accept credit cards. And if
being able to make payments over
time is something you'd prefer,
we have a special financing option
through the CareCredit credit card.
Mrs. Jones, based on how you
would like to manage your finances,
which of those options would be
best for you?"
References
1.
Ingrid M. Paulin, Wendy De La Rosa, Why Is It So Hard
To Talk About Money, //blogs.scientificamerican.com/
observations/why-is-it-so-hard-to-talk-about-money/(March
22, 2018)

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Dentaltown November 2019

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