Many people dread visiting the dentist, but the value of dental hygiene cannot be overstated. It is hugely important to maintain oral hygiene and make frequent visits to your dentist. Nationwide, dentists and patients have frequently found it difficult to maintain a positive relationship due to the fact that many patients delayed or even ignored billing statements. Now, with the dental credit card processing option, dentists have another option to ensure that they get billed for their time appropriately.
Some Facts about Dental Payment Plans
Both the dental and medical fields suffer from delayed payments. The number one way that dental practices lose patients is through reluctance, on the part of the patient, to respond to their statements. Many physicians and dentists are forced to mail out three statements before they ever receive any payment for their time. In addition, payments that become angry or irritated with their dentist due to financial struggles will likely leave the practice and not refer new patients to the practice in the future.
To avoid this, the dental credit card processing alternative is being set in place by many dental professionals in the U.S. This strategy guarantees that credit card holders will pay what they owe to their dentists, either upfront at the time of treatment or at a later date. Since the payment comes from their existing credit card, making payments becomes unavoidable. For many dental professionals, this offers a great deal of relief, and reassurance that patients will successfully make payments.
Issues Specific to Dental Care Facilities
Failure to receive payments on time – or at all – is one of the main issues plaguing medical and dental facilities in the United States today. Financial issues cause a major strain between dentist and patient. This method seeks to eliminate that burden for both parties. Many satisfied dentists have reported up to a 75% increase in payments within a short period of time since implementing the credit card processing program in their dental office.
Of course, many patients do not refuse to make payments. Many pay by cash, check, or credit card at the time of treatment. However, patients that do not can become very problematic over time, and billing costs for multiple statements can quickly add up – costs associated with mailing out statements can total $7 to $9.
Understandably, many dental professionals are concerned about cutting costs at their practice and feeling secure in the knowledge that their patients will make payments on time. This strategy has been praised by many large medical, dental, and chiropractic organizations throughout the country.
