As a seasoned Principal Dentist, you've dedicated years to building your dental practice, and now retirement is on the horizon. Selling your practice is a significant milestone, and ensuring you get the best value for your life's work is paramount. One strategy that can significantly increase your practice's value is introducing profitable dental plans.
If you offer private dental plans in your practice, are you getting value for money from your existing plan provider? At Patient Plan Direct, we're coming across more practices than ever before that feel they're not getting the attention and service they once received and are left questioning why they are paying what can equate to a considerable practice overhead.
Not a week goes by when we meet another dentist who feels trapped in the current NHS system. The continuous issue of clawback, a backlog of patients, recruitment struggles, and more are bringing stress and pressure to many, and it is not what a profession in dentistry is ever supposed to be.
Before now, switching plan provider usually meant writing to patients to ask them to complete a new Direct Debit instruction. However, thanks to new rules introduced by the organisation that manages the Direct Debit scheme (Bacs) and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), plan providers will soon have to utilise the ‘Bulk Change Process’ if a practice wishes to switch plan provider.
The Bulk Change Process allows for plan patients’ Direct Debits to be transferred automatically from one provider to another, making life simpler and more convenient for everyone involved:
The changes have been driven by the PSR – Its objectives include the promotion of fair competition amongst organisations processing payments.
In late 2017, the PSR investigated the operations of organisations processing third party Direct Debits, which, of course, includes plan providers in the dental industry. The PSR recognised that, in some instances, such organisations were not utilising the Bulk Change Process at the request of their client, e.g. a dental practice.
Subsequently, from January 2018, a new accreditation scheme was rolled out, requiring all organisations processing third party Direct Debits to agree to utilise the Bulk Change process, should the organisation for which they are processing Direct Debits wish to switch to an alternative provider.
Patient Plan Direct is proud to announce it is the first plan provider to obtain accreditation under Bacs new rules.
Simon Reynolds, Commercial Director at Patient Plan Direct, comments: “We have been crying out and lobbying for such change for many years. The Bulk Change Process is ideally suited for scenarios such as a dental practice wishing to switch the administration of its plan from one provider to another, without the hassle or inconvenience of patients having to sign a new Direct Debit instruction.”
Simon goes on to explain, “It’s important to understand that the Bulk Change Process has always been available as a facility under the Direct Debit scheme. However, before now, other major plan providers in the market have not agreed to utilise the Bulk Change Process as a proposed transfer method. Under Bacs new rules they will now have to do so, creating a competitively fair market and affording practices the freedom of choice when it comes to deciding which provider to work with, without being put off by a previously cumbersome switching process.”
“We are currently working closely with the PSR and Bacs to ensure all other dental plan providers are identified as organisations falling under these new rules, therefore undertaking the required accreditation process as quickly as possible.”
“Naturally, as a plan provider offering significantly lower administration fees versus other plan providers, Patient Plan Direct has already generated significant interest from practices interested in switching from their current provider via the Bulk Change Process to cut costs significantly via this simple process. We encourage practices interested in switching to register their interest at: www.patientplandirect.com/simpleswitch or call 03448486888.”
What could your practice save by switching to work with Patient Plan Direct?
For further information register your interest here:- www.patientplandirect.com/simpleswitch or call 03448486888.
This is an advertorial article supplied by Patient Plan Direct and published by GDPUK.com
During 2017, an increasing number of practices successfully transferred their existing payment plan patients with another plan provider to a practice-branded solution with Patient Plan Direct (PPD), cumulatively saving hundreds of thousands of pounds in costs.
This trend continues in 2018.
PPD asked the practices that made this transition in 2017 to explain their primary reasons for making the move, which are shared below.
Do any of these reasons resonate with you and your practice?
Would you like to find out more about how PPD can help you to significantly improve your practice’s profitability by making this move, whilst still benefiting from a first-class, award-winning service?
If so, you can book an exploratory call by emailing or calling the PPD team:
Tel: 0844 848 6888 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Here are the five primary reasons practices that made the move to PPD from their previous plan provider in 2017 expressed…
PPD’s administration fee (only £1.28 per patient per month, including Worldwide Dental A&E Cover) can prove to be up to over 65% lower cost than other plan providers administration charges.
Visit the PPD cost saving calculator to see how much your practice could save CLICK HERE
Some practices commented they were left feeling confused about their previous providers branding / re-branding, opting to make the move to not only cut costs, but take control of their own payment plans and patient relationships in the future.
(Included in PPD’s £1.28 admin fee)
The Worldwide Dental A&E cover* for patients included with PPD’s service includes cover for the placement, repair or replacement of implants following an accident at no additional cost to patients (This is only an option with some other providers at an additional cost to patients).
PPD’s cover also includes:
Patient retention and/or extensive administration needn’t be a concern thanks to our fully supported and refined process, which makes the transfer quick and simple for both your practice and your patients.
PPD is not a huge corporate organisation. Your practice will not just be another fish in the sea when you opt to work with PPD. Our passionate team of field-based managers all have past experience of working in practice, both in clinical and management roles, ensuring we can relate to your everyday challenges and support, train, and advise your team to reach your practice’s payment plan objectives.
We encourage you to watch our transfer success video, documenting one practices positive experience of making the move from their previous provider to PPD.
