Blog Do you use Dental Planning?

Patients worry about treatment costs – Dental Planning lets them see their treatment cost and roadmap up front.

Dentists and dental staff, imagine this: You’re a patient and you’re about to visit the dentist. Maybe you’re not so fond of going to one, so you’re feeling nervous about the treatments you’ll get. But alas, that isn’t the only thing you’re worried about! You’ve still got the big issue of costs weighing on your mind. How will you ever get through your visit when you’re feeling so worried?

This is when Dental Planning comes to the rescue. Many dental and medical clinics use Dental Planning/Financial Counselling to lay out the total cost of a treatment and help patients understand the steps involved in their treatment. Dental Planning happens before the treatment starts, ensures the patient understands the total cost and steps of the treatment, and documents their agreement. Often clinics will use a Word or Excel document to manually track and key in new charges. They will then have their patients sign off on the document and save it onto their hardware. Plato however, offers an easier method.

Still sceptical about Dental Planning? Here are some ways on how it can help:

1. Start relationships with clarity and honesty.Hefty costs, ‘what if’ scenarios and fear of pain or side effects can often make dental treatments intimidating to patients. You can put their mind at ease by stepping in with Dental Planning to calmly explain and clarify treatment details.
2. Allow your patients to do financial planning.Dental treatments – braces for example – may require several procedures. It is also a huge expense. Patients will appreciate having time to plan their finances to manage their costs most effectively. Dental Planning allows patients to know in advance about treatments and their costs. They can then discuss their options with insurers and employers so that they can stay on top of their finances.
3. Ensure your patients complete their treatments.As a dentist, you probably have a lot of patients. Keeping up with all of their treatments may get overwhelming. Dental Planning can help with organisation for you and your patients. You’ll be able to keep track of each patient’s treatment steps, and patients will similarly be able to check their own. This will reduce the no-show rate for appointments.

Now imagine this: Because of Dental Planning/Financial Counselling, your patient feels comfortable with the treatment and all related costs. Neither of you have a nagging feeling at the back of your mind about potential disputes down the line. You are able to treat your patient with confidence and your patient feels empowered about the choices they’ve made.

While many clinics do Dental Planning in Excel, Plato manages this process in its software. Using Excel or Word for Dental Planning can increase the risk of error. For example, you may accidentally key in the wrong charges. However, this is avoidable with Plato. Instead of manually typing in items, Plato allows you to pull out a list of items, and swiftly select charges from it. This saves dentists time, keeps documents safe from misplacement and reduces the risk of error. With Plato, patients’ agreement on the treatment is recorded into the system and easily accessible if you need to remind patients of it.

In other words, Plato’s Dental Planning = peace of mind for everyone!

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