The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

WHAT TO DO ABOUT PROFESSIONAL COURTESY

How long has it been since you examined the professional courtesy policy in your office? Do you have any idea how much treatment you give away to healthcare professionals or others who could easily pay for dental services? While you may choose to retain your current level of professional courtesy, it would be prudent to know precisely what that policy is costing the practice. And the beginning of the year is an excellent time to analyze professional courtesy and other practice policies that have significant effect on your collections and other practice business systems.

If you decide to limit professional courtesy, the following letter can be edited to meet the specific needs of your practice and then sent to patients in your professional courtesy pool. Alerting them before the next appointment will facilitate your business staff's collection of fees at the new level for professional courtesy.

Dear _________,

We have enjoyed providing dental care for you and your family since (year). We value each of our patients and our opportunities to help you enjoy a lifetime of oral health.

For years, we have been pleased to extend professional courtesy in the form of XX% of fees (or at no charge) to the large number of healthcare professionals among our patients, including you and your family. Our current circumstances have caused us to reevaluate our professional courtesy practices. In addition to increased cost, we have more opportunities than ever before to provide no-fee dentistry to needy patients who would otherwise receive no dental care. My staff and I want to continue providing charitable service for the less fortunate in our community. Due to that demand, plus increased operating costs, we are forced to modify our professional courtesy protocol.

Effective (date), we will be able to offer you and other healthcare providers a 10% reduction of our regular fees. This will allow us to continue to express our appreciation to you while still providing care for many who need our services but cannot pay for dental treatment.

We look forward to seeing you at your next appointment on (date). Thank you for choosing our practice as your dental home.

Sincerely,