Prices, discounts and free offers

New-patient specials, free consultations and advertised fees work, which is why they are everywhere. They are also the area where the gap between what the ad says and what the front desk does causes complaints. The rule underneath most of this is simple: an offer has to mean what a reasonable patient would think it means.

Advertised fees must be honored

If you advertise a fee, be ready to charge it to every patient who qualifies for as long as the ad runs. Many boards treat an advertised fee the practice won’t honor, or one that is only available on terms the ad didn’t mention, as misleading. Make sure the front desk knows every live offer, its exact terms and its end date, including offers an agency is running that the office may never have seen.

State the conditions

• Who qualifies: new patients only, patients without insurance, a minimum age.
• What is included and what isn’t: “exam and X-rays” but not cleaning, or a cleaning that applies only when there is no gum disease.
• When it ends, and whether it can be combined with insurance or other offers.

Put the conditions next to the offer, in readable type, not on a separate page.

“Free” and discounted services

Some states regulate the word “free” and discount advertising specifically. Some require the ad to include a particular disclaimer, for example a statement about the patient’s right to refuse to pay for other services performed within a set period after responding to the offer. Others require the regular fee to appear alongside the discounted one, or limit how discounts may be described. Because these rules can be very specific about wording, read your state’s rule before any free or discounted offer runs, and copy any required disclaimer exactly.

Insurance claims

“In network,” “we accept all insurance” and “we take your plan” are factual claims. Keep them accurate: networks change, and “we accept” can mean in-network to one patient and “we’ll file it for you” to another. Say which plans you are in network with and which you file as a courtesy.

Don’t waive copays to win patients

“We’ll waive your deductible” or “no out-of-pocket cost, ever” can look like a good offer. Routinely waiving copays or deductibles while billing the insurer your full fee can be treated as misrepresenting your fee to the insurer, can breach your network contracts, and where government programs are involved can raise more serious legal concerns. Never use it as a marketing tactic, and talk to a healthcare attorney before making any exception, even for hardship.

Percentage-of-fee deals

Daily-deal sites and some lead vendors are paid a share of the fee for each patient they send. Some boards view percentage-of-fee arrangements as fee splitting with a non-dentist. Check with your board or an attorney before signing one. The budget and ROI guide covers whether such offers pay off at all.