Visit: www.patientplandirect.com/success-story-video
If you’re heading to the Dentistry Show at the NEC in a few weeks’ time on either the 18th or 19th of May, you can visit the PPD team at stand H74.
* The Worldwide Dental A&E Cover for patients included with Patient Plan Direct’s service is underwritten by Hiscox – one of the UK’s leading insurers. The full policy wording, terms and limits are available from www.patientplandirect.co.uk
Whether you already run a dental payment plan at your practice or you’re considering launching a plan for the first time, award winning Patient Plan Direct invites you along to its Cost Saving Clinic at this year’s BDIA Showcase @ The NEC, Birmingham – 19th to 21st October.
This 15-20 minute investment of your time, could prove to save your practice thousands over the coming years.
Why visit the cost saving clinic?
If you already offer a payment plan…
If you work with a plan provider other than Patient Plan Direct that supports and administers your existing payment plans, we’re confident we can demonstrate how your practice could significantly cut the costs of running your plan and increase your practice profits, even if you opt to continue working with your existing provider.
Irrespective of the type of plans you offer patients (Full care, Maintenance, Membership, Hygiene only) or which provider you currently work with, we can share with you a range of options and methods to help you cut your plan administration costs!
If you’re thinking about launching a payment plan…
You may be looking to launch a payment plan simply to nurture patient loyalty or offer patients a convenient means of accessing their regular care, or you may be looking to launch plan as a means of transitioning to practice privately, stepping away from the NHS.
During your clinic appointment we’ll share with you the important considerations when selecting which plan provider to work with and tops tips on ensuring you maximise the profitability of your payment plan, whilst building a successful base of plan patients and offering the right range of plans to suit your patient demographics and oral health requirements.
Where and when is the cost saving clinic?
We’ll be hosting our cost saving clinic at stand E16 on all three days of the BDIA showcase exhibition.
You can pop along to our stand at any time, where one of our business development team will be more than happy to conduct our cost saving clinic exercise, which won’t take any longer than 15-20 mins.
If you would rather chat through the exercise in a little more privacy or away from the hustle and bustle of the show, one of our team will be more than happy to take you for a coffee (or something a little stronger) outside of the exhibition hall.
Whilst you’re welcome to simply ‘roll-up’ to our clinic at any time, to avoid disappointment we recommend you pre-book an appointment before the show. To do so, simply drop our team an email or give us a call to let us know which day and time works best for you and we’ll reply to confirm your appointment.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 08448486888
What do you need to bring along?
If you already offer a payment plan, please bring along your latest monthly plan schedule / report provided by your existing provider, or at the very least a note of the administration fees you’re currently charged and details of the plans you offer patients.
If you’re considering launching a dental plan for the first-time, you don’t need to bring along anything other than an appetite to understand how to launch a successful and profitable payment plan
See you soon!
We look forward to seeing you soon. In the mean time you can discover more about Patient Plan Direct and how we’ve helped other practices on our website http://patientplandirect.com/case-studies/
Patient Plan Direct is offering to help practices undertake a simple process, which could significantly improve your practice’s profitability and success.
The offer is to let one of Patient Plan Direct’s highly experienced business development managers to undertake a Dental Plan Health-check at your practice, reviewing the strategy and objectives associated with the dental plans you offer patients – checking you’re doing all you can to maximise the potential of your dental plan.
Irrespective of the current plan provider you’re working with (e.g. Denplan, Practice Plan, DPAS), this Health-check is completely free of charge and will leave you fully informed as to the best options of running your plan moving forward. At the very least you’ll come away with some fresh ideas and have a benchmark to assess the value your current plan provider represents.
For more details, Patient Plan Direct invite you to watch this short video:
To book your Dental Plan Health-check, simply email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Call 0844 848 6888
As part of Patient Plan Direct’s continued investment in its practice-branded dental plan solution, benefiting practices thanks to amazingly low plan administration fees, the plan provider has announced work is currently underway to launch a brand new and enhanced plan administration portal. The new online platform is being built with existing clients' feedback constantly in mind in order to offer an improved user experience and additional stats, data and information on plan performance at the click of a button.
The new platform will have a focus on embracing digital processes wherever possible, meaning that users will benefit from having less paperwork to deal with in their daily practice. Navigation will be simplified making usability even more intuitive to ensure that the portal is easily accessible for all staff members.
A dashboard area will provide a snapshot of insights into plan performance, providing users with an instant overview of the important facts that they need when it comes to their dental plan. Alongside this, there will also be handy 'to do' action lists with alerts in order to encourage optimum plan management.
Simon Reynolds, commercial director, commented: “At Patient Plan Direct, we are committed to maintaining our position as a highly cost-effective plan provider, keeping our plan administration fee as low as possible while also providing our clients with the tools and support to maximise plan income and profitability. This is why we are significantly investing in our online system for client practices, to ensure that they are receiving the highest-quality service at amazingly value.”
The new platform will be rolled out in early 2018. In the meantime, whether you already run a dental plan via another provider or you’re considering launching a dental plan, if you'd like more information about Patient Plan Direct’s practice-branded dental plan solution, boosting practice profitability, please visit www.patientplandirect.com, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 0844 848 6888.
