Updated: 4 days ago
Unfortunately, unpaid dental bills continue to be an ongoing issue for nearly most dental practices as many patients are not fulfilling their payment obligations.
What can a dentist do to reduce their overdue accounts receivables?
The 10 Best Tips To Reduce Dental Overdue Receivables
Discuss insurance coverage with the patients.
Request payment in full.
Discount upfront payments.
Keep a credit card on file.
Third-party financing.
Assign a dedicated staff member.
Bill frequently—the more, the better.
Never be afraid to pursue payments.
Have processes in place for denials
Discuss insurance coverage with the patients.
It is easy to ignore the fine print of insurance plan coverage.
Employees may have little say about changes to policies. In addition, many Americans who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act may have chosen high deductible plans. Maybe that walk-in patient thought you were in-network. They may be unaware of any out-of-pocket expenses necessary to pay before their coverage kicks in.
Be sure your staff confirms insurance coverage before the patient's appointment, and ensure the coverage remains active throughout the treatment process.
Discount upfront payments.
Give a discount to patients who make their payments in advance when they schedule their appointments. Make it appealing for your patient to pay ahead of time. Even if your profitability decreases slightly, it is nominal compared to what you would lose by having uncollectible receivables on your books.
As a side benefit: Collecting before the appointment will reduce cancellations and no-shows.
When checking out, request payment in full.
Your staff should always ask for payment in full regardless of whether they believe the patient has the money or not. They will be amazed at how many people will pay just by asking. It gets easier with each occurrence, as patients realize payment is expected at the time of service.
Keep a credit card on file.
You could give patients the option to keep a credit card on file for automatic billing and use during subsequent appointments. A majority of our patients prefer the ease of a card on file. In addition, automatic credit card charges reduce the burden and hassle on the client and the clinic while reducing late payments.
Third-party financing.
Make it easy for your patients to pay. In addition to accepting cash, check, and credit cards, offer third-party financing. Third-party financing will make it easy for more patients to move forward with their treatment.
Assign a dedicated staff member.
Many dental practices often have many account receivable cases because they do not have preliminary plans to address them. Assign the task to a staff member who needs to be more proactive to remind patients about late payments and review their activity at least two or three times a month.
Bill frequently—the more, the better.
Consider billing on a net-14 or net-21 basis instead of the customary practice of waiting 30 days. You shouldn't feel bad about giving shorter payment terms. In today's environment, close to 75% of invoices ask for payment within two weeks, so expectations change. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Never be afraid to pursue payments.
Please don't wait until an invoice is two weeks late before reminding a client that they owe you. Instead, try sending a friendly email as the due date approaches. Then, follow up again if they go past due.
If your client doesn't respond to emails, pick up the phone. Don't let it drift. It may not be the fun part of being in business – but it could help you stay in business.
Have processes in place for denials
Denials are another part of the Dental revenue system that can get miscommunicated, delayed, and cause more AR days.
Ensuring that you have processes for tracking denials can help your staff understand how your office handles denials to minimize time to payment. Communication and organization are vital in creating an effective claims denial process and reducing your AR days.
Hire a collection agency
Save time and money by hiring an effective debt collection agency.
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Hire A Dental Collection Agency For Your Practice
Debt collection agencies have existed in the United States for as long as we can remember. Fair Capital is an expert at collecting dental debt, diplomatic and empathetic.
If you are looking for a Dental Collection Agency? Make sure to hire the best; You will find it hard to beat our cost, efficiency, and strategies to recover your past-due dental bills.
Schedule a free consultation to see how our experience in Dental Debt Collection can help your practice at
1-855-505-5669
What Our Clients Say
"Our Dental Clinic had a great experience working with Fair Capital. They were very helpful in retrieving our delinquent receivables. I would definitely recommend them for anyone in need of a debt collection agency."
Ralph B - Office Manager
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"The office I manage has been using Fair Capital for a little less than two years. They have a great staff. Always pleasant and helpful. They are always available to answer my questions and update me on my accounts whenever I like. Hiring Fair Capital was one of the best decisions we made. I can not count how many employee hours have been wasted trying to chase down patients with late payments. Their staff is super professional and we have had great returns on their service."
Fred Silberman
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"It always is concerning how past balances would be handled by an agency, however, I could not be more impressed with Fair Capital. This company is professional with exceptional people and customer service.
I highly recommend them."
Dr. Michael Cotter
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"I will give you the best rating because you have the best collectors working for you. You make it easy to monitor accounts and respond quickly to our questions. I would definitely recommend Fair Capital"
Mary S.
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