Dental Front Desk Tuesdays Each Month
Dental front desk Tuesdays allow us to work on some things. The hustle and bustle of Monday is behind us. However, without a plan, we may fall victim to happenstance. Whatever lands on our desk is our focus. But, with a plan, we feel more accomplished! And we see that tasks are completed. Perhaps we find we even enjoy our dental office days a little more. How does that sound?
Patient Balances
Patient balances are my focus on Tuesdays. Now, I do send patient statements each day. However, Tuesdays I print the patient aging report. And each Tuesday of the month, I address one category of that report. I print a new patient aging report each week. But I work a different category each Tuesday. Let’s take a closer look at the individual weeks and what I do.
Weekly Break Down
- First Tuesday of the Month : Patient Balances Over 30 Days
- Second Tuesday of the Month: Patient Balances Over 60 Days
- Third Tuesday of the Month : Patient Balances Over 90 Days
- Fourth Tuesday of the Month: Patient Balances over 30 Days
Dental Front Desk Tuesdays
Over 30 Twice
The over 30 day category appears twice. And that is with intent. Because my goal is to keep accounts from ever reaching the over 90 day category. The over 30 day category should be the largest to work through. With the over 60 days a close second. And finally, we wrap it up with the over 90 day category for patient balances.
Dental Front Desk Tuesdays in Detail
First, we carefully audit each account. Because we must know exactly what’s happening with each individual account. This is the time consuming step. Once we identify that an account balance is correct, we move forward. Here is the list of actions steps to take for each category:
- Make a phone call to patients with an account balance over 30 days. Leave a voicemail message if necessary. Send letter if unable to reach patient.
- Send letters at 60 days to patients who were contacted in step 1 that they have 30 days to pay balance due.
- Placement with collection agency / credit bureau / small claims court for accounts over 90 days.
That's It!
Now, it really is this simple! And we repeat this process each and every month. This is a great system to adopt for the dental practice. Because it creates an expectation for both team members and patients. There is no great unknown as to what and when this will happen. Or if it will happen at all. When we designate a specific date and system to follow, we have protocol and accountability.
