Hi everyone,
and thank you for tuning in to the Becker's Healthcare podcast series.
I'm Ryan Muhammad with Becker's Hospital Review.
Today I am pleased to be joined by Mallory Littleton,
group account manager at Clear,
who will discuss building a scalable and successful membership plan for your D S
l. Mallory, thank you so much for being here today. How are you?
I am well. Thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to be, uh,
be doing this for you.
Yes, and I'm very excited that you're here today. Um, to begin,
would you mind introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your role?
Sure. Uh, so like she, like you said, my name is Mallory. Um, I work at Clear,
we are a membership plan platform. Um, and so I, my specific role,
um, you know, I support large enterprises from coast to coast.
I deal with practices, had anywhere from five to 14 locations. Um,
and I help them basically grow their membership plans. You know, um, one of my,
the big things is that I take a personal interest in your practice,
even if they are part of a larger group. Um, and like I said,
I'm setting them up for success,
making sure they continue to be successful year over year. Um,
so I'm pretty passionate about making sure that everyone is,
feels comfortable about their plans and they know exactly what they're doing,
what they're walking into. Um, so yeah, it's a little bit about me.
Perfect. Thank you so much for that, uh, introduction.
And the first thing that I wanted to, you know,
have a conversation with you about is lack of dental coverage contributes to one
in four adults delaying or foregoing dental care altogether. Uh, which,
you know, for you,
me and a lot of other people is a major concern for practices trying to attract
new patients, improve health out outcomes and dry revenue. Um,
how are you seeing leaders in the field address this issue?
Uh, great question.
So one of the things that I've really started noticing is that practices are
creating cultures, right?
It's not just enough to have a dentist and some nice people at the front desk,
right? Like they're evolving, they're creating brands. Um,
they're almost making it an experience for patients. Um, you know, and,
and the thing is, is that patients have options.
Like they have to make them choose theirs. Another thing, you know,
aside from creating cultures is they're really starting to invest, uh,
in technological advances, right? We're thinking outside of the box, we're off,
you know, I've seen a lot of practices offering cosmetic Botox, um,
genetic testing, um, you know, all these new whitening advances. So, uh,
having this cool stuff that people are attracted to, um, is a huge thing. Um,
and then last but not least, you know, implementing a membership plan. Uh,
that's, you know,
the simplest way to get patients in the door and keep them there. Um,
and like you said, you know,
one in four adults are delaying or foregoing that care altogether. Um,
and all of our market research, you know,
we found that almost 90% of the uninsured patients that we surveyed on a
national level, they showed some level of desire for coverage, right?
But they get bogged down with the options and the insurance mumbo jumbo. Um,
but membership plans, they're providing something fresh. It's new,
it looks and feels like insurance, and it really reduces the obstacle, uh,
the obstacles, I should say to dental care, right? It's affordable,
it's attainable, it's easy to understand. Um, so when you think about it,
membership plans really are the perfect solution to attract new patients, um,
drive revenue and make sure that they're improving their oral health.
Absolutely. Thank you so much for that insight. And you know,
just as you were saying, and something I just learned, um,
is that in-house dental plans are on the rise. And actually, um,
a 2021 a d a survey indicated a quarter of dentists nationwide
are offering membership plans, which is something very interesting. Um,
what aspects of in-house membership plans are appealing to both practices and
patients? Uh, for you,
how would you characterize the difference between membership plans and other
plan types, like third party discount plans?
And why are these discrepancies important?
Uh, no, that's, uh, it's, it's, it's so true. Everything you just asked, um,
more than happy to chat about, cuz obviously I'm very passionate about it. So,
um, you know, one of the aspects I, with in-house membership plans, right?
It is a mutually beneficial entity, if you will, right? You know,
one of the main, um, you know,
the way it reason it appeals to both practices and patients is because it's
guaranteed coverage for the patient and it's a guaranteed patient for the
practice, right? It's a 12 month plan, all your bases are covered, um,
all the preventative care is included,
and then anything out of hi outside of hygiene, right? That comes at a discount,
they know what the discount is. Um,
your membership plans aren't picking and choosing what they receive. Um,
I'm sure every dental practice office has heard somebody turned down X-rays at
least three times a day. Um, also, these patients aren't only coming in,
you know, for an emergency exam. Um, a lot of times patients come in and get,
you know, whatever's hurt, they get it fixed,
and then you never know if they're coming back, right? Um,
with that guaranteed coverage, uh, there's, you know,
with a platform like Clear, we manage automatic renewals,
which means there's no lapse in coverage for that patient. Um,
so patients get the care they need and want.
