My front desk bonuses when AR over 60 days is under a certain percentage of total AR. Because of this they have stopped offering payments plans so easily, and it’s hurting treatment acceptance. Is there a way to set up a payment plan so that it doesn’t look like “old” AR? Or any other creative ideas?
19 Responses
I would change the bonus structure. Maybe go based on a percentage of the income
Take away the bonus and that will get their attention
You need to contact open dental because your payment plan AR should not be showing up as past due unless they have missed a payment. and only that missed payment amount and not the whole balance.
Caresa ditto on Caresa, only what is due monthly should be on AR
This doesn’t make sense. If an account is aged, it’s aged regardless if it’s on a payment plan or not.
Kara K. not if you set up a payment plan in OD correctly. Only the portion due ages
We only offer 3rd party financing through Care Credit and Greensky. With both of those options we receive payment up front (less the lender fee). We don’t offer in house payment plans. All payment is due before services are rendered. Our solution for patients that can’t get approved for 3rd party financing would be taking prepayments until the treatment has been paid for and then performing the treatment.
I believe that your office needs to evaluate what your goals are and then consider adjusting your bonus structure accordingly. You can’t incentivize your front desk staff with a particular bonus structure and then be surprised when they try to maximize their own bonus at the detriment of another aspect of the practice. The overall goal and bonus should serve the practice, the patient, the vision, and the employee.
Caresa is correct
A pmt plan IS old AR. The production/service was complete, yet the payment is not. What I hear you saying is your looking for way to cheat your system? My suggestion would be to create a different bonus system, based on the total collection % of the total adjusted production completed, regardless of days outstanding. Keeping in office payment plans minimal is critical to keeping a healthy relationship with your patients. We are a dental provider, not a financing firm, and to many times my experience is, an in office payment plan can create more of a burden then a benefit
Use lending point for payments. We used to offer payments and don’t anymore. Few bad apples spoiled it for the bunch!
Dawn Cheney B. do they charge the office a fee like care credit does.
Tess Simmons H. yes like care credit for interest deferred but way cheaper than care credit.
Tess Simmons H. if you offer no-interest payments, yes, however we offer low-interest payments, which most patients prefer the lower monthly cost (regardless of them paying interest)
You could make people on payment plans have a separate billing type so that when you run AR report you can exclude it.
Jack S. that’s a good idea. How do you make a separate billing type?
Tess Simmons H. it is in definitions. Don’t have it in front of me but once the type is made you can change it for each patient (or guarantor for AR purposes) in the family module. Then you can run separate AR with and without to see the difference quickly too. Or run reports for just those that are on it. Great way we have found to filter and run based on what we need.
Profit sharing structure with regulations to be eligible.
Amanda D. this is one of the regulations for the profit sharing
Tess Simmons H. last three months collections less overhead cost… percentage determined is divided amongst # of employees that are eligible by means of not missing X amount of days, late, written up etc.
But you include AR? Is that correct?