When the phone rings, the toughest question teams will tell you they get is, “Do you accept my insurance?” says Katherine  Eitel Belt, CEO and founder of Lionspeak. She shares her solutions with MDA members. Although this appears to be a “yes” or “no” question, it is not. If you simply answer the question with a “no,” the patient most often will thank you, hang up, and go somewhere else. Instead, focus on telling the patient what your practice is — an out-of-network provider —not what it isn’t. And finally, tell the patient how it can work, not how it can’t. Stay positive and ask insightful questions about their needs and how your practice may be a good fit, based on the value of service they will receive. Of course, you may not be able to convert all calls about insurance into a scheduled appointment. But, you may be able to capture those patients who value quality over cost — who will be most likely to turn into long-term, loyal patients and advocates.
The MDA endorses CareCredit for patient financing. If you’re ready to accept CareCredit and help more patients access needed care, call 866-247-0158 to get started, or visit carecredit.com/providercenter/dental/.