Dentists are happy because they're driving revenue,
they're filling the schedule. So it's really a win-win. Um,
another aspect it's appealing to both practices and patients is the
accessibility. We are reducing barriers for these uninsured patients, right?
It's budget friendly, it's transparent. What you see is what you get. You know,
you're not getting any hidden fees or surprise bills from insurance.
No one likes that. Um, and it's simple to understand, right?
Like insurance is designed to be confusing. We are trying to erase that, right?
This is supposed to be easy for you to manage as a patient. Um,
and then it's also easy for the practice to talk about. Um, and then, uh,
you know,
another aspect that's really appealing to both practices and patients is, um,
it generates this loyalty and trust, right?
It's not designed or controlled by some third party.
You gotta wait six hours to talk to somebody if you've got an issue on the
phone. Um, no one's telling the patient what they can and can't receive,
and no one's telling the dentist what they, what they can offer their patient.
Um, there's no maximums and waiting periods, uh, deductibles, none of that. Um,
and again, partnering with someone like Clear, you know, our platform provides,
um, patient and dentist portals, right? So both parties can manage their plan.
It's adding structure, it's formal, it's, you know, adding some formality to it.
And it's honestly just a peace of mind. You know, the patients feel special. Um,
you know, they feel, and the practice can feel good about what they're offering,
but the difference between like membership plans and third party discount plans
and, you know, there are definitely some differences, um,
and both can be beneficial. Um, but one of the, the biggest differences is like,
if you think about membership plans, you know,
we commonly think of as a normal consumer,
maybe Netflix or like your gym membership, but membership plans and dental care,
like, it's a fairly new concept to like a lot of consumers and even practices,
right? So it is important to know the differences. With a membership plan,
you think about it, it's a monthly or annual fee, and that entitles you as the,
you know, a patient or a consumer to specific benefits. So in dental care,
for example, in a membership plan,
it's all the preventative care hygiene that that patient would need for a full
year. And then you get access to additional savings like fillings, crowns,
so on and so forth. Um,
membership plans change consumer behavior entirely, right?
They become loyal to your practice. Um,
it's easy for that patient to manage and budget their costs. Um,
their benefits start immediately. They don't have waiting periods,
delays for treatment.
They know exactly what they're getting and they're almost guaranteed to come in
two times a year for a routine hygiene visit.
They're committed because they paid for it.
They know exactly what they're getting, right? Uh,
and then they're two to three times more likely to accept the treatment because
they trust the doctor's care,
they trust their guidance and the plans were designed specifically for them,
right? Um, not to mention, you know, with a membership plan,
dentists have direct say and control over the structure and pricing.
We're using their fee schedule to design the plans. Um,
they've determined what's discounted and what they want their patients to
receive. No one's telling the patient what they can or can't do. Um, you know,
on our platform you can design multiple plans.
Are we focusing on senior citizens? Are we focused on focusing on pediatrics?
Um, not to mention, you know, with a membership plan,
those payments go directly to the dentist.
There's no third party middle man collecting half the fees or telling you what
you can and can't, you know, collect or claim. Um,
and then at the end of the day, you're not dealing with claims delays,
paperwork. Um, there's none of that red tape in the way. Now, on the flip side,
you have a third party discount plan. Um,
the best way to think of the difference is kind of like a Costco,
like a membership card or like a BJ's, a Sam's Club.
So you're gonna pay an upfront annual fee, right?
Simply you get access to discounts. So say you pay $200 for a discount plan,
that fee doesn't even go to the practice or the dentist, right?
It goes to a plan administrator. So the doctor doesn't even see that money. Um,
no hygiene is typically included in that price, right?
It just means they get access to discounts.
So nothing is driving that patient in the door.
It's a matter of if or when they even come in. Typically,
patients are using it for one-off treatment, um,
which honestly is no different than how your current uninsured patients are
behaving. Um, patients are not loyal to your practice where the discount plan,
they are loyal to the discount because they can shop around from a network of
dentists versus a membership plan where they're loyal to your specific practice.
Um, you know, as the dentist,
you have zero control over plan pricing design,
everything's controlled by a third party, right? And again,
you only make money if and when the patient comes in, which is again,
no guarantee. So at the end of the day,
like discount plans and membership plans,
of course they both make dental care affordable. Um,
but it comes down to what you, you as a practice or the dentist wants,
like long term, right? Again,
discount plans don't generate the loyalty and the compliance you need,
like for a steady stream of revenue year over year. And discount plans again,
aren't mutually beneficial. The patient benefits cuz they get a discount,
but what do you get out of it as a, as a, you know, a practice, headaches,
lost money, lost time. Um, so just at the end of the day, you gotta decide,
you know, what are the long-term results that you're looking for.
