781: What to Say When a New PPO Patient Calls Your Out-Of-Network Office – Dr. Barrett Straub & Dr. Christopher Mazzola

A new patient calls your office. They're PPO and ask the dreaded insurance questions. What do you say to bring them in? If you're feeling stuck, keep listening to this episode! Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, and Dr. Christopher Mazzola from the Pankey Institute to share the best strategies and verbal skills to attract PPO patients into your out-of-network office. To learn how to wow your patients and keep them long term, listen to Episode 781 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Dr. Straub & Dr. Mazzola:

• Send Dr. Straub an email: [email protected] 
• Join Dr. Straub on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub
• Register for Dr. Straub’s GAPs Method workshop session #2 (September 6, 2024): https://www.actdental.com/gaps
• Join Dr. Mazzola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.mazzola
• Follow Dr. Mazzola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherdmazzoladds
• Register for Dr. Mazzola’s Mastering Dental Photography: From Start to Finish course (October 10-12, 2024): https://pankey.org/course-category/mdp
• Register for Dr. Mazzola’s Mastering Treatment Planning course (October 2-4, 2025): https://pankey.org/course-category/mtp

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/event
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 781: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos

Main Takeaways:

• Support your admin team members. Don't leave them to figure it out for themselves.
• Patients who ask about insurance are not bad people. That’s all they know to ask.
• Sharpen your verbal skills and also learn to listen to your patients’ concerns.
• When patients call in, schedule an appointment within seven days or less.
• Try doing a free meet-and-greet to build value for prospective patients.
• If a patient’s sole motivator is low cost, you don't want them anyway.
• Track patients who leave and have a plan to bring them back in.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:46 Set aside your obstacles.

3:16 “Do you take my insurance?”

4:47 Provide frictionless entry.

6:55 Learn to listen and validate.

8:10 Support your admin team.

11:52 The benefits of a meet-and-greet.

14:49 Get good at asking questions.

17:21 Do patients know what they're getting into before they call?

20:47 One tip to pull patients back in.

22:47 “Is this out of pocket? How does this work?”

24:26 Build value for patients.

26:37 “Why aren't you in my network?”

28:23 “Can I use my insurance here?”

29:20 “My team thinks they can’t bring their family here anymore.”

31:34 “Can you figure out what insurance will cover before I decide?”

34:45 What most dentists get wrong.

37:57 Dr. Mazzola’s new patient process.

43:22 Final thoughts.

Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:

Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry.

A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.

Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth.

Dr. Christopher Mazzola Bio:

Dr. Christopher Mazzola was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan for his undergraduate studies where he graduated with honors with a Chemical Engineering Degree. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research with dental school faculty on materials to aid in patients’ healing after dental surgery. He then continued his education at Michigan where he completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. While in dental school, he was awarded the University of Michigan American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Award for his research in the clinical application of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry.

Prior to joining Traverse Dental Associates, Dr. Mazzola owned a practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was named one of the area’s 2013 TopDentists™. He continued with education focusing on communication and technology in private practice. He has also served as an instructor and mentor for new graduates focusing on patient interactions and CEREC CAD/CAM Technology.

In his spare time, Dr. Mazzola enjoys spending time with his wife, Christina, his children, Baylor and Eliana, and his three dogs, Isabelle, Lola, and Aspen. He tries to stay active through competitive CrossFit, golfing, running, and skiing. He is looking forward to watching his family grow in the amazing community that is Traverse City!