Has the economy changed your patient base?

Oct 13, 2009

Are the dynamics of dental patients changing, and is it affecting your practice? Have you noticed a change with your patients and their dental appointments -- if they show up at all?

As Thom Blischok, president of Information Resources, stated in a recent article (published on the company's Web site), "During the past 18 months, the attitudes and behaviors of American shoppers have undergone a dramatic transformation as a direct result of the recession."

With this shift in mind, should dental professionals rethink how they approach their patient base?

Healthcare is costly, and people are rethinking how they take care of themselves in order to conserve funds, Blischok wrote. In fact, his company's research has revealed that today's shoppers, on average, are more frugal than their counterparts in decades past.

"This new 'Downturn Generation' is as budget-conscious as Americans were during the Great Depression and, like their Depression brethren, will maintain their current levels of thriftiness even after the economy and their personal financial situations improve," Blischok wrote.

Changing buying habits

Another major change is the transformation in how Americans research, purchase, and use healthcare, Blischok noted. Instead of sticking with tried-and-true healthcare options, consumers are aggressively seeking affordable solutions for health and wellness, both in terms of how they obtain care and in the healthcare products they choose. And the Internet is playing a key role in all of this.

"These transformative shifts in consumer behavior towards healthcare, combined with imminent healthcare reform, will profoundly and permanently change how Americans receive healthcare," Blischok said.

With these shifting trends in mind, have you considered an in-house marketing campaign to educate your patients on the differences between an HMO practice and your fee-for-service practice? How will you go about maintaining your current patient base and not lose patients to a "cheaper" office?

I believe now is the perfect time for dental professionals to organize and update their practices. Brainstorm with your staff to see what your office can do to bridge the gap between thrifty patients and your practice. Take stock of every system you have (or don't have) in place.

For example: Is your recare system up-to-date? Are you on top of the latest insurance claims processes? Perhaps now is the time to have your staff educated on how to submit dental claims to medical carriers for services that could be considered medical in nature.

Affordable training

In addition, are you and your staff taking advantage of the latest CE offerings? When was the last time you provided training to everyone in your practice, including the front office? Continuing education doesn't have to be costly. Thanks to the Internet, many classes can be viewed online, even as webinars where your entire staff can participate for minimal cost. And this approach certainly saves the cost of travel and lodging to meetings and seminars.

Another option is to contact your workers' compensation carrier and see what free training they provide. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, patients may distract dental workers from paying attention to workplace ergonomics. In 2007, 56% of all dental worker injuries were a result of slipping, falling, or repetitive motion, and 72% of those incidences resulted in back or shoulder injuries. Workers' compensation carriers offer DVD and online webinars, many tailored to dental employees, on these and other topics, ranging from proper chair ergonomics and hand exercises to ways to reduce stress.

In addition, insurance companies have become more proactive in their efforts to provide useful practice management resources. Zenith Insurance, for example, offers an online dental safety newsletter full of ideas on how to increase workplace safety and health for your staff, plus an online learning center that includes hundreds of safety courses. Policyholder dentists can track employee progress and evaluate training success rates. And Zenith's Resource Library lets policyholder dentists order free safety posters, stuffers, and stickers, plus the ability to borrow safety training DVD's and more.

In addition, many malpractice carriers offer education training for staff and dental consent forms that patients should sign prior to performing dental treatment.

There are a number of economical resources available to dental practices today. Are you taking advantage of them?

Robin Besotes is founder of The Doctor's Rx, which specializes in assisting doctors in new dental practice set-up, systems implementation, and support solutions. She is not associated with, nor does she endorse, any company mentioned in the article.