Best Practices for Featuring Financing in Dental Treatment Plans

The cost of dentistry can be one of the biggest obstacles for dental patients who need oral healthcare. According to Synchrony's Dental Lifetime of Care Study, many respondents admit they don't actively save for dental care, aren't prepared for their largest out-of-pocket dental expense and don't believe this kind of care is affordable.¹

Implementing financing options into dental treatment plans can help patients feel more confident that they can manage dental costs through flexible payment options, like third-party financing or in-house payment plans. When patients are less daunted by costs, they are more likely to say yes to treatment.²

Strategies to Present Dental Financing and Treatment Plans

The following strategies can help you determine protocol for where and how costs and dental financing options are introduced when having financial talks with patients:

• Train your staff. Not everyone at your dental practice automatically knows how to talk to patients about their financial responsibilities for care or their payment options. Make sure your treatment coordinator, front-office staff or other designated employees are trained, comfortable and clear about language and tone when it comes time to present opportunities for financing and handle applications.²
• Perform smart marketing. It’s smart to let dental patients know the financing solutions your practice offers through more than just a printout of a dental treatment plan. Spread the information that you accept patient payment through patient financing like CareCredit by promoting this information on your website, through in-office signage, via community marketing materials and during appointment scheduling.
• Be prepared with options. Have flexible dental patient financing solutions available, such as reputable financing through a third-party partner, in-house payment plans, in-house dental insurance plans and discounts. Have clear policies in place and staff members ready to manage any plans as needed. If offering third-party financing for dental patients, consider financing solutions partners that offer a variety of repayment plan lengths, like 6, 12, 18 or 24 months.
• Be selective. No matter what type of financing program your dental office provides, a well-managed option is good business for your practice and patients. Recognize your patients’ hesitations, questions or concerns and take a selective and appropriate approach when recommending solutions. Any payment option you suggest should meet that patient’s unique needs so they're better equipped to move forward with the care they want or need.²

Components of Dental Cost Conversations

Dental financing discussions have an important place in conversations about dental treatment planning and proposed dental work. Covering these topics in the same conversation gives new and established patients a clear picture of their oral health so they can feel well-informed and involved and understand why treatment is necessary and how they can finance their dental care.³

• Start with the reason for treatment. Sometimes patients may not be aware of the reason for their treatment, or they might not fully understand the impact on their oral health (such as the ability to avoid more serious complications down the road). The clinical team should also cover what the work involves, materials used and time required, allowing for an easier segue to cost and dental patient financing discussions.
• Explain potential cost variations. Work with patients to determine their out-of-pocket expenses and help them plan for their treatment. Also, emphasize that the information you’re reviewing is a pre-claim estimate. The more accurate estimates you can provide in a dental treatment payment plan, the better off both parties can be.
• Bring up financing options every time. Patients’ financial circumstances can change with each visit. Someone who did not want or need financing in the past may welcome it today. Others may wish to sign on for financing for what might be considered a less costly treatment, typically handled out of pocket.²
• Make it easy to apply and pay. A QR code or custom link sent to the patient's mobile device can make it easy for patients to apply for financing in your dental office. Account lookup can be simplified through integration with your practice software — which can also be an efficiency benefit for your staff.⁴ Make good use of a patient portal for questions, scheduling, past treatment, future treatment and more.⁵
• Ensure compliance. Regulatory requirements around price transparency exist for dentists, requiring providers to deliver accurate cost estimates up front so patients can properly plan their care.⁵ Always check with compliance laws regarding the expectations of dental practices in your state and how you can offer financing.⁶

Flexible Payment Options for Financing

Through dental financing companies and health and wellness credit cards like CareCredit, dental practices can offer flexible payment options that help improve treatment acceptance and encourage patient loyalty.⁴

Helping dental patients to move forward with treatment is often an ongoing challenge for most dental practices, especially with the rise in care costs and variations in treatments covered by insurance.² Patients may have concerns about costs, but when you evaluate the effectiveness of your financing solutions and offer patients options that could potentially deliver them the care they want or need, you can help reduce cost barriers.

A Dental Patient Financing Solution for Your Practice

Want to help more patients move forward with the dental care they want or need? Consider offering the CareCredit credit card as a financing solution. CareCredit allows patients to pay for out-of-pocket dental care costs over time while helping enhance the payments process for your practice.

When you accept CareCredit, patients can see if they prequalify with no impact to their credit score, and those who apply, if approved, can take advantage of special financing on qualifying purchases.* Additionally, you will be paid directly within two business days.

Learn more about the CareCredit credit card as a dental patient financing solution or start the provider enrollment process by filling out this form.

Author Bio

Elizabeth Weiss is a freelance writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience in content development for dentistry, orthodontics and cosmetic dermatology. She focuses on making healthcare topics accessible to readers and contributes to many fields, from family and estate law to industrial services and landscape design.

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