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Patient Attraction Episode 1228

– Thanks for watching the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, CEO of SmartBox.

– The current state of dental insurance probably isn’t sustainable in the long run.

– Companies like Delta Dental reportedly give lip service to the idea of better patient outcomes.

– But they’re focused much more on shareholder value and C-suite bonuses.

– In many ways, dental insurance has become as much or more of a barrier to care than it is a help.

– Just ask the 1500 Washington state member dentists who filed a vote of no confidence petition with Delta Dental, also known as Washington Dental Service or WDS.

– They’re asking that the WDS board remove the current CEO, Jim Dwyer, who’s scheduled to retire next January.

– Dr. Cynthia Pauley, the current president of the Washington State Dental Association, said, “Under Mr. Dwyer’s tenure, Washington Dental Service …

– “… which should be a key partner with our profession in driving better patient outcomes …

– “… has instead become a barrier and antagonist to the dental profession.”

– Things have been brewing between Delta and its member dentists in Washington for some time, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

– Those dentists are fed up with unresponsive, profit-focused dental insurance companies.

– You probably are, too.

– We’re used to seeing dental insurance as just a fact of life, but we forget that the horse and buggy used to be a fact of life.

– Then something better came along, and the horse and buggy became a footnote in history.

– There’s no way to know for sure how dental insurance will evolve.

– But there is a way to make it pretty much irrelevant to your practice’s success.

– And that is to attract patients who really don’t care much about what their dental insurance policy will cover.

– Instead of operating a quantity practice, switch to a quality approach by getting better patients.

– You might be thinking that’s impossible.

– It’s true that making that switch relies in part on your market’s demographics.

– But SmartBox has helped hundreds of dentists make the transition to a “better patient” practice.

– One of those dentists is Dr. James Kiehl of southern New Hampshire.

– He told us, “Some of the advertising I’ve done in the past was more offer-driven, free exam, X-ray kinds of things.

– “When you bring patients in that way, you’re chasing them with the next offer or they’re chasing you for the next offer, all the way down the line.

– “With the Patient Attraction System®, a lot of the new patients already are very knowledgeable about what they’re looking for.

– “Just the other day, I had a patient come in specifically wanting to talk about implants.

– “He had heard us talk about implants and was ready to move forward.

– “That’s been nice to have them come in already pre-educated as to what we do here.

– “Since we’ve implemented our SmartBox Patient Attraction System®, we’re definitely getting the quality patients that I want to see come into my practice.”

– Discover whether you can make dental insurance irrelevant to your practice’s success.

– Visit smartboxdentalmarketing.com and reserve your free, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session.

– We’ll discuss your goals, your capabilities, and your particular market.

– After the session, you’ll receive your free Patient Attraction Roadmap as well.

– You can have less hassle, better dental patients, and more enjoyment from both your profession and life.

– Join me for our next podcast.

– Until then, keep moving forward.