Finally, these programs are a great way for a practice to shift away from being so insurance dependent—by converting patients off their expensive and limited insurance plans and over to a membership program the practice completely controls. We see patient conversions happening a lot around this time of the year, during open enroll- ment, as patients with insurance are considering their options for the following year. With all that is to be gained by offering a membership program, as well as the great benefits it offers to patients, it’s a win- win that every dentist should consider, no matter the dynamic of the practice.


There are several companies like yours that provide custom dental membership plans to dentists for a fee. For the typical dentist, what are some of the pros and cons of using a professional plan developer versus designing and implementing one on their own? There is a lot that goes into developing and implementing a membership program. I speak from experience, as a former dental office manager. I helped my dentist create the Smile Advantage membership program for our practice about six years ago. It was always one of those good ideas that kept getting pushed to the side because it is a big undertaking that required a lot of time, energy and resources. While creating a membership program on your own saves you the fees associated with using a professional plan developer, there still can be a significant amount of time and money that goes into getting the program set up and then maintaining it as your program evolves.


To establish a membership program, an office needs to start with researching state rules and regulations and developing a patient con- tract that fits within those guidelines. An office also will want to find creative ways to market the program, both internally and externally. Finally, offices will find that the biggest challenge creating a member- ship program on their own is the tracking component.


Working with a commercial company often provides an office with a resource that understands the rules and regulations unique to your state and can provide a contract framework that fits those regula- tions. Commercial vendors typically provide offices with custom mar- keting and access to cloud-based tracking software, which integrates into your practice management software. This tracking software eliminates some of the workload for the front office and streamlines the overall process by processing recurring payments and automatic yearly renewals for patients. It frees up the front office to provide patient support and manage the day-to-day activities without the trouble of continually managing their membership plan and prevents patients who are up for renewal from slipping through the cracks.


Many dentists currently are experiencing a slowdown in new patients and/or production during the COVID-19 pandemic. Could a dental membership plan help to improve these trends, and what should the practice owner expect if they implemented one? During these crazy, un- precedented times, more people are finding themselves without jobs and therefore without benefits. As the number of uninsured patients continues to increase significantly, implementing a membership pro- gram provides a great way to help these patients and allows for a new revenue stream for a practice through membership plan fees. These


programs help practices build a larger patient base of uninsured patients as well as capitalize on the patients they already have. By get- ting them into the office more frequently, this often encourages them to move forward with treatment plans they may have been sitting on for years. Having a strong patient base of membership patients increases practice productivity and profitability and helps recession- proof any practice through forecasted slowdowns.


Dental membership plans often provide an alternative for patients who do not have dental insurance. How does a practice handle patients with dental insurance who also wish to participate in a membership plan? The best advice I can offer is not to double-dip. Patients have the op- tion of insurance or membership and the two cannot be combined. If a patient is interested in the membership program, yet currently has an active insurance policy, it’s best to wait and let the insurance ter- minate before converting that patient over to a membership program.


There is a distinct difference between membership programs and discount plans/insurance plans. With a membership program, the relationship needs to remain between the dentist and the patients. There should be a direct contract in place for the patients to sign that spells out exactly how the program will work, the price, inclusions, payment options and length of the plan. The doctors should set their own fees for the program and keep 100 percent of the profit, not split with any third party. The program should not be called insurance and should not be combined with dental insurance.


Offices have seen a lot of conversion success, as patients are frustrated with the expense and limitations of traditional dental insurance. Membership programs provide a great alternative for them, which allows them to receive the care they need and deserve without wor- rying about co-pays, deductibles, yearly maximums, frequencies, etc. We see conversions happen a lot with patients who need a lot of work done or are self-employed patients with self-funded insurance plans. I always suggest educating your patients on the many benefits of a membership program option, but you need to wait and sign them up once their insurance coverage has expired.


Patients love the ease of membership programs and the access to quality care they provide. It eliminates all the restrictions and limita- tions they are up against in dealing with dental insurance. Member- ship programs allow dentists to discuss comprehensive care with their patients without restrictions.


The real key to a successful program is effectively marketing it, both internally and externally. Unfortunately, the program won’t sell itself. This is where dentists can really benefit from working with a company to help promote their membership programs. A company should educate all team members on how to promote the program to patients and provide verbiage and scripts for effective patient commu- nication. It’s important to get the message outside of the four walls of their practice and into their communities so people understand programs like this exist and that they don’t need dental insurance in order to have access to quality, affordable dental care.


CONTINUED NEXT PAGE ISSUE 6 | NOV/DEC 2020 | focus 29


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