Swimming with the sharks

The first step in determining the role of insurance in the dental practice is to identify the nature of the practice now and what the dentist would like it to be in one, five, and 20 years. Many dentists get fed up with insurance paperwork and slow payments, so, in a fit of pique, they decide to drop their plans. This can be very dangerous. First, doctors must confirm that insurance really is causing a problem in the practice. Doctors who are thinking about dropping insurance plans need to be able to answer these questions: 1. What is the active patient base? 2. What percentage of that patient base is enrolled in the insurance plan the dentist is thinking of dropping? 3. What percentage of production stems from utilization of that plan? If more than 50% of the patient base is utilizing reduced-fee plans that prevent the dentist from realizing his vision, then ending participation may be the best option. If this is the decision, it must be executed in a deliberate method so as not to lose patients. The steps involved include: 1. giving the quality of care that warrants the higher fees the dentist wants to charge, and 2. educating patients about standards of care and the role insurance plays in delivery of that care.