How To Deal With Patients Who Refuse To Pay?

 

How To Deal With Patients Who Refuse To Pay?

It’s not new in India that some patients get their complete treatment done and then refuse to pay the treatment charges or the pending treatment charges remaining at the end. I feel sorry for such patients and their thought process who consider that all doctors are always behind money. These patients account for around 1-5% of the total footfalls in your clinic but leave a very negative and a discouraging impact on you as you could do nothing but let that patient walk away freely and subsequently you start losing trust and suspecting your loyal and genuine patients too and become overcautious and strict regarding the payment protocol which can make some of your patients believe that you are a complete money minded person worsening the already deteriorating doctor patient relationship..

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Why should I feel embarrassed about making money, as it’s an important factor for enhancing self worth and only when I’m secure, I can give back my 100% to my profession. No, I have not forgotten that I am in one of the Nobel professions but does that mean that I should mix Nobility with Financial Returns.? Something to ponder upon...

 

Now How To Deal With Such Patients Legally?

We can definitely take legal action against a patient who refuses to pay the due amount after the completion of treatment. To start with the proceedings...we all know that our judiciary relies only and only on evidences.

 

So Before You Proceed; Make Sure You Have Enough Evidence To Prove That...

1. PATIENT HAD AGREED TO TREATMENT PLAN AND TREATMENT CHARGES

You must have evidence like records and documents of the patients work done as per the scheduled appointments..Valid consent form, fitness certificate in case of medically compromised patients..pictures taken during the course of treatment..CCTV record or an audio record of the time when/where patient agreed to payment plan along with his sign on the proposed payment plan....

The more you have the listed above evidences with you..the more stronger your case becomes and lesser will be the loopholes that the patient can find to contradict you..

 

2. YOU HAD REMINDED THE PATIENT MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT PENDING DUES

Always before filing a legal suit you should have evidences to prove that you had reminded the patient multiple times which should not be by verbal warnings which can't be produced in court of law but by calls (better if they are recorded) messages & mails or post sent through your mobile or the clinic system.

 

3. YOU HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONSIDER PART PAYMENTS:

You should have evidences to prove that attempts have been made by you to consider part payments if patient have any genuine financial problems.

 

4. YOU HAD GIVEN A TIMEFRAME TO MAKE DUE PAYMENTS:

You should have evidences in the form of mail or message or document that can be reproduced in court to prove that you had given deadline to patient to pay the amount and have even informed the patient that failing to which you will file a law suit against him.

This evidence holds a greater importance and makes your stand stronger.

 

What If Patient Does Not Pay Even After Above Exercise? 

Then Here’s The Legal Treatment Plan:

The first and foremost thing is to present all the documents and records regarding his treatment procedure to the nearest police station with a sincere request to file an FIR. The police officials will take down your complain and will first try to help us out and solve our problem. They might send their junior staff or the beat Marshall who patrols that particular area to the patient and would bring him in front of you.

Most of the times patient falls to this and will pay remaining treatment charges as sight of a police man coming to his home and taking him to police station with neighbors looking upon is not a good sight for any person. So your matter is sorted out without filing a lawsuit against him...

 

Now What If The Patient Doesn’t Pay Even After Police Interference...

Police however has no right to extort money from the patient. Then they will file an FIR and will tell u to draft a complaint with the Small Claims Court in your area or Civil Trial Court based on the money to be recovered.

In Small Claims Courts quick decisions are taken at nominal charges whereas Civil Trial Courts are time consuming and relatively expensive as you will require a lawyer to handle your case and multiple trails to follow...

Remember in any of the scenes you must have valid evidences that I have mentioned earlier.

 

At last, I Would Say Prevention Is Better Than Cure. Better Not To Place Yourself In Such Situation…

Asking complete advance payment is legally right but not completing the treatment due to nonpayment is legally wrong on your part...

Also the amount of money in question matters...whether it’s worth enough to go ahead and file a suit or learn from your mistakes and move on...

Source : DentistFriend

Clinical Dentistry: Should Dental Professionals Practice Botox & Dermal Fillers?

 

Clinical Dentistry: Should Dental Professionals Practice Botox & Dermal Fillers?

