How much are you writing off in PPO Insurance plans? (Part 2)

Last month I explained how our office had dropped the MetLife PPO Insurance plan as of Jan 1st, 2015. I also promised that I would give you the results and reactions of our patients as of the end of the 1st quarter of this year.

As you recall, we sent out over 800 letters to our patients in late November 2014 explaining we would no longer be an “in-network” provider.

As of April 1, 2015, SEVEN patients have called to let us know that they would not be returning. Of course, our write-offs have dropped to “$0” as of March (there were still some write-offs in Jan and Feb due to services rendered in 2014).

Meanwhile, our new patient count had gone up and our production is up 19% compared to last year.

So far so good. I can pinpoint two main reasons we have had these results so far.

1. Patient Education. Patients have no clue that they can go to dentists that are “not in the book.” Patients have no idea that in most situations “out-of-network” benefits are nearly the same or just slightly different then “in-network” benefits when it comes to preventative services.
2. Patients are willing to stay and pay “extra” for the outstanding customer service and care we provide. We treat them like family and it is difficult to leave family.

Of course, we will not know the true extent of our choice until the end of the year. However, I have no reason to fear mass exodus. In fact, we are still getting new MetLife PPO patients????

Action Step for You: If you are a member of a PPO, contact them and see if they will negotiate the fee schedule. Calculate how many PPO patients you have and keep track of the growth of these numbers.