Blind Spots in Dentistry™: The brutal truth behind ‘free’ treatment

Bite wings?

Intra oral photos?

How many things did you do/services did you provide — but there is no money for it? Do you show it on the patient ledger? Does the patient physically see all of the ‘things’ you did during your exam as a line item on their walkout papers, with n/c next to it?

Do you know the mindset of patients when they see all the freebies they received during their visit and now they need a restorative appointment? The impact it has?

Do you show that oral hygiene instructions were gone over and post a code to reflect that on their walkout statement?

Build value for what you did, and what needs to be done in future:

• Why does the patient need to come back?
• What are the benefits of doing treatment versus the risks of not.
• Did you have the patient sign a consent form? How about a form that they declined treatment and will not hold your or your practice liable for the choice they are making not to proceed with treatment.
• Will there be a change in the way you expect patients to pay at the time of service, or will you continue to balance bill the patient after insurance?
• Do YOU understand the down side of doing that? Does the patient?

While it might feel good in the moment, doing anything without charging for it comes with potentially negative and long-term consequences. Giving away free treatment or services does NOT make you the cool doctor, it makes you the doctor who wonders why there never seems to be enough A/R to pay the bills, or why retirement plans are just a dream.