Are Your Fees Too High — or Too Low?

If patients cannot tell the difference between two practices, they’ll decide based on price.

To many patients, higher fees are equated with service excellence — the higher the fees, it is assumed, the better the service. This is especially true in retail. For example, those who shop at Nordstrom know they will pay more than at Macy’s, but they are willing to pay more to be treated better. The same goes for FedEx and the post office; Hertz vs. Budget Rent-A-Car; or even staying at the Ritz vs. Holiday Inn.

Sally McKenzie discusses how the setting of fees will influence and shape patients’ perceptions of your practice. McKenzie outlines the things you need to consider when setting fees, She and makes the following points:

• Consider raising your fees at least once every year.
• Consider lowering your fees if you have excess capacity in your schedule.
• Survey your patients about the fees you charge, and analyze the data.
• Evaluate your fees by doing a production-per-hour analysis of each procedure you offer.
• Determine beforehand who’ll analyze fees in your practice.
• Look for trends in the types of treatment that are not being accepted by your patients.
• Don’t discuss your fees over the telephone.

The goal of this program is to get you and your team to analyze your overall pricing strategy.

1 CE Credits

Amount: $79.00

Sally McKenzie Strategies for multidisciplinary cases, new & existing patients. Sally McKenzie is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), founder and CEO of McKenzie Management. For over twenty-five years, Sally has immersed herself in techniques, systems and methods to improve the performance of dental practices. She was a dental auxiliary, dental business administrator and dental educator for several years prior to founding McKenzie Management & Associates in 1980. She was also an instructor of dental auxillary utilization techniques with the Ohio State University College of Dentistry. Sally continues to proficiently direct the efforts at McKenzie Management and is a featured presenter for the nation's top dental meetings such as the Chicago Mid-Winter, Greater New York, California Dental Association, Hinman Dental, Yankee Dental Congress, American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Academy of General Dentistry and the ADA's Annual Session. Her informative articles have been featured in every major dental publication and she is a Contributing Editor to Dentistry Today magazine. She personally answers many forums, bulletins and dental internet related message boards.