The Biggest Lies in Dentistry
Some are lies we were told. Some are lies we tell ourselves.
Every profession has things it repeats to itself over and over until they start sounding like unchangeable facts. Dentistry has more than its share.
Some of it came from people with a reason to say it. Insurance companies certainly had one (or a hundred). Some of it came from consultants with no vested interest, just bad advice delivered with tremendous confidence.
Dental school? Four years of clinical training, almost nothing about running the business you're about to own. What advice you did get often came from a professor who was an excellent dentist and had never run a practice.
And some lies we tell ourselves, because the alternative means changing something uncomfortable.
This series takes these on one at a time, and each post works the same way. What the lie is. Then the truth. And most importantly, what to do about it. Monday morning.
Lie #1: I Have Dental “Insurance”
Patients say it every day, and they're repeating something we taught them. Dental insurance was never insurance, and the confusion costs practices case acceptance.
Lie #2: I Need a Preauthorization
It doesn't "authorize" treatment, and says right on the form that it isn't a guarantee of payment. What it does do? Reliably add two weeks to the treatment acceptance process.
Lie #4: Lower Fees Attract More Patients
If that were true, the only restaurants left would be drive-throughs. Patients aren't choosing the cheapest. They're choosing the experience, and the surveys say so year after year.
Lie #3: Insurance Companies Have All the Power
They don't. They just know the rules better than you do. Nobody has time to chase a thirty-seven dollar underpayment. That's exactly what they're counting on.
Lie #5: To be Successful You Have to be In-Network
Yes, a billing company is telling you to get out of network. Here's why that's not as strange as it sounds.
Lie #8 Associate doctors should see your new patients:
Hiring your first associate is an exciting day for most practice owners. You’ve worked hard, the practice is growing, the schedule is getting full, and you’re finally at the point where you need another doctor.
Lie #9: Is reception really an entry-level job?
Walk into almost any dental practice and ask someone which position requires the least amount of skill, and sooner or later somebody will point toward the front desk.
Lie #7: Hygiene isn't profitable.
Hygiene looks unprofitable if you only count what the appointment produces. About sixty percent of charts hold outstanding treatment, and hygiene is where it gets accepted
Lie #6: Umbrella Plans Have Better Fee Schedules.
An umbrella agreement gives multiple carriers access to your practice through one contract. The flagship fee schedule may be good. The plans bundled with it may not be.
See If We Can Help
Most of these lies end the same way: a practice collecting less than it should. If any of this sounds familiar, talk to one of our billing specialists and find out whether we can help. You'll get a straight answer, including if the answer is no.