Patient Plan Direct client, Dr Wasif Khan, explains how he took the leap into the world of private dentistry
“Before I bought Holmes Chapel Dental Practice around 10 years ago, I had been working as an associate for several years carrying out private dentistry. I had undertaken extensive post-graduate study and was really enjoying the work I was doing, but I wanted to take the next step in my career to become a practice owner. Holmes Chapel Dental Practice came with an NHS contract and, although this was a very different set up to what I had become used to, I decided to work with it, with a view to adding a private side in the future.
“Over the years my team and I have worked hard to develop the practice, but whilst I was able to maintain a degree of private work, there has always been that longing for me to return fully to private dentistry. With falling revenues and the constant treadmill of UDAs, targets and restrictions that we all face under the NHS, I decided that after 10 years, the time had come to focus on providing a private service. I also wanted to slow down a little while practising better quality, varied dentistry; I needed to push myself to get out of the rut that I felt I was in, and I wanted the same for my team, too.
“We had been building up to make the move towards a more private offering for around two years, so none of it came as a surprise to the team; I wanted to do my research and groundwork first to make sure I would take the right steps to make things work. We decided that my two associates and dental therapist would continue to provide dentistry under the NHS, as well as private work, while I went fully private. The idea was to boost revenue in order to ensure not just staff retention, but also team growth and skill-set development, increased choice of materials and possible expansion and renovation in the future – things that I just could not consider while working on an NHS contract. Additionally, I was really looking forward to getting back to doing the dentistry I love and gaining more fulfilment from my work again.
“I have friends in their own practices who have incorporated a dental plan, and I had seen them in action during my time as an associate, so implementing one into the practice was always my intention. For me, it was vital that the provider I chose to partner with offered lots of support, because I had never carried out an NHS to private conversion as a practice owner and wanted to have the reassurance that there would be help available if I needed it. I met with a few different companies to get a feel for what and who would work best for me and decided to go with Patient Plan Direct as their service is great value for money and I also liked them on a personal level. They are a smaller company and the individuals who work there are very down to earth and easy to get on with. On top of that, I really like their online portal and the fact that I was able to integrate the option of patient plan sign up via my website, too.
“The first step was to write to our patients to let them know about the changes. This is where our main challenge cropped up as I was finding that subsequent take up of the plan was quite slow. Theresa Riley, business development manager from Patient Plan Direct, was a huge help in this area. She came in to the practice and gave our reception team lots of training on how to discuss the plan and give patients options. None of it is about a hard sell, it’s all just about letting people know what is available to them and allowing them to choose what is best for their own needs, which fits perfectly in line with our own business ethos.
“Theresa also took a look at our letter, reworded it to make it more patient friendly and suggested that we add some more plan options to keep the choice more varied for patients, rather than just the one plan we were originally offering. All of her help provided us with the tools and knowledge we needed to make the difference. It took some time to convince and educate some of the staff that this was the only way we could progress the practice, but now all of the team have embraced the methods Theresa discussed during her training and they are all fully on board. This external input from Patient Plan Direct made a huge difference to us, so I definitely feel that I made the right choice when selecting which plan provider to go with, particularly considering Patient Plan Direct’s admin fees are so much lower than other providers ensuring we retain more of our plan income.
“I’m really pleased with how things have worked out. The team is focused and consolidated in our aims and we have also changed the infrastructure within the practice to accommodate private patients in reception and in a separate waiting area, which has created a unique patient pathway. The overall reaction from patients has been very positive, with many commenting that we should have done this years ago! I have no regrets about making the move towards a more private dental offering; I have achieved a much better work-life balance as it has allowed me to cut back on my hours, while still remaining busy during my ‘dental’ days, and my private patient list is ever increasing. I have to put a lot of this success down to incorporating a plan and doing the research into choosing the right provider for me, the support from patient Plan Direct has been second to none!”
Wasif Khan is the principal dentist and owner of Holmes Chapel Dental Practice in Cheshire.
Dentistry show is here!
If you’re heading to the show make sure you head to B70 to visit the Patient Plan Direct team. Why you ask? Here are eight great reasons…
1. Cost saving clinic
We know you like to keep your business outgoings under control (who doesn’t?), which is why we want to help with that. Take a note of the number of patients you currently have on plan, plus the admin fee you’re paying your existing plan provider and then head over to stand B70 to discover how we could save you thousands of pounds per year by switching to our low-cost and fully supported service.
2. More transfers than ever before
We’ve noticed a huge trend of new practices switching from their existing patient plan provider to Patient Plan Direct, and with our low admin fees of just £1.20 per patient per month, it’s easy to see why. With our support, the transfer process is really simple, so you’ll notice the savings almost straight away. Visit us at the Dentistry Show so that we can explain more!
3. Meet the whole team
If you’re already working with us, meeting up at the show gives us a chance to put faces to names and helps us make our service even more personalised to you. If you’re not already a customer then head over to stand B70 to see how lovely we all are!
4. Learn more about our A&E cover, including implant cover
Our patient payment plans offer worldwide Dental A&E cover, which includes implant cover as standard (all included for £1.20). Discover more about this great extra benefit by popping over to see us.
5. Practice-branded solutions
You’ve worked hard to build a brand for your dental practice, so why not strengthen that further through your own practice-branded patient payment plan? Talk to us at the Dentistry Show to find out how. Particularly, if you’re confused about your current providers branding changes…
6. Let us demonstrate
Our online admin management portal allows you to control your plan in real time 247 and is so easy to use that you’ll wonder why you didn’t switch over sooner. Don’t just take our word for it though, come and see for yourself on stand B70!
