Same-Store Growth (SSG) is the primary focus on maximizing efficiencies and cash flow compared to the previous year.
Group practices and DSOs are focusing here for a reason. Rising overhead and lower reimbursements are making it harder to maintain strong performance. And while many teams are investing more to bring in new patients, lasting growth depends on what happens after they walk through the door.
The good news? With the right systems in place, you can strengthen retention, increase production, and build predictable revenue to improve same-store growth.
Let’s walk through how to make that happen.
Calculate it
- Step 1 Select a time period
Identify comparable practices. These are locations that have been operational within that time frame. New locations or those that have undergone significant changes (e.g., renovations, expansions) are typically excluded and calculated separately. - Step 2 Calculate total sales revenue
Calculate the total sales (revenue) for each store for the selected time periods. - Step 3 Calculate same-store growth.
To calculate SSG, use the following formula: SSG% = [Total Sales (current year) / Total Sales (prior year) - 1] * 100
What to avoid when building your strategy
When outlining a strategy, teams tend to first prioritize new patient acquisition — allocating more money, time, and resources to generate fast results. But research shows,
- Only 40% of new patients complete a second appointment,
- Which wastes up-to $86,000 in marketing expenses,
- And up-to $148,000 in lost revenue each year.
It’s not that you shouldn’t prioritize new patients, but it becomes harder to forecast and assess the long term ROI, if systems aren’t built to improve patient loyalty and retention from the start.
Identifying your focus
You likely already have a database of existing inactive and cash-pay patients who are avoiding care and treatment due to lack of access to dental coverage. The real question is: how can you re-engage this group and encourage healthier, more consistent behavior?
A great place to start is by dispelling the myth that care is inaccessible. Working to bridge this gap is a huge opportunity for dental teams. It also fosters a level of loyalty that moves patients closer to your business, while leaving decisions about care and treatment up to you.
- 46% of patients are not prepared for out-of-pocket costs.
- 58% of consumers believe insurance is too expensive.
- 75% of consumers without insurance believe it’s too expensive.
Dental membership plans are the solution
Dental membership plans are an easy and profitable way for practices of all sizes to provide personalized, subscription-based coverage directly to patients.
Here is how a membership plan will work
- Engage your inactive and uninsured patients
Most patients want access to a dental benefit, especially if it’s simple, transparent, and affordable. Your existing patients already trust you, making marketing and plan adoption more effective. - Improve patient retention
Membership plan patients consistently book — and keep — appointments, completing more visits and treatment than uninsured patients. - Increase your cash flow
As your plan grows, so will your loyal patient base. Expect your membership plan patients to generate 2X-3X more production and revenue, compared to cash-pay patients.
Results from Cataloochee Dental Group
Cataloochee Dental Group is a group practice in Western North Carolina, serving 35,000 active patients. The goal of their membership plan was to be able to improve coverage for patients, reduce the high cost of dealing with insurance, and drive more revenue into their business.
Having a membership plan shows patients that we will find a way to support their ability to receive optimal oral care.
The Clerri Solution
Clerri is the only all-in-one membership plan solution trusted by 20,000 providers nationwide. A membership plan shouldn't just run on auto pilot, it should provide you with the insight and infrastructure needed to reach your goals.
Maximize member enrollment through automated marketing
Your patients are your number one priority. Automated marketing maximizes their potential, with no effort required from your team.
- Get more patients on your plan
Automatically identify patients who are a good fit, and deliver compelling campaigns designed to support engagement and enrollment. - Re-activate your inactive patients
Unlock the opportunity to re-engage your inactive patients through automated communications designed to bring them back in, and join your membership plan.
Maintain federal and state regulatory compliance
- Not all plan administrators treat compliance the same.
Clerri, ensures air-tight membership plan compliance for all of our customers, no matter where you operate. - Don’t risk grinding your growth to halt
Create a membership plan that’s compliant under HIPAA, DMPO, and payment processing laws like PCI. - Get answers and help with compliance questions
Access a hands-on team of experts dedicated to ensuring your success.
Improve collections and save time with a complete payments infrastructure
- Manage payments easily
Track recurring revenue and deposits to your bank account, so there are no delays in accessing your hard-earned revenue. - Ensure accuracy with automated payment posting
Eliminate the time-intensive task of manually posting payments and balancing transactions in your PMS. - Minimize failed payments
Clerri automatically contacts and retries payments for patients with past due subscriptions, making it easy for them to catch up.
Measure membership plan impact and ROI
- Monitor plan perfromance
Clerri enables you to keep a close eye on enrollment, renewals, and the predictable revenue your plan brings in each month. - Understand what's driving patient behavior
Compare your membership plan patients' behavior with that of your uninsured and insured patients, keeping a pulse on critical metrics such as visit frequency, procedure count, and production.
Getting started
Organic, predictable revenue is now the strongest driver of practice valuation. The most successful practices aren’t just adding new patients, they’re getting more value from who they already serve.
High-performing teams grow through better systems:
- Stronger hygiene recall
- Higher treatment acceptance
- Consistent collections
Membership helps you improve each metric. It’s a simple way to boost performance, grow revenue, and build a more valuable business, no expansion required.
