Everyone likes healthy, beautiful-looking teeth, but not everyone enjoys paying the associated costs. If payments are a pain point for your dental practice, consider using an upfront payment policy. Dental Intelligence Payments can help your clinic avoid common issues like late payments and overdue dental bills.

Payment policies are a subject few dental clinicians like to discuss. However, you will want to consider upfront payments for several essential reasons.

What Are the Benefits of Requiring Upfront Payment?

With upfront payments, your patients will pay the entire bill before receiving treatment. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but requiring clients to pay the cost upfront offers several short-term and long-term benefits for your dental practice.

1. Satisfying Clients

Customer satisfaction is one of the highest priorities in dentistry. The best clinics provide outstanding dental care that focuses on the patient's needs and preferences. Such preferences and needs extend to paying bills.

Routine cleanings might not be expensive, and a patient's insurance will likely cover them, but what about root canals or veneers? Potential clients do not want hefty bills hanging over their heads while in the dental chair.

Requiring upfront payments is an excellent way to keep your clients happy. It offers them peace of mind, reassuring them that they will not receive a bill after the appointment. It also helps build trust and establish long-standing relationships.

2. Reducing No-shows

Many dental practices struggle with no-shows and cancelations. Patients may schedule an appointment, forget about it or balk at the potential bill, and fail to show up. Some will cancel or postpone their appointments due to concerns about debt.

Upfront payments help minimize such problems by enforcing commitments. If a patient has to pay the entire payment upfront, you can bet they will arrive on appointment day. In addition, you will not need to worry about labor costs and compensation for your office staff.

3. Increasing Revenue

Good dental clinics maintain a client-first mentality. At the end of the day, though, your practice is a business. You cannot survive very long in the healthcare industry (or any industry, for that matter) if your total revenue does not exceed your expenses.

Another significant benefit of requiring upfront payment is increased revenue. Upfront payment policies lead to higher client satisfaction, which results in more clients coming to you for dental care. More clients equal more revenue.

Additionally, patients might not pay the entire bill for weeks if you send it in the mail after a procedure. Delayed payments can mean cash flow backups and financial uncertainty for your clinic. You can avoid these issues by implementing an upfront payment policy.

How Do You Avoid Problems with Upfront Payment?

Upfront payment is one of the best solutions to satisfying clients, reducing no-shows and cancelations, and increasing overall revenue. However, this does not mean conflicts will not arise. Here are three practical ways to prepare for these conflicts and avoid potential problems in the future:

• Provide accurate estimates: The trouble often comes when a clinic requires upfront payment but provides an inaccurate estimate. If the estimate is too low, the patient will pay more than expected and might never come back. You can preserve your reputation and prevent this fiasco by providing accurate cost estimates.
• Train your office staff: Discussing medical bills and required payments can be touchy. With adequate training, your dental staff can handle the subject sensitively and knowledgeably. You can have necessary conversations without annoying your patients or offering misguided financial advice.

• Offer various payment methods: Some dental patients prefer to write a check, while others exclusively use credit or debit cards. As such, you should offer multiple payment methods with your upfront payment policy. This ensures the payment process is convenient and easy, with as little hassle for the client as possible.

Get Dental Solutions for Your Clinic Today

While many dental practices use post-care billing methods, an upfront payment might be a better way to go. This method requires patients to cover treatment costs before sitting in the dental chair — no bills or payment reminders sent to them in the mail. It is an excellent way for your clinic to maintain long-standing relationships and steady income.

At Dental Intelligence, we have the tools and know-how to boost your dental practice. We can improve your collections with payments and help you achieve your clinic's goals. Schedule a free demo with us today to see what we can do for you!