Case acceptance is the practice currency in allowing us to doing the dentistry we love to do for patients who value it. Know what your case acceptance success is every month and set goals appropriately. Once you have hit your goal for three months, raise the goal in 5% intervals. Knowing the number of cases, how many dollars per case and the acceptance percentage helps predict the practice operations for the future 6 weeks. Acceptance is defined as when the patient leaves your practice with time reserved in the schedule, with a smile on their face, willing to pay you more then it cost you to serve them.
Eighty-five percent (85%) of your case acceptance success is related to your interpersonal people skills and fifteen percent (15%) is related to technical ability. Do you take the time to build rapport, learning about the patients’ family situation, occupation and recreational hobbies? Interviewing techniques are a learned skill and must be practiced in order to understand patients’ needs and wants. Are you familiar with their dental goals and clear on what is happening in their life that may affect their decision to say yes to your treatment plan?
People want to know that you care about them and have taken the time to understand them and their behaviors. They will say “yes” based on their awareness of their dental condition and if it is causing them a disability in their life. How they fit the dentistry into their existing schedule and budget will be determined by their readiness to move ahead.
In a practice where 68% is the case acceptance rate of the planned and presented dentistry this leaves an opportunity for 32% of treatment currently planned to be represented by the provider(s) along with the treatment coordinator of the practice. The practice will have considerable opportunity to deliver more restorative services through enhancing the diagnostic process. Consistent case presentation by a qualified treatment coordinator, along with continued promotion of the third party financial option, will assist the patient with payment options to accept the dentistry which is not covered by insurance.
