The Navigating Dental Insurance Podcast

The Navigating Dental Insurance Podcast

This podcast is dedicated to helping dentist navigate through the challenges of dental insurance.

  1. How to Go Fee For Service

    FEB 17

    How to Go Fee For Service

    Podcast Summary (Show Notes Style)In this episode, Jordon Comstock talks with Dan from Elevation Association about why dental insurance—especially Delta Dental—is becoming a bigger threat to independent practices, and how practices can successfully transition to fee-for-service without destroying their schedule. Dan explains that Delta is making aggressive moves, including owning dental practices, which gives insurers more control locally and reduces their reliance on independent offices. He also warns dentists not to assume associations will protect them, arguing the industry landscape is shifting fast. The conversation then turns practical: Dan breaks down what it really takes to exit PPOs strategically. The key is preparation—especially having a patient membership / benefit plan in place before going out of network, so patients can move “laterally” into the practice’s own plan. He emphasizes aligning the entire team around the mission, using incentives when appropriate, and building strong patient communication to counter misleading insurer letters that make patients think they “can’t” stay with the practice. Dan shares that the transition isn’t instant—it can take about a year to stabilize, with the first quarter or two feeling messy as hygiene schedules fluctuate and patients test the financial impact. The practices that win dedicate staff to proactive recall/outreach, driven by real data (they use Dental Intel), to refill the schedule and reduce attrition. The episode closes with the payoff: the move is described as freeing and energizing, with fewer write-offs, more control, and the ability to slow down while improving focus and profitability—especially when practices don’t try to do it alone and instead leverage coaching, tools, and a clear plan. TL;DR (30 seconds)Delta is tightening control (even buying practices), so dentists need a strategy to regain power: prep your team + track key KPIs + build a membership plan first + over-communicate + run recall/outreach, and expect a ~12-month stabilization period after the PPO exit. The result: less write-off pain and way more freedom.

    35 min
  2. 12/10/2024

    How to Scale a Membership Program to 365 Members in Just One Year

    "How to Scale a Membership Program to 365 Members in Just One Year: Lessons from Pioneer Valley Dental Arts" Read my article for this podcast! Summary: In this episode of The Automatic Patient Podcast, host Jordon Comstock chats with Gina Kiner, Office Manager at Pioneer Valley Dental Arts, about her incredible success in growing their patient membership program to 365 active members in just one year. Gina shares her strategic insights, emphasizing the power of empowering clinical teams to promote the membership program alongside the admin staff. Together, they discuss the importance of patient experience, the role of membership plans in reducing financial barriers, and how effective communication fosters trust and treatment acceptance. Key highlights include: How integrating clinical teams into the financial discussion boosts program adoption.The importance of creating seamless patient experiences and building trust.Specific strategies used to educate both uninsured and insured patients about the membership program.The overwhelmingly positive feedback from members and how it fuels continuous improvement.The significant advantages of membership plans over PPOs, including increased treatment acceptance rates and simplified processes.Whether you're looking to enhance patient care, boost recurring revenue, or learn actionable tips for scaling a membership program, this episode offers invaluable advice from a practice that's successfully done it.How to Scale a Membership Program to 365 Members in Just One Year Jordon Comstock - BoomCloudapps.com Automatic Patient Podcast

    45 min
4.2
out of 5
37 Ratings

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This podcast is dedicated to helping dentist navigate through the challenges of dental insurance.

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