Don’t let your dental patients toss their unused benefits down the drain. Now is the time to contact patients with pending dental treatment and encourage them to take advantage of unused insurance benefits. A simple letter or email will produce three positive results for your practice.
First, a surprising number of patients will respond and schedule treatment. Your patients know they have unscheduled dental treatment, and they are often just a simple reminder away from scheduling, especially when they realize they have unused insurance benefits.
The second positive result of an end-of-year notification is it boosts goodwill. One of the dentists I work with showed me a postcard he received from his veterinarian’s office, reminding him he was past due bringing his dog in for a visit. The dentist really appreciated the reminder, and he was telling me to brag about his vet.
When your dental patients receive your end-of-year letter, they often appreciate the reminder. It shows you care because you are guiding them to do what’s best for their health.
The final benefit is you often reactivate patients for recall. It’s easy for busy people to lose track of time. Consider how many past due patients think it’s only been about eight months since they were in for a cleaning when in reality it has been over three years. When past-due patients schedule treatment, they usually also reenter the hygiene schedule.
When you consider how hard you work to attract patients to your practice, it makes sense to send an end-of-year letter or email. There is a measurable return on investment for your time. And your patients will appreciate that you saved them from letting their unused benefits go down the drain.