We stress this annually at about this time of year but are still amazed at how many offices don’t do it. Many of your patients have unused insurance benefits that will expire on December 31. A gentle reminder from you may be all that’s needed to get them back into the office to get that work done while insurance will still pay for at least a portion of it. Here are 6 letters that have all been successfully used through the years by many practices all over the country. Feel free to use any of them “as is” or cut and paste to suit yourself.
(Note that they are called “Letters” and good, old-fashioned snail mail does still work. But you can easily modify them to use as emails or whatever works best for your practice.)
If you have any questions, just call or email.
This is how you Summit!
Michael Abernathy, DDS
972-523-4660 cell
[email protected]
LETTER 1
Dear ____________________,
Did you know that each year insurance companies make millions of dollars off patients who forego necessary and preventive dental care? Many individuals who are paying for dental insurance do not realize that their plans provide up to a certain dollar amount annually. Consequently, some patients are not scheduling the dental treatment they need, deserve, and have insurance to cover. Thus, the insurance revenues allocated to pay dental claims on many patients are never used, and, unfortunately, those dollars cannot be carried over year-to-year. The bottom line: What the patient does not use they lose.
Clearly, it pays in many ways to schedule the preventive care or other dental treatment that you need. We are here to help you secure the insurance coverage available to you on every dental procedure you schedule. Our computer estimates that you still have $______________ in unused dental benefits. Give us a call today, and together let’s make sure you are in excellent dental health. As a special incentive for you to take charge of your dental care, we are offering a _____% reduction on dental treatment completed by January 1, 2025. Give (name of appointment schedule) a call at 555-555-5555. I look forward to seeing you again and sharing some of the many innovative means we now have available to provide you with superior dental healthcare.
Sincerely,
Dr. Best Dentist
P.S. – Find out about additional interest-free financing options for dental care. Check with _________________in my office for all the details.
LETTER 2
Dear Friend,
If you had a hole in your pocket, you’d want to fix it before you lost your wallet or your money, right? Surprisingly, however, many of our patients with dental insurance “lose” hundreds (even thousands) of dollars a year because they fail to use or maximize their insurance benefits before year’s end (December 31st).
Once these benefits are gone, they are lost forever…they don’t apply to next year. These are benefits “someone” has paid for.
So if you are due for an exam and cleaning or need additional dentistry done, please give us a call before the end of the year to schedule an appointment.
Sew up that hole in your pocket now before it’s too late!
Regards,
LETTER 3
<Date>
<Patient Name>
<Address>
<City>, <State> <Zip>
Dear <Patient Last Name>:
It’s already October and soon the holidays will be here. Each year at this time we assist our patients in maximizing their insurance benefits. Your dental policy provides benefits that you either have to use or you will lose them. You’ve worked hard for them. You’ve earned them. So go ahead and use them.
If you need work done, now is the time to call and schedule your appointment. I have directed Cathy to give priority to our insurance patients by rearranging our schedule where possible to get you in before the end of the year.
Call Cathy today for your appointment or if you have any questions about your remaining benefits.
Sincerely yours,
Michael Abernathy, D.D.S.
P.S. If you call during the month of October or November for any type of appointment, we will give you our full mouth Teeth Whitening Special of $199.00.
LETTER 4
Maximizing Insurance Benefits:
Many of our patients have dental insurance, and we take pride in doing everything possible to help you maximize your benefits. We are writing this note to tell you about a tip to help you fully utilize your benefits.
Your insurance policy allows for a certain dollar amount of coverage each year. If you do not use your coverage during the year, you lose those benefits (unused benefits do not carry over to the next year).
Although our diagnosis and treatment is never dictated by the insurance coverage, our experience has shown that careful planning can often maximize your benefits. Our goal for each of our patients is to help you enjoy the benefits of good oral health, to look good, to feel good, have strong healthy teeth and gums, and maintain a healthy and attractive smile throughout your life. We endeavor to plan necessary treatment to take full advantage of your insurance coverage.
If you are considering treatment or are simply concerned about any aspect of your oral health, it will benefit you to schedule an appointment before the end of the year.
If you have any questions, or would like to schedule an appointment, please call Kathy at your earliest convenience.
Yours truly,
Dr. Name
LETTER 5
Maximizing Insurance Benefits:
Each year thousands of dollars are wasted! No, I’m not talking about our government although they certainly waste plenty of money. I’m talking about insurance benefits that are never used. Your employer has provided you with dental benefits as part of your compensation package. It’s your money. You worked hard for it. You earned it. And the insurance companies hope that you never use it because they get rich.
If a friend called you and said that they had just found a place where everything was on sale for 50 to 100% off, what would you do? Well, you would at least find out if you needed anything. Your insurance policy gives you these kinds of saving, but you have to use it. Right now is the perfect time. We can often plan any treatment that you might need to take full advantage of your benefits before the end of the year.
Most insurance benefits cover 100% of an exam and cleaning so call today for an appointment.
Sincerely,
Dr. Name
LETTER 6
October 31, 2024
«Title» «FName» «MI» «LName»
«Street»
«Street2»
«City», «State» «Zip»
«Salutation»
What you don’t know about your dental benefits can hurt you. During these tough economic times, it is important to use everything at our disposal to increase our income and reduce our expenses. We are writing this letter to help you fully utilize your insurance during this year. Your policy allows for an annual dollar amount of dental treatment, but if you do not use your coverage by December 31st, you lose that allowance. The benefits you paid for do not carry over to the next year!
Although treatment is never dictated by what your insurance policy pays, our experience has shown that careful planning can help you maximize your benefits. Our goal for each patient is to help you enjoy good oral health and maintain an attractive smile. We want to provide the necessary treatment that will enhance the quality of your life and take full advantage of insurance coverage for which you have already paid.
In reviewing your chart, we know you currently have needed treatment planned that is important to your dental health. We encourage you to take full advantage of your insurance benefits and call (front desk person’s name) at (phone) to schedule an appointment before the end of the year. To help you get the treatment you need, we are offering a ____% discount if you schedule your work between now and (enter date) and you bring a perishable food item to your appointment for (name of local food bank). Taking advantage of this offer allows you to maximize the benefits you are fortunate to have and help someone else who has lost their job. We are concerned about you and the 1.5 million Americans who are about to exhaust their unemployment benefits. Working together we can let our neighbors know they have not been overlooked or forgotten.
Yours truly,
«Prov_Name», «Prov_Title»