Amazing, amazing answers. Thank you so much for giving us that explanation.
And you touched on it a bit, um, but I wanted to ask you, uh, specifically,
what are the benefits to dental practices in implementing a membership plan,
um, in terms of cost operations, uh, patient care satisfaction,
all of those, and what are the key indicators of,
of a high performing membership plan? Um, in, in answering that,
do you have any success stories or examples you can share?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. Um, so in regards to your first question, you know,
about like the benefits of implementing a membership plan, um,
from an operational standpoint, implementing a platform, um,
like clear for a membership plan automates most of the administrative burden,
which is most of the time why people come to us, right? You know,
um, with Clear, you know, you have a portal,
it allows you to automate a lot of your processes, right? So you're inviting,
enrolling, and managing your patients. Um, we handle the payments for you,
you collect the money, you can view and track plan metrics.
You have real life and real-time visibility and flexibility. Um,
there's the auto-renew management.
It just makes life easier on your team from an operational standpoint. Um,
in terms of, you know,
having a membership plan in place allows your teams to focus on actual patient
care.
They're not fighting with insurance and dealing with claims for hours on the
phone. Like, I, I talk to practices all the time and, you know,
I call to talk to an office manager and they're like, oh,
she's been on the phone for two hours talking with such and such insurance.
I'm like, oh my gosh, I feel terrible for her. Um, but you know,
now they have an alternative to offer to your uninsured patients,
whereas before they probably were turning patients away. Um, you know,
and in terms of costs,
they're doubling their revenue from existing uninsured patients and they can
attract new patients with the plans they designed. You know, and from also,
you know, a patient's standpoint, they genuinely love these plans and, you know,
it really takes the guesswork out of their oral health. Um, in fact,
I often hear feedback from my practices that their patients say, you know,
I wish my regular healthcare was this simple to manage. Um,
and not to mention it, it sounds silly, but like,
they're excited to get the treatment done, right? They trust their doctors,
they know where their money is going, they don't feel scammed,
and they're not gonna get surprised by some thousand dollars bill that's gonna
show up in the mail when insurance said one thing,
but then it ended up being another. Um, you know,
and when it comes to like high performing membership plans, um,
I definitely have a, uh, uh, an example I'll show you. But one of the things,
you know, once you do implement a membership plan, one of the,
they're three indicators that I think are really important, um,
and that kind of really show how a plan is performing. So treatment acceptance,
right? You know,
we consistently gather real life data from our practices at their practice
management systems. So,
and it consist led data consistently proves that clear patients accept
2.5 times more treatment compared to their uninsured counterparts over the
course of 12 months.
Whereas before those patients were probably coming in maybe once every two
years, if you're lucky, right? Um, production-wise, typically we see, um,
that clear patients produce about a thousand dollars annually,
whereas their fee for service, so they're just,
their uninsured counterparts are producing about $400.
So just in that statement alone, if you have a high treatment acceptance, um,
that is a very, that is a good indicator of a really good, you know,
high performing membership plan. Um,
another indicator would be patient retention. Um, high renewal rates,
if these patients are continuing to come back year over year,
you know that those patients are satisfied, right?
And then it allows your team to focus on bringing in new patients. Um,
another with patient retention is a low cancellation rate. So, um,
with membership plans, they are a 12 month commitment. Um, patients,
if you have a low cancellation rate,
that means that your patients are completing their 12 month commitment, right?
They see the value of the plans and they know that their benefits are contingent
on being on the plan for 12 months. Um,
high renewal rate and a low cancellation rate is literally all comes down to a
team that is properly educating the patient. Um,
if the team isn't communicating that information to them, it's gonna be,
it's gonna be a struggle. Um,
so it definitely comes down to team buy-in and that sort of thing. Um,
leading me into that would be team engagement, right? So you have,
if you have a trained and confident team,
and I don't just mean the front office, I'm talking hygienist assistants,
your dentist, it's a shared responsibility, right?
It doesn't just fall on the backs of one, one department. Um,
if they view this as just another project or an initiative and they don't
really see the long-term benefits of these plans, it's not gonna be successful.
Plain and simple. Um, you know, we're not just handing out brochures. We're not,
if somebody, if they ask for it, we'll talk about it.