7. Tailored to you
There’s no one size fits all in dentistry, you know your patients and what will suit them best, which is why we can tailor the plans to suit your practice’s specific needs. We also aim to provide a personal approach to our customer service, through our training, practice visits and telephone support. Come over for a chat to find out how we can offer a bespoke service to suit you.
8. Grab a free coffee and chat
We love coffee, but we love sharing it even more, so pop over for a free cuppa and catch up with our team. Whether you already know us, or would like to get to know us, we’re looking forward to meeting you at the show.
See you soon!
In the mean time check out some of our success stories here http://patientplandirect.com/case-studies/
If you’re not heading to the show, you can always arrange a meeting with our friendly and experienced business development team at your practice at your convenience. Simply call or email us:
Tel: 08448486888
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Leianna Minty from Dental Inspirations discusses her experience of changing plan provider from Denplan to Patient Plan Direct
I joined the reception team at Dental Inspirations in 2011 when the decision had just been made to switch plan provider in order to cut administration fees and make operational cost savings. As such, one of my first tasks was to handle this transition. Whilst I had some knowledge of our dental plan, I had no experience of carrying out a move from one provider to another, but I have to say that Patient Plan Direct made the process very simple indeed.
Handling the move
We were given clear, concise and to the point training on what to say to patients and how to explain the move, which made us all feel confident in what we were doing and made the switch seamless. This left us with no uncertainty or any windows of mystery, meaning that the task was pretty simple really.
Of course, switching plan providers involved some effort from our side, but we have a good team in our practice so it was more than manageable. If you are concerned that there will be a lot of work involved in switching plan provider, my advice is not to worry. We simply sent out letters to patients explaining the move and the long term benefit to them as well as the practice and they signed new direct debit mandates under our new practice-branded plan at their next appointments. This is a process Patient Plan Direct now fully manages on behalf of practices, making the process even easier than when we made the move six years ago. There are a range of options of how Patient Plan Direct can manage the transition to best suit your practice and patient relationships.
The team at Patient Plan Direct offer so much support and it really helps that I deal with the same people every time I have an enquiry. The client support team explain things very well and as a practice we've built up a relationship with them, as well as our dedicated business development manager – Carole. The Patient Plan Direct team feel like an extended part of the Dental Inspirations team.
When new team members join our practice there are no problems at all getting them up to speed with our dental plans and the Patient Plan Direct system because its so simple, but if they have any questions it's just a case of phoning Patient Plan Direct who take the time to explain everything or come in practice to deliver training.
Whilst any issues or queries are few and far between, as soon as anything is flagged, Patient Plan Direct resolve things very quickly. In fact, in my role I have to deal with a lot of different companies and suppliers and I have to say that Patient Plan Direct cause me the least stress out of all of them, they are a pleasure to work with.
Benefits for everyone
For us, alongside huge cost savings versus the administration fees we were charged by our previous plan provider, another big benefit of the move is the fact that we now handle patient enquiries in our own practice, rather than them having to contact a third party. This means we can offer a much more personal service that our patients really appreciate, while we also have more control over the way things are handled and subsequently monitored. Plus, Patient Plan Direct’s service seems to continually improve. For example they have enhanced their supplementary Worldwide Dental A&E cover for patients twice in the past couple of years, benefiting our existing plan patients and making our plans even more attractive for any patients not already on plan.
As a practice, the benefits of switching plan provider were very clear; in the long-term we would be able to offer our patients a lower cost, more affordable, practice-branded plan without running at a loss ourselves thanks to a lower admin fee that we incur as a practice. We're simply offering an almost identical product without having to pay for the big name brand.
What we've found six years on since the move is that the plans we now offer for any new patients sell themselves because the price point is so good, patients ask us about our plans and all we need to do is sign them up. I didn't want my reception team to feel like they were in a sales role, that's not what we're about at Dental Inspirations, and I really like that our staff don't feel pressurised to sell.
Leianna's advice
If you're unhappy with your existing plan provider, or you’re looking for ways to save money for the practice and your patients, I would 100% recommend Patient Plan Direct due to the high level of support they provide and the tailored plans they create to suit your practice. Switching over really isn't as scary as it might initially seem, my advice is to overcome that fear! At Dental Inspirations we have no regrets. Patient retention during the transition from our previous plan provider was very high and we are constantly adding new patients to our plans all the time.
Leianna Minty is the practice manager at Dental Inspirations in Aberdeen, providing the highest quality dentistry in a caring, relaxed and professional environment.
Patient Plan Direct’s commercial director, Simon Reynolds, discusses key considerations in managing a patient membership plan ‘in-house’
Often the rationale for a DIY project is the perception that doing ‘it’ ourselves is likely to be lower cost and will enable us to achieve our desired outcomes in line with specific objectives. We adopt the mind set of “how hard can it be” and get to work.
In some instances, with the right planning and commitment a successful DIY project can be highly rewarding. However, in other cases we can be left to reflect on blood, sweat, tears and challenges that were far greater than we had anticipated. In hindsight, perhaps it may have been a better option to have turned to professional support in the first instance.
When it comes to patient membership and capitation plans many practices may have considered, or have already adopted, administering their own patient plans ‘in-house’. Let’s face it, when stripping back to its bare bones the work involved in administering a patient plan, it isn’t rocket science. The basics being; determining the care and benefits included in your plans, setting plan prices, collecting regular payments from patients and promoting your plans effectively to encourage uptake from patients.
