How Solo, Group, and DSO Practices are Increasing Uninsured Patient Revenue
Dental insurance is on the decline. According to a recent study, 77 million Americans don't have dental insurance, and as layoffs loom, that number is expected to grow.
Without employer-sponsored coverage, consumers are just going without. In fact, the majority of people that don't have employer-sponsored dental care will not elect to purchase dental insurance—it's too expensive and too confusing. This leaves a significant population paying out of pocket and potentially avoiding trips to your office over the fear of cost.
Patients need coverage but don't realize there is an easy way to get it. Membership plans eliminate the confusion associated with conventional coverage, reduce the apprehension of treatment costs, and increase the convenience of care.
When you think about it, it's no surprise that a dental membership plan would be attractive. In a rapidly growing subscription-based economy, consumers are accustomed to memberships (thank you, Netflix, Costco, and fitness chains!).
Membership plans in dentistry
Introducing this tried-and-true model in dentistry is a recipe for success. Patients get access to simple, affordable dental coverage and are subsequently more likely to come into your office and accept treatment — which means increased production and revenue for your practice. On average, membership-plan patients accept 2-3X more procedures than uninsured patients and generate 2-3X more annual revenue.
While some practices manage their in-house membership plan independently, turning to an experienced partner provides greater results. Kleer's intuitive membership platform is helping practices see unrivaled returns on investment.
Over two years, data collected from Kleer customers found that uninsured patients averaged just 1.5 visits per year, while patients enrolled in a Kleer-powered membership plan averaged three visits per year. Treatment acceptance grew by 145%, while production increased 172%. Most impressively, collections from membership-plan patients over uninsured patients grew from $317 per year to $893 per year—a 182% increase.
Measuring membership plan impact and ROI
Kleer's cloud-based platform streamlines enrollment and renewals, simplifies billing, increases collections, centralizes reporting, and more. Plus plans are entirely customizable to reflect local economics, patient demographics, and dentists' treatment preferences. And the results have been consistent across solo, group, and DSO practices of all sizes.
Case Study 1
One group practice in New Jersey, with 15 dentists, realized they needed a centralized hub to ensure the maximum success of their membership plan across five locations.
Once the team began automating their membership plan with Kleer and left their excel reports behind them, the benefits were almost immediate. 2 years of data reflects that:
- Treatment acceptance grew by 109%
- Production increased by 169%
- Collections grew from $387 to $1320—a 246% increase
Case Study 2
While independent practices aren’t faced with the exact same challenges as groups, the difficulty of managing a membership plan with limited resources and the inability to automate prove just as taxing.
An independent practice in central California built its in-house plan with the intention of serving a large population of uninsured patients. The plan quickly grew to over 100 patients, and the front office spent much of their time processing payments and trying to follow up on renewals. They turned to Kleer for a better option.
As a result, the team was able to stay on top of their membership plan and drastically improve their bottom line. Two years of data reflects that:
- Patient visits increased by 127%
- Treatment acceptance grew 203%
- Collections rose from $416 to $2,593—a 523% increase
The proof is in the product
At Kleer, we developed our membership plan software with you in mind. With a clean and user-friendly dashboard, a Customer Success Team to help train and onboard your administrators, and an easy automated payment system that integrates directly with your practice management software, it's no surprise that Kleer is the ultimate solution for launching and operating a successful membership plan.
Don't just take our word for it. Our white paper reveals data from solo and group dental practices detailing how they transformed their uninsured patients into their most loyal and profitable asset. Download your copy here.
