Solstice Provider Blog

While patients might be returning to your door now that COVID-19 vaccines are available, the economic impact the pandemic had on them might not be over. Dental care can be pricey, especially in conjunction with job or insurance loss. So here are 4 things you can do to make the dental procedures your patients need more affordable and accessible.

1. Low-interest/Interest free Payment Plans

Chances are your office already has payment plans available for patients. Keeping the overall cost of choosing payment plans low is key to making them effective for patients. One of the best ways to keep dental care affordable is to utilize in-house payment plans. By keeping your payment plans in-house you can make lower or even interest-free options available for your patients -and interest can be a big roadblock for patients looking at a payment plan. So, make sure you have options that work for your patients – and don’t forget to remind your patients about your payment plans either!

2. Stress Preventive Care

Keeping dental care accessible for patients doesn’t just mean making serious procedures like root canals and crowns financially in reach. Reducing your patients’ overall cost by promoting preventive care and showing them the potential savings from getting their routine care goes a long way in both keeping their costs down and reducing cancellations!

3. Accept Medicaid

Medicaid is a hot button issue for most dental offices. Some dentists think it is a necessity to treat Medicaid patients, and others have a distrust for Medicaid and don’t accept it. But more and more dentists are accepting Medicaid – with good reason. More than 5 million people signed up for Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic alone. This means accepting Medicaid is a crucial part of retaining patients who are struggling to afford their dental care. So consider making it part of your patient retention strategy this year.

4. Join a Dental Savings Plan Network (and tell your patients)

Outside of accepting as many different insurance carriers as you can, another great way to help your patients save money is to make sure you participate in your partnered carriers’ dental savings networks. Dental Savings Plans are supplemental benefits where dentists agree to accept discounts on common procedures for savings plan participants. These discounts can vary from carrier to carrier, but generally they are a minimal change for your bottom line that bring big long-term savings for your participating patients. So, contact your accepted insurance carriers and make sure you are participating today!

These are just a few things you can do to make procedures more accessible for your patients. If you want to learn more about helping your patients get care during the pandemic, click the image below for our FREE whitepaper on how to support your patients with COVID-19’s ongoing presence!

 This material is provided for informational use only and should not be construed as financial or medical advice.