However, as with many things in life the devil can often be in the detail and there are important considerations that may be overlooked when opting to administer a patient plan in-house rather than the outsourced option of working with a plan provider.
Direct debit vs. Standing order
Often mistaken as the same thing, there are significant differences between standing order and direct debit payments – the most likely means of managing regular plan payments. A standing order is an instruction set up by the payer i.e. your patient via their bank, which can limit the ease of patients joining your plan in practice. If a patient cancels their standing order you will not be notified, instead you’ll have to perform manual checks every month. Moreover, managing periodic plan price increases can prove somewhat challenging as a change to the value of a standing order requires each patient to amend their individual standing orders – a tedious task for patients that is not under your practice’s control.
Managing plan payments by direct debit on the other hand offers the beneficiary (your practice) greater control. This is an instruction by the payer giving permission for your practice to collect a regular amount, which can be amended with advance notification to the payer. However, obtaining sponsorship in to the direct debit scheme via your bank can be a lengthy process and thereafter you’ll have to utilise some form of Bacs approved platform to manage collections. This can prove complicated and costly in addition to the processing charges your bank is likely to apply.
Admin: Time versus Real cost
Time is money. Often the reality of managing a patient plan in-house can be more administratively demanding and time consuming than you may think. Preparing and submitting collection files, identifying payment cancelations, managing plan related communications to patients, creating promotional material, training your team in promoting your plans and so much more can be a real bind on your time. No matter who takes on the role of managing an ‘in-house’ plan, there’s every chance this time could be better spent elsewhere in delivering first-class care and building a successful practice.
When you come to sell your practice
In consideration of the complexities that can be involved in managing a plan in-house, when you come to sell your practice potential buyers may be put off. Moreover, in some instances if you have your own sponsorship in to the direct debit scheme, it is not a given that the new vendor will be able to obtain their own sponsorship via their bank to take on the goodwill of plan patients. Finally, historical records of plan collections via a third party can prove more favourable throughout any due diligence processes.
In summary
For some practices, managing their patient plans in-house may be the most effective means of offering patients a plan. However, for many, utilising the services of a trusted plan provider is much more likely to be the more time and cost efficient method. Working with a plan provider does not have to mean huge administration costs and overhead. There are more plan providers than ever before to choose from, each offering their unique service proposition, support and fee structure. It is simply a case of taking the time to discover each provider and working out which is the best fit for your practice.
Patient Plan Direct is a membership plan provider recognised for its low-cost admin fees and is also the winner of the 2016 Dental industry awards – Outstanding Business of the year (under 25 employees). Plan launch, Provider transfer and NHS conversion experts.
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08448486888
Patient Plan Direct has been awarded Outstanding Business of the Year (under 25 employees) at the 2016 Dental Industry awards, hosted at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kennington earlier this month.
A judging panel of leading industry clinicians and figures, chaired by Dr David Houston, selected patient payment plan provider – Patient Plan Direct, as the winning company from a wide array of entrants.
The judging panel, which included; Julian English, James Goolnik, Peter Rees, Chris Orr and others, selected Patient Plan Direct as the company that demonstrated, throughout 2016, the strongest development, growth, competitive edge, staff loyalty, culture and first-class service.
Pictured Above:- Simon Reynolds and the team at PPD receiving the award for Outstanding Business of the Year
Simon Reynolds, commercial director of Patient Plan Direct, commented “We have worked hard throughout 2016, expanding our team and further enhancing our patient payment plan solution whilst maintaining our low-cost fee structure – enabling practices to retain more of their payment plan income.
“Cost management is an important focus for many dental practices in consideration of uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the rising costs associated with running a modern day dental practice. As a low-cost plan provider, PPD meets this market demand and ensures we have a strong competitive edge, whilst other providers are pressured to justify the value of their fees.
“I’d like to extend my congratulations to the rest of the dental industry award finalists and winners, as well as a big thank you to all of the Patient Plan Direct team for their hard work and commitment as we look towards a highly successful 2017.”
Patient Plan Direct is a highly cost effective dental plan provider embracing 21st century web-based technology to offer a sophisticated solution to running practice-branded dental plans.
Thanks to an administration fee of £1.20 per patient per month (including A&E cover and VAT), Patient Plan Direct often proves to be 2-3 times more cost effective than working with other plan providers.
A highly-experienced team has helped over 400 practices nationwide either; launch a dental plan for the first time, utilise a plan to convert from NHS to Private, or transfer from another plan provider to make huge cost savings!
Web: www.patientplandirect.co.uk
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 0844 848 6888
Midlands based Theresa Riley has joined cost effective and technology embracing dental payment plan provider – Patient Plan Direct, heading up the company’s business development support in the Midlands. Theresa brings to Patient Plan Direct a huge amount of experience in nurturing practice’s private growth and the implementation and development of private dental plans.
Following an initial career in dental nursing, dental radiography and teaching, Theresa moved into dental corporate management and quickly advanced up the career ladder to run the specialist department within one of the UK’s largest dental corporates. Thereafter, Theresa has held several senior management and business consultancy roles, recently consulting on the design and implementation of a dental plan administration solution, thereafter introducing the plan solution at several practices either converting from NHS to Private or switching their plans from another plan provider.
