Q1 continued to focus on staff shortages, stagnant PPO fee schedules, and inflation impact on practices.
As a part of Burkhart’s focus on your practice success, Practice Support Team (PST) provides access to our Healthy Practice Newsletters and a robust volume of resources on Burkhart’s website.
We also provide coaching, resources, and analyses for our Platinum-level clients and those enrolled in our Supply Savings Guarantee program. It’s our way of expressing gratitude while meeting our mission of providing exceptional client experiences.
The continued hygiene shortage limits our ability to get patients into our hygiene schedule. Should we stop taking new patients?
While we don’t offer a placement service, we can help you in several ways. Check out our website on Hiring During and After a Pandemic, where you can find sample ads, recruiting, and retention tips. We also provide alternative scheduling templates to make the most of your current staff. Are you considering an associate dentist to fill the void? We can help with that too by preparing an Associate Readiness Analysis along with best practices for successful integration. While reducing new patients might free up the demand on the hygiene schedule, it will limit the restorative schedule. Limiting new patients that, on average, generate $4,220 in the first 12 months as compared to recare patients at $785 per year should be the last option considered.
I’m ready to drop a few smaller PPO plans that won’t increase my fees. How can I make this transition smooth for my team and retain as many patients as possible?
Dropping PPO contracts takes careful consideration, especially with the complexity of network share arrangements between carriers. PST can empower you to make the changes that make sense for your practice through a PPO Analysis and follow-up call with one of our coaches. We can help you determine the next best step and devise a plan to retain as many patients as possible if you drop a plan. If dropping a plan isn’t right for the practice, we can help you maximize your reimbursements through ethical coding strategies. If renegotiating isn’t for you, don’t worry — we also have a vetted referral partner that can take on the challenge.
Is it worth my time to raise my office fees when I participate in so many PPO contracts?
We understand it is frustrating not to be able to control all your fees, including negotiated fee schedules. There are still benefits to increasing your office fees even when participating with multiple PPO plans.
- You will contribute to a higher fee profile for your area as insurance companies compile data from filed claims when setting fees.
- It will support your ability to negotiate and renegotiate managed care contracts.
- It can increase the desirability of your practice in a future transition. New owners want to avoid the burden of sudden or dramatic
fee increases. - You can increase your ability to collect from secondary insurance claims that allow you to bill up to your full office fee.
- You will increase reimbursement for out-of-network services or those that fall under
non-covered benefit laws.
Our 3 most requested Analyses so far in 2023
Fee Analysis: We compare a weighted average of your office fees and procedures completed to fees in your zip code through the National Data Advisory Service (NDAS) to learn the health of your fee profile.
Practice Analysis: A great entry point for a practice to gain insights into their systems and learn what is working well while discovering growth opportunities. It includes a customized fee analysis by zip code, a look at case acceptance, a deeper dive into hygiene department analysis, collections, and new patient growth along with suggestions and resources for the doctor and team to meet the goals they select.
PPO Analysis: Empower your PPO decisions with a weighted average write-off analysis by plan and procedure. If dropping a plan is right for you, we will create a 6-month drop plan for maximum retention. If renegotiating is a better fit, we can provide a step-by-step guide for maximum effectiveness.
Your success is our success. Please reach out to us anytime.
Learn more, visit the Practice Support Team page, email us at PracticeSupportTeam@BurkhartDental.com, or call 1.800.665.5323.
Category: Practice Consulting
Back to Articles