It may soon prove beneficial for you to take the time to become more proactive in researching the dental benefit options that are available in the private market.  Having access to these additional resources will make it easier for you to acquire new patients, and may also help you to maintain a consistent flow of revenue from your existing patients.  These options may include the following:

•     Discount Plansthat are affiliated with a PPO Network, such as Careington, Uni-Care or Dentemax to name a few.  (You may be required to adhere to a reduced fee schedule in order to become a participating provider.)

•     Fixed-Benefit Indemnity Plans that can work as a stand-alone product or in conjunction with a Discount Plan or traditional private market Dental Insurance Plan.  In many cases, these plans encourage immediate patient utilization due to limited deductibles and reduced waiting periods that are associated with preventative care and basic services. When combined with a new patient discount, the out-of-pocket costs associated with preventative care or a basic service may become much more affordable for your patient.

•     Dental Plans that are not age restrictive are a favorable alternative for your senior patients.

•     Dental financing options, such as Care Credit, can be combined with the benefits of another dental insurance plan in order to make payments associated with more expensive procedures more manageable for your patients.

In addition to the above-referenced options, you may want to consider providing cash discount incentives for new patients and existing patients to encourage ongoing preventative maintenance procedures.

How Can You Help Your Patients Become Better Healthcare Consumers?

By taking the time to establish mutually beneficial referral relationships with local Health Insurance Agents and Dental Insurance Agents, you will be in a position to ask for, and receive, professional assistance to determine where your patients may be able to save money on their health and wellness expenses. 

Any savings realized will be most appreciated by your patients, and then this extra money can be used to help finance necessary dental procedures. 

By taking this extra step, you will be providing additional value to your patients, which in turn could result in increased referral business for your practice.

What Areas of Health and Wellness Should Your Patients Focus on When Looking to Save Money?

•     Health Insurance:  It may be possible for your patients to save hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars each year by analyzing their current health insurance plans.  

Is it possible to choose a larger deductible to reduce their monthly premium?  Is your patient healthy enough to choose a plan that offers less comprehensive coverage for a smaller monthly premium?  Is it an option to incorporate a dental plan with a major medical plan at a reduced monthly premium to make the dental coverage more affordable?  Is a Flexible Savings Account or Health Savings Account an available option to help your patient finance future dental procedures with pre-tax dollars?  A good Health Insurance Agent will help your patients better determine where money can be saved each month.

•     Prescription Drugs:  For patients who are paying a significant amount of money out-of-pocket each month on prescription drugs, there are several resources available that may offer a tremendous cost savings. 

For expensive brand name drugs that are not yet available in a generic form, one cost-effective option is to purchase the required medication via mail order from an on-line pharmacy that operates outside of the United States.

Discount resources such as pharmacychecker.com provide the consumer with an opportunity to order most FDA approved drugs at significantly reduced prices. Drug prices are usually more regulated abroad, and thus are less expensive to acquire.

For patients who are Oregon residents, there is a free drug discount plan available that anyone can apply for.  For more information, please refer to:  http://www.oregon.gov/OHA/pharmacy/OPDP/Pages/index.aspx

Patients who live in the State of Washington are also eligible to apply for a free discounted drug plan.  For more information, please refer to: http://www.rx.wa.gov/

Depending upon your patients’ monthly medication requirements, a substantial amount of money can be saved each year by purchasing prescriptions from a discounted resource.

•     Lab Work:  If your patient is responsible for paying high out-of-pocket costs associated with ongoing lab procedures each year, and is currently uninsured or underinsured, consumer resources such as directlabs.com could provide much needed financial relief. 

The money saved on discounted lab procedures could be used toward preventative and recommended dental procedures if your patient is lacking a dental insurance plan.

Now is the time to become creative when trying to find solutions that will help your uninsured and underinsured patients get the dental treatment that they may need now and in the future.  By becoming well-versed in the private market dental benefit options that are available, and by working with a Health Insurance or Dental Insurance professional to help your patients save money each month, you will create the win-win outcome necessary to sustain a healthy active patient count and long-term profitability for your practice.

Next week, I will provide you with an alternative option to offering group health insurance.  If you’re looking for a way to reduce your employee healthcare costs without reducing employee benefits, there may be an ideal solution for you to consider.

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