With regards to her new role, Theresa commented; “I wanted to further expand my knowledge and work within the plan sector, but due to my previous consulting work it just wasn’t possible, so when the opportunity came along to join Patient Plan Direct, the company, role and team seemed the perfect fit. I can’t wait to get started”.
Simon Reynolds, commercial director of Patient Plan Direct explains; “As we continue to evolve and build on our strong reputation as a low cost plan provider offering first-class support, Theresa brings to the mix an unrivalled level of experience and knowledge. Theresa’s skills set will benefit the practices we already work with in further developing and growing their respective dental plans, as well as new practices not already working with Patient Plan Direct who wish to take advantage of maximising the profitability of a dental plan at their practice.”
Theresa added; “I was attracted to joining the Patient Plan Direct team after taking the time to understand more about their service proposition and technology. Patient Plan Direct’s streamlined, practice branded and web based approach to dental plan administration along with the support and advice that is delivered for £1 per patient per month is the right fit for so many practices both clinically, financially and operationally.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting Patient Plan Direct’s existing clients and seeing how I can help them grow their plan patient base further as well as connecting to new clients to see how our solution can benefit their practice whatever their objective; transferring from another plan provider to make significant cost savings, launching a plan for the first time or making a move away from the NHS.”
Patient Plan Direct is a highly cost effective dental plan provider working with over 300 practices nationwide, embracing 21st century web-based technology to offer a sophisticated solution to running practice-branded dental plans. Thanks to an administration fee of £1.00 per patient per month (including worldwide dental A&E cover and VAT), Patient Plan Direct often proves to be 2-3 times more cost effective than working with other plan providers.
Web: www.patientplandirect.co.uk
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 08448486888
Q. Would you like to reduce the cost of running your practices’ dental plans?
Q. Do you question the value of the fees your existing plan provider charges; Denplan, Practice Plan, DPAS, CODE, IndepenDent or another provider?
Q. Are you tired of admin fee increases applied by your exiting plan provider?
Q. Are you unsure of the exact fees you pay to your existing plan provider and would like help in completing a cost-benefit analysis?
If the answer is ‘Yes’ to any of above questions Patient Plan Direct would like to meet with you to explain and explore how they can help your practice achieve a successful plan provider transfer and save thousands in costs year on year thanks to a £1 per patient per month admin fee which includes: practice-branded solution, Worldwide Dental A&E cover, support from a dedicated client services team and business development manager, as well as plan promotional material and much more.
To contact Patient Plan Direct and book an exploratory meeting Call: 0844 848 6888 or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Or to find out more visit www.patientplandirect.co.uk
No matter how many plan patients you currently have, Patient Plan Direct can help you make big cost savings.
Your practice could achieve the same benefits and results as the following sample of practices that have already transferred their dental plan administration to a practice-branded solution with Patient Plan Direct…
BV Owen Dental Practice, North Wales
“These cost savings have helped towards a practice refurbishment we had been keen to undertake for sometime. Patient Plan Direct deal with things quickly and proficiently and our plans run like clock work”
Read the full story HERE
High Street Dental Practice, West Sussex
“We found the transfer to be hassle free. As proved by the loss of members in the transfer being less than 1%. We have gained approximately 18% more members over the last 6 months. And it continues to grow”
Read the full story HERE
Farleigh Dental - North East Surrey
“Did I lose lots of patients as a result of the transfer? No, we lost a handful of plan patients – no more than we would normally expect as a result of an annual price increase mailing to plan patients. Am I glad we took on the move? Absolutely”
Read the full story HERE
This year Patient Plan Direct (PPD) is exhibiting for the first time at the Dentistry Show. Now working with over 300 practices across the UK, PPD business development manager – Janice Charlton, outlines 3 reasons why you should visit stand B75 and the PPD team if you’re attending the Show at the NEC this Friday 22nd or Saturday 23rd April.
Janice explains: “Whether your practice already offers a dental plan via another plan provider, or you’re considering how you can create less reliance on the NHS and take steps to plan ahead of changes in the future, or you simply want to explore launching a dental plan to offer patients greater choice and nurture patient loyalty, PPD can help.
“Just take a look at how other practices have benefited from taking advantage of our efficient, low cost approach to helping your practice run, develop and grow a practice-branded dental plan thanks to our admin fee of just £1 per patient per month.”
Reason 1: Consider transferring from another plan provider: Read how High Street Dental significantly cut their plan administration fees and saved thousands in costs, spending savings to further develop their practice CLICK HERE
Reason 2: Consider creating less reliance on the NHS: Read how and why Causeway Dental Practice have successful created less reliance on the NHS and grown private revenue streams in working with PPD CLICK HERE
Reason 3: Consider launching a plan for the first time: Read why Holly Dental felt it was essential to introduce a private dental plan and why they opted to work with PPD CLICK HERE
If you’re not going to the show, but you would like to discover how PPD can help your practice please contact us to arrange an exploratory meeting at your practice:
Call: 08448486888
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Cost-benefit analysis ahead of 2016
Louisa Buckingham of Patient Plan Direct explains why practices should consider performing cost-benefit analysis ahead of 2016.
The dental industry continues to become an ever more competitive industry with a generation of tech savvy and business-minded dentists. More than ever, dental practices are looking to differentiate themselves, create competitive edge, provide a unique patient experience and embrace digital dentistry all whilst endeavouring to generate healthy profits and deliver the best in patient care.