Like they're talking to every single cash patient that walks in the door,
they're spending time with the patient, they're educating the patients, and it,
you know, as cheesy as it sounds, they're excited about it, right? Um,
another thing that you know,
is a really good indicator of a high performing plan is having a planned
champion. We see that a lot of times in an office, there'll be one person,
whether that's the office manager or someone else who really owns the clear
process, right? They're motivating the team, they're setting goals for the team,
they create incentives. Um, so that is a huge part of it. Like I said,
team engagement, really, if you don't have that,
it's gonna be difficult to get to the other two. Um, and with a platform,
you know, with Clear,
you do get a dedicated and a passionate account manager like myself, um,
who does have a vested interest in your team's success. Um,
whether that's through onboarding, training, consistent outreach, um,
strategic growth support, whatever you might need, um,
we are here for you from here till forever. It's not just a a one month thing.
And then we're, we're done with you.
I'd love to share a actually a recent success story. So, um,
currently I am working with a six location group, um, in the Midwest. Uh,
and they are looking to expand to about 10 locations by the end of the year. Um,
they had a, an in-house plan in place.
It was just something that they were managing on their own. Um,
and it just became unmanageable. Um, at the end of the day,
it was a huge administrative burden, and it also came down to the teams.
The teams are doing okay, right? Like they had a, you know,
a decent amount of patience on the plans,
but they didn't really know how to educate their patients, right?
They were just kind of handing their brochure and be like, oh,
look at this money you can save. The patients didn't really get it, um,
or what they could use them for. So, um, additionally, you know,
these plans are supposed to be in place for, you know, 12 months. But if a,
you know,
say somebody came in today for their preventative care or hygiene visit rather,
and they came in 18 months later for their second hygiene visit, um,
they would just give the, they would just honor the plan, right? So now the,
now the plan has been on, you know, the patient's been on a plan for 18 months,
um, and it really doesn't make any sense, right?
And so they'd come in at 18 months or whenever it was,
and that's when they'd renew. So there was no consistency,
a lot of missed opportunity in terms of treatment, um, production collections,
oral health, you know, for the patient side of things. Um,
but we've transitioned them over to clear. Um, they are extremely happy, uh,
with the rollout thus far, so in less than 90 days. Um,
as of right now I'm looking at them,
they have 165 active patients in less than 90 days. Um,
it's a good mix of not just new patients,
but those who were on that previous plan,
they're walking back in the door due to that heavy marketing and promotion of
this new and improved plan. Um, and the teams are engaged.
It's almost like they've been like, you know,
a fire's been lit under them because they had this new plan to offer. So, uh,
it, it's kind of been like this perfect synergy, as cheesy as that sounds. Um,
and it, it's really worked out and I'm, I'm really excited for their growth. Um,
any questions about that?
No, no, no questions.
And you gave some really good insight and a lot of benefits,
which I think could be beneficial for people to hear. Um, and, and to,
you know, the audience listening in, I,
I bet people are wondering on how to do that, .
So my next question for you is,
how can dental practices begin to implement their own membership plans for you?
Can you give us the best first step? Um,
and what factors or best practices should dental leaders consider when starting
this journey? Um, whether it is in regards to structuring, pricing,
marketing, the patient, onboarding, any of that?
Yeah. Uh, great question. So in my opinion,
I think the best first step is to figure out what your goal is with a
membership plan, a k a, what's your focus? Are we attracting new patients?
Are we just trying to fill the schedule?
Are we trying to increase treatment acceptance?
Are we trying to get dormant patients door? Whatever it is,
once you know your why, um, and then say you meet with, you know,
one of our group, um, our sales managers. Um,
once you go through that process and you understand your why,
implementing clear is super easy. Um, you know, like I said, you,
you transition and then you end up working with like an account manager,
like I said, much like myself, um,
who truly takes what you want and what your focus is into consideration.
So when it comes to pricing, the structure, the rollout, et cetera,
we are taking what you want and making it happen. Um, and typically, you know,
we see practices up and running in about two to three weeks from that point. Um,
you know, as far as, you know, factors, uh,
that can help in starting with that journey, that journey, like, like you said,
structuring, pricing, marketing, um,
when it comes to structuring your care plans, um,
that's what we call 'em here as at clear as care plans. Um,
your plans can and will be customized, like I said,
based on your ultimate goals. It's not a one size fits all. Um, you know,
you gotta think about your demographics, right? Who are we catering to?
Is it senior citizens? Is it families? Um, is it a pediatric practice?
Uh, also look at the location, right? Are we in a low income area?
Are we in a highly affluent area? Are we in the suburbs versus the city?