A lot is being talked and argued about the administration of Botox by dental professionals in India. Many dentists believe that Botox and Dermal fillers belong to dermatology and dentists should not perform these procedures; which is actually a misconception. This misbelief is because not many dentists in India are aware of the significant benefits that Botox has as an adjunct therapy in many dental procedures.

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Use of Botox in dentistry is relatively a new discovery, so probably its acceptance will take some time among Indian dental professionals. If you are a dentist practicing in India and have the same misconception then this blog is for you. I am hopeful that after reading this article your false impression will fade away to some extent.

The first thing that I want all the dentists to realize is that we are part of the medical sphere and we dentists are “real doctors.” Every time when we inject LA into a patient, we are delivering a medicinal agent into the human body that has real systemic complications. The only difference is; we have received special training and mastered to deliver local anesthetic into the human body and are comfortable in dealing with the complications. By the way, I would like share a fact that the adverse reactions and complications associated with the LA that we use every day in our dental practice are far more serious than those with Botox and Dermal fillers.

After training hundreds of dentists in India; I can say that, with proper training on Botox & Dermal fillers even you can become equally comfortable in administration of Botox like you are with local anesthetic. In fact I believe that we dentists can do it better in relation to other medical professionals when it comes to head-neck-face region as we are specialized in it.

 

Here are some dental treatments where you can use Botox & Dermal fillers:

 

1. Temporo Mandibular Joint Disorder

2. Bruxism

3. Facial Pain

4. Gummy Smile

5. Full Mouth Rehabilitation

6. Smile Designing

 

All the problems that I have mentioned above fall in the realm of dentistry and dentist. I believe, no other medical professional can do justice to such dental originated problems except a dentist. So let's not take these issues as a profession and stop letting politics get in the way of science & common sense. If you still feel that Botox and Dermal fillers are not for dentists then you seriously need to re-think!!!

 

I will share some of the cases that I have treated with Botox and Dermal Fillers in my upcoming blog posts.

Source : DentistFriend

How To Grow Your Dental Practice With Blogging?

 

How To Grow Your Dental Practice With Blogging?

In this technology driven world people prefer to get more information about the product or service before availing them. In fact many of you also do a research about specifications of dental gadgets before buying them or simply try to get more information about mentors or course highlights before joining any dental workshop. You look for resources from where you can find the information, either you try to read an article or watch the video and depending on what you read or saw you make a decision. Friends, just like us, the patients also do their research; they look for information before opting dental treatments.

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Now think what can happen if you become that source of information, the chances are that you will be the dentist of choice for all those people checking out the stuff you shared.

 

Let’s understand how you can become a source of information?

 

Friends, it’s very easy, you just have to understand what your prospective patients must be looking for

Once you figure that out, you can provide them information in multiple ways for example a video, audio, blog or info graphics however blogging remains the easiest.

What is a blog or blogging?

A blog is simply a platform where you can write and publish your articles that can also have images in it. There are several blogging platforms like wordpress.com or blogspot .com that you can use and most of them are free of cost but I recommend blogspot.com as it is a Google owned entity and has better search results on the search engine.

 

How to create a blogger account?

All you have to do is visit www.blogspot.com and sign up to create a profile that’s it. Once you are done, you can choose a layout and start publishing your posts.

 

Want to know more about How to write blogs for your dental practice? Read On...

Source : DentistFriend

How To Design A Digital Marketing Plan For Your Dental Practice?

 

How To Design A Digital Marketing Plan For Your Dental Practice?

In this blog, let’s see things to consider while setting up marketing plan for your dental practice?

 

 

1. Budget

 

The rule of thumb says that you should invest at least 10% of your annual revenue in all the possibilities that has potential to grow your dental practice but if you have started your practice recently then in that case you can even start with zero budgets.

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2. Media

 

Let’s consider your 10% yearly revenue as your 100% marketing budget. Now you have to make sure that you use this budget in multiple activities throughout the year & not on just any one activity.

 

Your activities may include staff training & development, CSR, Internal marketing, Digital Marketing but make sure that all of these activities are within DCI guidelines.

Now let’s understand which activities you should focus more?