A cost-benefit analysis is the exercise of evaluating a planned or existing action by determining what net value it will have for your practice. A cost-benefit analysis finds, quantifies, and adds all the positive factors; the benefits. Then it identifies, quantifies, and subtracts all the negatives; the costs. Should the benefits derived from the action outweigh the costs of implementing that action, then the action should be taken and vice versa.
As practices increasingly seek to cut costs and improve productivity and care, cost-benefit analysis has become a valuable tool for evaluating a wide range of business decisions and opportunities for dental practices; the prospect of a move away from the NHS, which consumables supplier to work with, which plan provider to work with in administering and developing the practice’s private dental plans.
When undertaking this review you should ask yourself questions such as; what value does this opportunity/action represent? What other alternatives do I have and how do they compare? When did I last review this area of my business?
Take for example, dental plan administration. It’s alarming how many dental practices aren’t aware of the fees they pay to their plan provider and nor do many assess what value these fees represent.
Many plan providers profess to offer a range of additional ‘non-plan’ related services, hospitality and support alongside core plan administration. This ‘optional’ access to additional elements of service aside from plan development is rolled in to the fee structures charged by some plan providers. Many practices don’t actually utilise these additional elements, effectively paying for something they don’t fully leverage and therefore not seeing value.
When performing a cost-benefit analysis in relation to working with a plan provider you should make a list of what the provider delivers; the benefits. For example; How many times a year do you see your representative? Do you fully utilise additional services such as regulatory advice, ‘key client’ forums, or clinical events? This should then be compared to the costs of the service and also weighed up against other provider propositions in the market.
If you already work with a dental plan provider, the Patient Plan Direct business development team can help your practice conduct a cost-benefit analysis, a very useful technique you may then consider to assess and analyse other areas of your business.
Patient Plan Direct is a dental payment plan provider working with practices across the UK, recognised for its cost effective (£1 per patient per month) approach to support and administration, as well as its innovative web-based management platform. Patient Plan Direct support practice with; New payment plan launches, NHS to Private conversions and Plan provider transfers
Tel: 08448486888
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dental plan provider Patient Plan Direct has partnered with Chrysalis Finance to promote a solution to offering patient finance that is quick, simple, low cost, sophisticated and unique.
Plan provider Patient Plan Direct and Chrysalis Finance have joined forces to market their respective services to the dental community. Both companies share the same ethos of embracing technology, making life simple for dental practices and ensuring a practice can maximise the profitability of the dentistry they deliver.
Chrysalis Finance recently launched their unique approach to offering patient finance that takes away the head ache and requirement of a practice obtaining a consumer credit licence directly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
As Chrysalis Finance is authorised with full permission as a principal firm by the Financial Conduct Authority, a dental practice is able to become an appointed representative of Chrysalis Finance, as such taking away any regulation, risk or authorisation responsibilities for a practice.
This is a new genuine forward step within the industry and Chrysalis Finance is the first finance company to offer this service to dental practices, enabling them to focus on growing their business and not yet more compliance and regulation.
This unique approach is made even more attractive thanks to the super quick and simple set up, unbeatable subsidy rates, first-class dedicated support, payments made quicker than any other finance provider and some of the best acceptance rates in the market.
Simon Reynolds, commercial director of Patient Plan Direct, explained; “We are very pleased to be announcing our partnership with Chrysalis Finance. We identified demand from the practices we work with for access to a first-class and simple patient finance facility that attracts low subsidy rates, enabling a practice to maximise the income they retain when providing treatment through finance.
“This is exactly what Chrysalis Finance is able to deliver, which is made even better because of their unique authorisation with the FCA taking away the head ache of a practice needing to obtain and pay for their own licencing.”
Chris Baldwin, Head of Sales at Chrysalis Finance, added; “Our unique approach to enabling a practice to offer patient finance quickly, simply and at low cost mirrors Patient Plan Direct’s approach to enabling a practice to run and develop a successful patient dental plan. As such, a partnership was a very obvious strategy and we look forward to supporting each other in helping more practices throughout the UK.”
Chrysalis Finance specialises in dentistry finance and is the only provider requiring a practice not to be licensed directly with the FCA. Chrysalis Finance manages any risk and compliance on a practices behalf along with the best funding rates and options available in the market.
Patient Plan Direct provides an easy to use, highly efficient and very cost effective method of enabling practices to offer patients a dental plan. Patient Plan Direct’s unique approach embraces 21st century technology, gives a practice control and is proven to improve plan income and profitability.
GDPUK took the time to interview Simon Reynolds – Commercial Director of Patient Plan Direct, one of the UK’s fastest growing and most cost effective plan providers, as well as a GDPUK partner.
In the past six months more practices than ever before have opted to work with Patient Plan Direct, either launching a new plan for the first time or transferring an existing base of plan patients from another plan provider. Jonny Jacobs of GDPUK took the time to find out more about Patient Plan Direct’s success:
Jonny GDPUK: Please give us a brief background to how you ended up working in the dental industry?
Simon: “Following my studies in the North West I stuck around the Manchester area and joined Patient Plan Direct’s parent company, First Capital Cashflow, as a business development associate working with both the sales and marketing teams.
