I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Eric Vickery, President of Coaching at All-Star Dental Academy, to discuss a topic critical to every dental practice: driving case acceptance. Eric has more than 20 years of experience coaching more than 250 dental offices. He reinforced that healthy practices and healthy patients go hand-in-hand. We focused on four areas that can make or break a practice's success.
1. Identify the problem
When case acceptance is low, where do you even begin to look? Eric focuses on production per patient. This number reveals how much dentistry is performed for each patient visit. A higher production-per-patient number suggests that patients are getting healthy quickly. Other red flags include frequent cancellations and open slots on the doctor's schedule, which can indicate that patients may not fully understand the severity of their condition.
2. Build an all-star team
It's a common misconception that case acceptance is solely the dentist's responsibility. Eric emphasizes that it's a team effort, and everyone from the front office to the clinical staff plays a vital and irreplaceable role in the success of the practice. The process begins with the first patient encounter, often a phone call, and continues through every step of the patient experience. A team-wide commitment is essential for consistent results and for the practice to thrive. As Eric puts it, “a practice is the sum of its parts.”
3. Focus on relationships over transactions
One of the biggest obstacles to case acceptance is the perception of cost. Eric explained that when a patient asks about price, it's a good sign—it means they're interested in buying and getting healthier. The goal is to build a relational conversation, not a transactional one, empowering the team to foster trust and understanding with each patient.
By building rapport and focusing on the patient's emotional "why," the team can set the stage so that financial arrangements are simply a way to make care affordable, rather than a point of friction. Eric suggests that removing the word "need" from your vocabulary and instead focusing on conditions and consequences can help patients buy into the solution before ever agreeing to the treatment.
4. Leverage technology
Technology continues to revolutionize the dental industry, providing powerful tools to help practices improve positive patient outcomes more quickly. Eric highlighted the importance of implementing a dental membership plan, which he considers a "no-brainer" for both the patient and the practice. Membership plans can serve as a loyalty program, encouraging patients to visit more frequently and utilize the services they need to stay healthy.
Our conversation was a great reminder that driving case acceptance is not a single action but a comprehensive system. It requires a commitment from the entire team to improve communication, build trust, and continuously learn. I'm excited to share this valuable resource with our customers and the broader dental community.
To learn more about Eric's expertise and to find additional resources to help your practice grow, I encourage you to check out All-Star Dental Academy. And, if you’re interested in partnering with us, please let me know here.