Um, and eventually that's gonna determine what, you know,
your hygiene and and treatment protocols are. Like, again, what,
which can be different for every office if you've got a group. Um,
so it really come, that's how you can structure your plans, right?
Like figuring out your why, and then who are we, who are we appealing to? Uh,
when it comes to pricing, you know, once you've identified your demographic,
obviously that's gonna really determine your price and the, you know,
the of the plans. Um, when you partner with someone like Claire, you know,
you ultimately have control over your plans. Um,
we will guide you and we will give you, you know,
research-based recommendations to set you up for long-term success. Um,
if you don't succeed, we don't succeed.
So there's always a balance to make sure there's incentive for the patient to
sign up, but also making sure that like your practice is profitable as well. Um,
you know, when it comes to marketing, you know, once you get rolled out, um,
my biggest advice as far as marketing goes is don't make assumptions about your
patient base, right? And have a plan to promote. Um,
when you're starting this journey, it can seem a little overwhelming. Um,
but the easiest way to do it is to promote it to your entire patient base.
And I don't just mean your cash patients, I mean even your insured patients. Um,
I hear it more often than not that patients get referrals from their insured
patients, their mom, their neighbor, their friend.
They might not have insurance, but they got an email and they said, oh,
you know what?
My dentist has this great membership plan for honest your patients.
Why don't you go there? It's a no-brainer. Not to mention it's 2023. Um,
as we all know,
employment and coverages are a constant revolving door for a lot of Americans.
If they've lost their coverage, they might be like, oh man,
I can't go to the dentist. Now, they may never come back to you, but say they,
you sent on an email six months ago saying, Hey,
we have this new membership plan. You've gotta retain patient.
They could j choose to jump on your membership plan even if they don't have
coverage anymore. Not to mention, you know,
patients who are approaching retirement, right?
They're considering every single option. They might not want it now,
but they might want it in six months. Um,
your dormant patients are enticed to come back,
or that patient who needs $10,000 worth of work,
they may end up scheduling that appointment finally. So, like I said, don't as,
don't make assumptions and don't assume patients don't want something like this
just because they haven't asked for it.
They don't know like what they don't know. Um, you know,
and one of the things that Clear provides when you partner with us is, uh,
a plethora of marketing resources, right? So, um,
it allows you to segment your demographics and we give you like fun and easy
creative ways to do it. Um, we essentially take the guesswork out of it for you.
So you know,
internally you've got your typical things like posters and brochures,
that sort of thing. But we also provide email templates, text messages, flyers,
social media. Um, our creative team and our marketing team is phenomenal.
We have, um, really cool seasonal pieces, you know,
material geared towards open enrollment, your end of year reminders, retirees,
pediatrics. It really allows you to cross promote as you see fit. Um,
we also offer, um, employer care, which is basically, um,
it allows local small businesses to offer membership plan as a dental benefit.
So something like that is really helpful when it comes to marketing.
And then I would say, you know, when it comes to like, patient onboarding,
your team is your walking billboard,
I think I've said it three times on this podcast,
but if they're not excited about it, the patients won't be excited about it.
And I know it sounds kind of silly, but it's true, right? Like,
if your entire team isn't pumped about this,
it will show and it's gonna be a struggle. So patient education is huge.
Making sure the team is engaged in understanding how to educate those patients,
um, it all goes hand in hand.
Thank you so much for that answer. And Mallory, before I let you go,
the last thing I wanted to ask you is, where can our listeners go to learn more?
And do you have any final thoughts to share with the listeners?
Sure. So, um,
patients or any listeners I should say can go to clear kl,
e e r.dental/becker 23,
and they can click there or go there to learn more. Um, and as far as, you know,
final thoughts, you know, implementing a membership plan,
frankly is the first step to your freedom from insurance agencies. Um, or sure.
Insurance companies rather, you know,
I think we all got into this industry with the purpose of wanting to help
others, right? This is your business as a, as a dentist or an owner, right?
Take back control not only for your sake, but for your patients. And you know,
when you do partner with someone like Clear, we're not just a software company.
Like you actually have a real, real live success team behind you. Like I said,
like myself, my colleagues, um, I pick up the phone, you're not having,
there's no robots, you're not being passed along. Um,
and we generally do wanna see your practice grow and be successful.
Wonderful. Thank you so much Mallory,
for your time and a great discussion today. We truly do appreciate it.
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure.
Wonderful. And I'd also like to thank Clear as well for sponsoring this episode.
You can also tune into more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare by visiting our
podcast page. And again, thank you so much, Mallory.
Thank you. Appreciate it.