The Practice Support Team provides coaching, resources, and analysis for our valued Burkhart clients.

It’s our way of saying “thank you” to our clients while meeting our mission to provide an exceptional client experience. Our most frequent requests continue to focus on clinical staffing shortages, insurance reimbursement challenges, and practice overhead.

How can I successfully renegotiate my Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) fee schedules?

The first step is to gather data, including network share arrangements, fee schedules, and the percentage of your patient base on each plan.
PST can prepare a PPO Analysis using that data to create a visual diagram of the practice’s insurance exposure. In some cases, the practice can take a do-it-yourself approach to renegotiating and restructuring. We recommend either Beacon PPO Solutions or BEST PPO Solutions as vetted Burkhart referral partners for complicated profiles with cross-over share arrangements.

How can I retain as many patients as possible after dropping a PPO contract?

When a dentist drops a PPO contract, there is a potential to lose current patients covered by the plan. However, there are strategies to mitigate patient loss. Explore network share agreements; some shared network agreements offer coverage for individual PPO contracts under a higher fee structure. Educate patients about out-of-network benefits and communicate how they can continue utilizing their dental benefits at your practice. Consider an in-house membership plan and increase marketing efforts to attract more patients. Careful consideration and evaluation of insurance contracts and strategic communication with patients can minimize the impact of dropping a PPO plan.

What is the best way to schedule assisted hygiene?

Assisted hygiene is a valuable approach that can enhance patient care and practice profitability. While assisted hygiene has been around for many years, it has become a popular option to mitigate staffing shortages. Assisted hygiene involves hygienists exclusively performing tasks within their licensed scope of practice, similar to how dentists manage their schedules. Dental assistants are crucial in strategically pacing treatment to maintain a high-level patient experience. There are several assisted hygiene models of care to explore when selecting the most suitable model for your practice. When done properly, assisted hygiene can significantly contribute to practice success and provider and patient satisfaction.

Does increasing my fees make a difference if I mainly see insurance-contracted patients?

You may think that you can’t realize these profits due to your participation in managed care plans, but there are many advantages to maintaining
a healthy fee schedule. You have private pay and out-of-network patients; 64% of the population comprises dual-income families, leading to dual-coverage opportunities. Well-positioned fees fuel your negotiating power with managed care and raise the fee profile of your area, increasing the chances of higher reimbursements in the future. Lastly, healthy fees make your practice more attractive during transitions.

Is it feasible to hire an associate to provide hygiene services?

Given the current shortage of dental hygienists, some dental practices have explored hiring associate dentists who can also provide essential hygiene services. This approach allows practices to address the gap in staffing and ensure that patients receive necessary care. However, it is vital to consider the busyness of the practice and the associate dentist’s willingness to handle hygiene duties effectively while maintaining their earning requirements. The challenges dental practices face in recruiting hygienists are significant, and creative solutions like this can help support patient care while navigating workforce shortages.

At the Practice Support Team, it is our pleasure to serve you and help you achieve success in your practice. We are there when you need us and just an email away.

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