Top 10 Ways To Increase Dental Clinic Revenue

Introduction

Quick Links

Increase the number of new patient leads

Offer additional synergistic services in your dental clinic

Improve the overall patient experience

Increase the frequency of regular checkups and routine dental maintenance

Strengthen social media and online presence

Increase insurance and local medical coverage acceptance

Invest in the latest dental technology in your dental clinic

Offer multiple financing options

Implement a loyalty program

Maximise staff efficiency

As with any business, one important goal of a dental clinic is to increase revenue.

While providing quality dental care is the primary objective, it is important to ensure that the clinic is financially stable and profitable. It is essential to ensure that the top line is able to keep up with rising inflation.

Here are the top 10 ways to increase dental clinic revenue:

Top 10 ways to increase dental clinic revenue

1. Increase the number of new patient leads

The most obvious way to increase dental revenue is to increase the number of patients.

This can be achieved through marketing efforts such as SEO/SEM advertising, educational marketing via social media channels such as Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, or referrals.

Although marketing for clinics in Singapore is limited by Healthcare Services Advertisement Regulations (HCSA) guidelines, there are many alternative ways you can attract new patients.

Here are some free marketing strategies that you or your marketing team can take advantage of to attract new patient leads.

HCSA compliant marketing

• Encourage patients to leave patient reviews on your website or Google My Business profile to attract potential patients who are looking for a reliable dental clinic for treatment.

• Keep your Google My Business (GMB) profile updated and comprehensive to attract new patients looking for similar services.

• Create valuable and educational content that can be cross-posted in sites or on your personal marketing channels to a patient audience looking for your services.

2. Offer additional synergistic services in your dental clinic

Offering additional services such as teeth whitening, orthodontics, or dental implants can significantly increase revenue. It is important to evaluate the demand for these services in the local market and determine the cost-effectiveness of offering them.

Synergistic services that you can offer at your dental clinic

• Alternatives to dental implants treatment: Dental bridges, immediate dental implants, all-on-4, dentures

• Alternatives to dental veneers treatment: Braces, clear aligners, dental bonding

• Alternatives to dental fillings: Traditional crowns, same-day crowns, dental bonding, root canal treatment

3. Improve the overall patient experience

Providing exceptional patient care and improving the overall patient experience can help retain existing patients and attract new ones.

This can be achieved through training staff on customer service skills, creating a comfortable and welcoming environment, and utilising technology to streamline appointment scheduling and communication.

Questions to ask about the current patient experience:

Pre-consultation

• How do patients find out about your dental clinic?

• What is the first impression that patients have about your dental clinic?

• Is it easy to find your dental clinic address and contact details?

• Is it easy to contact your dental clinic for an appointment?

• How easy is it to book an appointment the next day?

• Do patients have to wait for the front office to get back to them?

• Is the front office or enquiry team able to give educated and prompt answers to the potential patient?

• Are there clear instructions sent to the patient (e.g. location, treatment, duration of treatment, cost of treatment) before their appointment?

Day of appointment

• Was an appointment reminder sent to the patient?

• Are the directions to your dental clinic clear and concise?

• Do your front office staff welcome your patients?

• Is there a comfortable area for your patients to rest and relax before the appointment?

• Do your patients have to wait long before their appointment?

• Are the clinicians on time for the appointment?

Consultation

• Do the clinicians show empathy for patients who might be anxious because of their fear of dental treatments?

• Do your clinicians focus on treating the patient for their dental problems instead of selling to the patient?

• Are patients made to feel welcome and comfortable during their treatments or consultations?

Post-consultation

• Do the front desk staff or clinicians send care calls or messages to patients after their treatments?

The patient experience can often be a tough element to master. Find out what other pain points dental clinic owners experience and how to use data to tackle them.

4. Increase the frequency of regular checkups and routine dental maintenance

Encouraging patients to schedule regular checkups and cleanings can increase revenue.

Providing incentives for patients who schedule regular appointments or offering reminder calls and emails can help ensure patients return on a regular basis.

Incentives that can increase rate of return to a dental clinic:

• Dental subscriptions that reduce the cost of regular checkups and cleanings

• Birthday or celebratory promotions for existing patients

• Promotions that target long-time patients of your dental clinic

5. Strengthen social media and online presence

Having a strong online presence and utilising social media can help attract new patients and retain existing ones.

In most countries, creating a website with detailed information about:

• Services and treatments offered

• Infection control protocols

• Advanced technology and equipment

• Dental clinicians biography

• Patient reviews

• Educational content

has become a norm. Besides being able to build presence, a comprehensive website can help establish credibility and increase patient trust.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can be used to promote the clinic and engage with patients. Depending on the type of dental clinic you have, you might want to consider any of the following social media channels to improve new patient flow:

• Tik Tok

• Instagram

• Facebook

• Xiao Hong Shu

6. Increase insurance and local medical coverage acceptance

Accepting a wider range of insurance plans can help attract new patients and retain existing ones.

It is important to research the most commonly used insurance plans in the local area and ensure the clinic is in-network with those plans.

Some of the common dental insurances in Singapore include:

• Prudential

• AXA

• AIA

• FWD

• Great Eastern

• CHUBBS

Other dental insurances that are commonly used by expatriates in Singapore include:

• Henner

• Cigna

7. Invest in the latest dental technology in your dental clinic

Investing in the latest dental technology such as digital x-rays, intraoral cameras, and CAD/CAM systems can improve the quality of care provided and increase revenue.

Patients are often willing to pay more for advanced technology and a higher level of care, which can often translate to greater revenue and new patient flow.

Dental technology that can pay off in the long-term

• Milling machines to produce same-day dental crowns

• Tele-consultation software for remote scanning of orthodontic cases

• CAD/CAM systems to scan and send oral moulds directly to dental labs

8. Offer multiple financing options

Offering financing options such as payment plans or third-party financing can make dental care more accessible and increase dental clinic revenue.

Patients who may not have been able to afford treatment in the past may be more likely to accept treatment if financing is available.

Types of financing available for dental patients in Singapore

• Credit card instalments (e.g. POSB, DBS, OCBC, UOB, and other major banks)

• Buy Now Pay Later instalments (e.g. Atome, Pace, Hoolah, Grab PayLater)

• Medisave

9. Implement a loyalty program

Implementing a loyalty program can encourage patients to return and refer friends and family.

10. Maximise staff efficiency

Maximising staff efficiency can help increase revenue by reducing wait times and increasing patient throughput. This can be achieved through staff training, utilising technology to streamline processes, and optimising scheduling.

To sum it up

Increasing dental clinic revenue requires a multifaceted approach that includes attracting new patients, retaining existing ones, and improving the patient experience.

By implementing these top 10 strategies, dental clinics can increase revenue, improve patient care, and establish a strong reputation in the local community.

Interested in using data to make inform decisions for your dental clinic? Sign up for a free demo session to find out more about how your clinic can improve its revenue using data.