Practices that won't give prices over the phone

[Cymbidium]

Does anyone know the reason for this? The dentist I shadowed won't give the price of certain proceedures he does over the phone. What's the benefit of not revealing that information over the phone?

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[toothfairy85]

Because it could be a "competing" dentist in the area on the phone trying to figure out what you charge so he/she can figure out how to have a more successful practice than yours... trying to figure out what they charge or what they can't charge and still have plenty of patients.

 

[loved]

The dentist that I shadowed for doesn't give the price over the phone b/c people make him stick to the quote. Then when the x-ray arrives, it may turn out that there needs to be extra work--like the cavity is much deeper or it is close to the nerve or they have periodontal disease, etc. He said that the patients get fussy b/c they want the original quote.

If a patient really insists on a pre-evaluation quote, he will give a ballpark range and go over what it covers.

I have seen dental offices that do give out quotes over the phone, and they were in very competitive areas. The dentist I just wrote about is not very competitive. Maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[aphistis]

Because it boxes you into a corner before you've ever seen the patient. Try asking a CT surgeon you'ce never seen for a specific fee quote over the phone, and see how long the laughter stretches before he either stops to inhale, or just passes out.

 

[tamkhan]

you think insurance might have something to do with this, too? just wondering.

 

[12YearOldKid]

Aphistis is right on this one. You can give a price quote, but it doesn't help the patient any at all without knowing what he needs. The patient is rarely right about what treatment he thinks he needs.

Even if he knows what treatment he needs, it still doesn't help him much. One office may quote $950 for a crown but bundles the core-buildup into the fee. So the patient then decides to go with the office that quotes $850 for a crown; little does the patient know he will also be paying $180 for a core build-up. Would have been cheaper to go with the first office, but the patient doesn't (can't be expected to) know the right questions to ask to get an apples to apples comparison.

 

[Daurang]

These are usually price shoppers calling around for best price regardless of the complexity of a certain procedure. No matter what price you give them, they'll come up with a lower price to beg you to match. Rarely do you convert these people into patients; plus you do not want them as your patients anyway.

 

[rkamsterdam]

These are usually price shoppers calling around for best price regardless of the complexity of a certain procedure. No matter what price you give them, they'll come up with a lower price to beg you to match. Rarely do you convert these people into patients; plus you do not want them as your patients anyway.

I wouldnt go as far to say that you dont want them as patients, but I think its a good thing for dentists to avoid turning dentistry into a bargain type industry (like ads for lasik next to the used car classifieds).

Plus, Its much easier for prospective new patients to become repeat customers once you get them through your doors.

 

[toofshucker]

I wouldnt go as far to say that you dont want them as patients, but I think its a good thing for dentists to avoid turning dentistry into a bargain type industry (like ads for lasik next to the used car classifieds).

Plus, Its much easier for prospective new patients to become repeat customers once you get them through your doors.

Most patients that call around asking for prices are nothing but trouble, and cause more problems than are worth the few hundred bucks you will make off them.

 

[rkamsterdam]

Most patients that call around asking for prices are nothing but trouble, and cause more problems than are worth the few hundred bucks you will make off them.

I think I'd be willing to take the chance on a new patient who simply asked for prices rather than just presuming the worse.

 

[aphistis]

I think I'd be willing to take the chance on a new patient who simply asked for prices rather than just presuming the worse.

In that case, I'll be happy to refer you all my coupon shoppers. 😉

 

[rkamsterdam]

In that case, I'll be happy to refer you all my coupon shoppers. 😉

haha, okay. 🙂

 

[toofshucker]

In that case, I'll be happy to refer you all my coupon shoppers. 😉

Amen. Especially if I can somehow talk you into paying me a commission to take those headaches away from me. Ha Ha.

 

[Daurang]

rkamsterdam...I'll be glad to refer you most of my removeable denture patients, too!

 

[DrJeff]

Would a mechanic quote you a price over the phone if you teall them my car makes a "clank" when I turn it on, how much to fix it????

Nope. The biggest request my office gets over the phone is "how much is a filling". The number of variables involved with that is huge, and when my front desk gives our standard reply of "well that depends on how many surfaces of the tooth it would cover, what type of material is being used, and even IF a "filling" is the best choice for your tooth" that tends to take care of the simple price shoppers, who as correctly stated above RARELY turn out to be "good" patients.

 

[blankguy]

You can't really tell over them phone. You have to see it in person before you make a determination on what is going on. People who expect to be told over the phone are asking for fortune telling like diagnosis.

 

[pmantz]

I don't know how many times someone has told me " I need a root canal"... Really you know you need a root canal?

 

[blankguy]

I don't know how many times someone has told me " I need a root canal"... Really you know you need a root canal?

Isn't it odd that it is like volunteering for one?