Did you take some time over the Christmas break to think about your business aims for the next 12 months? Perhaps you’d like to make a few changes to the way you run your business. If you don’t already have one, are you considering introducing a dental membership plan to help smooth your cashflow? If you have a membership plan in place, were you thinking of changing your provider? If you have an NHS contract, were you wondering whether this year would be the one where you handed it back?
Whichever one of those scenarios applies to you, we can help.
NHS practice- be in control
Last year was full of changes, either announced or implemented, that affected NHS dental practices. In February we had the publication of the Dental Recovery Plan, which sounded good but, in practice, did little to help NHS dentistry. Then, when Labour came to power, they announced changes to Employee Rights, increases in the minimum wage and Employer’s National Insurance contributions. All of which, when they come into effect, will increase the costs of running a business.
These extra costs hit NHS practices hard. A private dentist can pass on increased expenses to their patients via higher fees. However, a practice owner offering NHS dental treatment does not have that option. Your hands are tied. So, you would be forgiven if you were wondering whether handing back your NHS contract was the right thing to do.
Be supported to make the move
We like to think of ourselves as the NHS conversion experts as over our 30 years in business, we have helped hundreds of dentists take back control of their business by making the move from NHS to private dentistry. We appreciate this is a big decision to make which is why we’ll take our lead from you and will only act when you’re ready. You set the pace. So why not start things off with a no obligation chat?
Our five-step process will help to take away some of the nervousness you may feel about making such a move. First, we help you decide whether a move away from the NHS really is the right thing for you to do. Next, we go over the numbers with a fine-tooth comb to make sure introducing a membership plan to replace your NHS income is a truly viable proposition for your business.
Once we’ve established that and you’re ready to make the change, we support you to inform your patients. This is a crucially important part of the process and there are several ways to communicate the message. We can help you choose the ones that are right for you and your patients.
Step four is to support you before you make the move. We’ll help get you and your team ready for the change through training, practice branded marketing and advice and support. We’ll be with you every step of the way.
Step five involves us continuing to support you to make a success of your membership plan and your business. We like to build long-lasting, supportive relationships so we’ll still be around long after the dust has settled. You’ll have a field based Regional Support Manager (RSM) and a designated Relationship Support Advisor (RSA) in head office to help with any queries you have. So, assistance will only ever be a phone call away.
Be reassured – introducing a membership plan
We’re so much more than a plan provider. The fact we’ll collect your patients’ fees and make sure they land safely in your bank account so you have a regular, predictable monthly income is something you should be able to rely on any plan provider to do. However, to borrow a phrase from a well-known retailer, we’re not just any plan provider. You get so much more as a Practice Plan customer.
As well as the designated RSA and RSM mentioned above, you get access to a full programme of events and webinars delivered by industry leading figures covering topics such as HR, marketing, finance and more. If you need help with branding or marketing, then we have an in-house design and marketing agency who provide you with support on anything from leaflets and posters through to a full rebrand. Our website is also jam packed with blogs, podcasts and webinars on a host of useful and informative topics. Check out our Media hub
Making the Switch
If you already have a plan provider, are you happy with the service you’re getting? Do you have a sneaking feeling that there’s something better out there? If so, why not see what Practice Plan can offer?
Switching plan provider is easy peasy with bulk transfer. The process is simple and happens seamlessly behind the scenes. All your patients will notice is a different name on their Direct Debit, so there are no forms to fill in or any disruption for them at all.
As the practice owner, all you need do is make a plan for the move with realistic timescales; agree a date with your current plan provider so we can get your team trained up on our systems; inform your patients of the change, and then start enjoying the benefits of being a member of the Practice Plan family.
Our wider family
You wouldn’t know it to look at us, but Practice Plan is part of the Wesleyan Group of companies. Wesleyan Financial Services has Dental Specialist Financial Advisers who can help guide you as to the sorts of cover and investments you can make as a private dentist, and they are clued up on the NHS Pension Scheme so can offer guidance on that too!
If you’d like to offer your patients the option of spreading the cost of their treatment through patient finance, then our sister company, Medenta, can help with that.
Now does all that sound like just any dental membership plan provider? As the Chinese proverb says, the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, so why not take your first step and get in touch.