Going Out Of Network And Need Some Verbal Skills?

It's critical that you answer the dreaded Insurance questions effectively - Whether you've always been fee for service, or you've just made the decision to finally get compensated fairly for what you provide for your patients. 

Check out these tips for communicating effectively with your patients... 

Just get them in! The objective is to schedule the patient so that they have something other than insurance in which to measure value. Believe it or not, insurance is not the guiding decision maker for many of your patients. They simply don’t know what else to ask when they call you!

Build the relationship before diving into insurance. Because insurance is a very transactional process in the dental office, we must start all conversations by being relational. Get their name and use it often. Show empathy or enthusiasm as appropriate. Find out their story. Endorse the practice by communicating to the patient that they’ve called the right office!

Transparency is always best. That doesn’t mean that you must adopt the terminology created by the insurance companies – in fact, I would avoid using terms such as ‘in/out of network, preferred/non-preferred, etc., as this language was created by the insurance companies to serve one purpose – drive patients to in-network dentists!

Be Authentic - you won’t be successful communicating ANYTHING to your patients that you don’t believe in.

Rather than memorize a script that doesn’t feel right, choose a few of the soundbites below and create a response that is sincere...

While we don’t have a contractual agreement with your plan, we’ll do everything possible to make sure your benefits don’t go to waste. We have several patients on that plan, and they find it works well in our office.

We’ve perfected a way for you to maximize your dental plan in our office, while providing the high standard of care you deserve!

We are considered an independent provider for your plan - The awesome part is, that because your plan is a PPO, you can choose your dentist!

The great news is that we will do the hard part – the paperwork! We’ll provide you with a copy of everything we submit on your behalf so that you’ll have everything you need in the event you want to follow up with them.

Insurance can be confusing – there’s a misconception that you must choose your dentist from a list. If your plan is a PPO, you get to choose your dentist! So yes… you can absolutely utilize your plan in our office.

The difference between a contracted provider and an independent provider – contracted providers agree to limitations and restrictions to gain new patients. As an independent provider on your plan, Dr. is able to maintain the high standard of care that our patients are accustomed to, while still helping you utilize your dental plan.

In some cases there will be a difference in your out of pocket expense when you choose to see an independent provider on your plan. The great news is that your annual maximum is the same! We promise to always be transparent by communicating the cost for your dentistry in advance.

Many of our patients have that insurance! Their biggest concern is always the paperwork, and we take care of that for you.

For plans that will only pay the patient…

It looks like Delta has made the decision to pay you directly. But we’re going to continue to take care of all of the paperwork for you. In most cases, patients receive their check before their credit card bill comes due!