Dos and don'ts for patient management

Educate patients about insurance

All dental practices should create a short brochure about insurance that discusses:

• Which procedures are usually covered and which aren't
• How elective treatment is handled
• How the office assists patients in using their benefits and determining whether a procedure will be covered
• Co-pay protocols

Hand the brochure to every patient. There is a good chance that nearly every patient in your practice will deal with some insurance-related issue eventually. The dental team should be thoroughly familiarized with this brochure as well and trained with effective scripting to handle patients' questions after they read the brochure.

Don't assume patients know about insurance. Take the lead and create a stronger awareness of how insurance works. Well-informed patients are more likely to accept cases. They know going in what to expect in terms of coverage for the treatment being presented. Practice profitability can be increased by something as simple as introducing an informative brochure on insurance.