Overcoming case acceptance challenges

Case acceptance is one of the pillars of increasing practice production. All practices should have a goal of increasing production each year. When that occurs, then the practice will be fine. Top practices typically follow this model.

One aspect of increasing practice production that has great potential is to improve the case acceptance approach and model. What many dentists do not realize is that case acceptance starts with transforming themselves before they start to follow a clear step-by-step system that ensures success.

The transformation process

When it comes to basic dentistry, dentists can present cases and have extremely high acceptance. Patients who are experiencing decay, broken or damaged teeth, or pain are easy to educate about exactly what they need, and they are highly motivated to follow through with treatment. Although there are tens of millions of people who never go to the dentist except for emergencies, they are also predisposed to accept basic treatment. But there are some challenges, such as the following:

• Dental insurance: For most practices, dental insurance is an enormous part of practice revenue and has its own controls regarding reimbursements. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, most dental insurers have not increased reimbursements, and many have decreased them. This occurred at a time when practice overhead increased anywhere from 8% to 12% due to inflation. This means that those procedures are being reimbursed at yesterday's revenue, even though the cost of providing dentistry is higher. This puts what is known in economic parlance as "downward pressure" on practices, and the strategy is not defined in ways to increase reimbursements through some type of trick but to increase noninsured dental services. This is where case acceptance begins to decrease, especially as the case size that is not covered by insurance gets larger.


• The economy: At the time I am drafting this article, the overall economy is actually extremely good. But certain areas have higher prices, such as grocery items, fast food, and entertainment. This is what people notice when they feel the effect of this type of inflation. They also pull back in other areas of their lives and that includes spending on dental care. This means that the case presentation process needs to be more streamlined, motivating, and more influential than ever before. The good news is that learning the right steps of case presentation, starting with transforming yourself, as I will describe below, can make the difference necessary in increasing practice production, especially on noninsurance.


• Confidence: An important part of the transformation is that dentists need to develop a higher level of confidence. This does not mean that dentists are not confident today, but when making the jump from smaller size cases and fees to larger cases with higher fees, the level of confidence needs to be different. This type of confidence comes from being regularly exposed to complex cases.


• Fees: Despite the belief that many of us are comfortable presenting high fees, there seems to be some tension or anxiety that usually takes place around discussing the fee. We suggest that dentists simply present the best information and buffer it with value statements and benefits for that particular treatment. At the end of the presentation, you simply tell the patient the fee and have a financial coordinator explain that there are financial options. You will be amazed how many patients immediately accept larger fee treatment.


• Financial options: The patient is less concerned about the fee than how they pay for it. Keep in mind that America runs on debt and people use debt for many of the items that they purchase. Dentistry is no different, and when patients learn they have several financial options, including upfront discounts, credit cards, and patient financing, they become much more open to accepting treatment. 

If you want to have a successful case acceptance system, it all starts with understanding the challenges and transforming your approach. You must believe in what you offer; present value statements about why the treatment is excellent and the best choice for the patient; and have a focused, calm, and confident approach to help patients understand that you believe this is the absolute best choice and they will receive excellent care.

Dr. Roger P. Levin is CEO of Levin Group, a leading practice management and marketing consulting firm. To contact him or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit LevinGroup.com or email [email protected].

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.