The mode of activity will completely depend on
Your location
Differentiation of practice
Stage of your practice
Treatments you offer
Education level of your potential patients etc.

 

 

Let me explain this with an example,
 

Suppose if you practice in a rural area then what’s the use of spending money on digital marketing as there will be minimum chances of getting ROI. This doesn’t mean that you should refrain from digital marketing but try to use only the free tools and spend your budget on other activities. 

 

Let’s take one more example, if you practice in tier I city and have differentiated your clinic for Painless dental treatments then most of your budget should be allocated to digital marketing. 

 

In upcoming blogs I’m going to tell you about platforms that you have to use specifically in digital marketing, but till then make sure that you have a complete clarity on your basic marketing plan.

Source : DentistFriend

Dental Practice Branding: Things To Consider Before Setting Up Website For Your Dental Practice

 

Dental Practice Branding: Things To Consider Before Setting Up Website For Your Dental Practice

A Good Dental Website Complements Your Brand!

 

Visitors arrive at your website, they look around, if they don't like what they see, they leave. So it is very important to get their attention quickly. However, it is also important that website should reflect your brand. 

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Consider a website that you have visited. Was the content you were seeking was readily available? How was the presentation? How well was the organization of content? Did it look professional? If the information was, difficult to find, left you confused, did not exist. Now consider your own website. You aim to design a website which can successfully sell your brand.

 

 

1. Aesthetics:

 

While designing your website you should pay special attention on Color scheme, Images, Graphics, Font size, Font style. Additionally your website should have a contemporary feel.

  

2. Content:

 

Content is the King. Users won't come to your website because it is beautiful but because of information they are looking for so create original content. If you just copy & paste the content from some other website it will carry zero value. The content should be well written, error free and it should be appealing. Create an interactive content by keeping it interesting; also you can use pictorial representation wherever it is possible to keep the users engaged.

 

 

3. Clarity:

 

Clarity is rule one when it comes to developing a website. This includes clarity of purpose, content and your contact information. You should have clarity in your vision. Know why you are creating a website, communicate who are you and your purpose through your content. Make sure that the information and layout of your website is easy to understand.

 

 

4. Tabs:

 

It is vital to have a clear idea of the content you want to present. This will help you in determining the number, type and title of the web pages you will need. Some of the more standard types of web pages include: HOME, ABOUT US, CONTENT PAGE, CONTACT US.

 

 

5. Navigation:

 

Create a navigation system that is logical and easy to use. People don't want to visit a website where they are lost. Don't merely rely on your sense of the proper flow. Test and retest with experts as well as your dental team. It should be simple, clear and appealing to draw the interest of the viewer and persuade them to explore other pages.

 

 

6. Compatibility:

 

Users access internet from different devices such as desktops, laptop, mobiles, tablets etc. When the user opens a website on mobile and finds the navigation system difficult then he will immediately go away. So create a website which is adaptable to all screen sizes (Responsive Design).
Visitors use different browsers from their devices to accessinternet. Make sure that your website is compatible with all the leading browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox etc.

 

 

7. Brand Value:

 

Your website gives you a great opportunity to create a brand value and influence your visitors to be your prospective patients. Remember, your website is extension of your dental practice.

 

 

8. Review:

 

Ask your existing patients to write a feedback about treatment, staff and their overall experience during the treatment at your clinic. Positive feedback from your patients increases your credibility 

 

 

9. Social Media:

 

Integrate all your social media accounts in your website. Do not forget to provide social media plug-in of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, You Tube, Pintrest etc.  Ask your patients to follow you on social networking sites for regular updates on Dental Care.

 

 

10. Call To Action:

 

Show Your Visitors "What to Do?" & "How to Do?" Your website should have some type of call to action, such as "Click here to make an appointment" as it is the ultimate reason to create the website. The entire purpose behind creating a great dental website is to encourage people to make you their dentist of choice. Yes, you want to share information with current patients. However, marketing to new dental patients is your primary goal.

 

Remember, your website is an extension of your dental practice. When you select a domain name for your website, try to keep it short, easy to remember and type otherwise you may lose some of your visitors.  For example:  DentistFriend.com is easy to type & remember compared to The DentistsFriend.com

Source : DentistFriend