“I eventually focused on the marketing side of things and after undertaking a diploma in digital marketing, took up the role of marketing manager at Patient Plan Direct, going on to progress through to my current role as commercial director – managing the business development and marketing teams. I have been involved with Patient Plan Direct for almost five years now, in which time the company has significantly evolved and grown year on year.”
Jonny GDPUK: For those that don’t know of Patient Plan Direct, can you give us a brief potted history?
Simon: “Patient Plan Direct is a dental plan provider similar to the likes of Denplan, Practice Plan and DPAS. The company was formed in 2008 as a subsidiary of our parent company First Capital Cashflow – a long established payments bureau providing payments related services and technology.
“We have embraced technology, cut out a lot of unnecessary paper based administration and benefited from the economies of scale and efficiencies nurtured from our parent company, thus cutting a lot of our own cost bases – resulting in lower fees for our clients!
“Since our inception we’ve sustained our low cost, flat and transparent fee structure of £1 per patient per month (inclusive of VAT and patient Worldwide A&E cover underwritten by Hiscox) whilst other plan providers have marginally increased their administration fees each year.
“Since the company formed, our team has grown and our service delivery and support has evolved in line with market demands. We now work with over 300 practices across the breadth of the UK, helping them to develop, grow and retain a solid base of plan patients.”
Jonny GDPUK: How does Patient Plan Direct differ to other plan providers?
Simon: “Our core proposition is our low cost fee structure, enabling a dental practice to maximise the income and profitability a dental plan generates. It is our ethos to maintain this position in the market, at the same time ensuring we provide first-class training alongside business and marketing support to ensure we can help a practice reach its objectives.
“Our fee structure can easily prove to be 2-3 times more cost effective than other plan providers, enabling a practice with even a modest base of plan patients to easily make significant cost savings year on year in comparison to working with other plan providers. Moreover, we’re very focused on flexibility and branding, offering a fully practice branded solution with the freedom for a practice to determine their own plan offering, structure and price point.
There may be some misconceptions that our service is a no frills / vanilla option when it comes to dental plan administration. However, on the contrary, whilst we don’t offer support in other areas such as CQC guidance, hold annual golf days, invite ‘key’ clients to trips abroad, or hand out ice creams at dental shows, we do invest in our team, processes, technology and support whilst keeping our costs to a minimum and passing these savings on to the many happy practices that work with us."
Jonny GDPUK: What trends are you seeing in the payment plans market?
Simon: “The biggest trend I have noticed for some time now is the lack of appetite from practitioners to either introduce or continue to grow an existing capitation based plan such as Denplan Care. There are so many reasons this is the case, which I could talk about separately for hours on end. We have worked with many practices that have transferred from another plan provider and opted to put a cap on their capitation plans (only keeping existing capitation patients on this type of plan), opting to only promote and grow a maintenance based plan moving forward.
“The other noticeable trend is the increase in principal dentists making the switch to private dentistry and using a dental plan as a vehicle to make the transition, enabling their patients to budget with a monthly payment to see their preferred dentist. Of course this is all in line with not keeping all their eggs in one basket in light of the uncertainty around the future of the NHS. My team and I relish the opportunity to get involved in this type of plan launch, delving into the viability analysis and financial modelling to identify and recommend the best strategy for the principal, practice and patients.
“Finally, we’ve worked with a number of practices recently that have decided not to take on a plan provider transfer for a number of reasons, but instead have opted to run a new plan administered by Patient Plan Direct alongside their existing plan, taking advantage of cost savings in admin fees for new patients joining the practice’s plan.”
Jonny GDPUK: How long have you been aware of GDPUK? Why do you think it works so well?
Simon: “I have been aware of GDPUK for as long as I’ve been involved in dentistry. It’s the place I usually hear about the latest news and opinion. As such, I visit the site daily to keep up to speed on what’s new in the world of dentistry. With all the challenges that the dental profession faces these days (many of which are well documented and discussed within GDPUK), it’s so important there is a place where dental professionals can freely express opinion, discuss ideas and offer each other advice, feedback and moral support.
“Every credit to yourself and Tony for keeping the forum running for what is now coming up to 20 years! Long may it continue.”
Jonny GDPUK: As an advertiser on the site, have you found the site a good place to gain business?
Simon: “Without doubt the site has helped raise our brand awareness and helped us extend our message to market, educating the industry on our service proposition. We have had plenty of new enquiries and new clients that initially explained “we saw you on GDPUK”.
“I see the forum as very well respected and trusted amongst the industry; as such it’s a fantastic site to attach our brand to.”
As a private plan provider, how do you see the future of NHS dentistry panning out?
Simon: “Now we have the general election out of the way and details of the prototype dental contracts are becoming a hot topic of discussion, I think it’s safe to say that irrespective of what the new contract eventually looks like, employment under the NHS is not likely to provide greater income for less graft and a stress free life. As such, I’m pretty certain the NHS won't be for everyone and as there was in 2006 there will be a noticeable shift in the number making the move to practicing privately – a process which has already begun.
“Clearly if a dentist or practice is considering the switch from NHS to private, the introduction of a dental plan is a very obvious and proven strategy to achieve the move successfully and retain happy patients.”
Contact Details for Simon:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 08448486888
Mob: 075407063232
Web: www.patientplandirect.co.uk
Web: www.firstcapitalcashflow.com
Twitter: @PatientPlan
