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A new client recently asked me to review one of their treatment plans - it was awful.
At this point, may I remind you of the Paddi Lund observation that we should "blame a system, not a person".
The clinicians and the TCO in this business had been left to carry on doing what they always did.
The example treatment plan presented to me included Invisalign, whitening and some other cosmetic dentistry - total value £8,440.
During a team meeting I asked all those present:
If you were planning an £8,440 kitchen refurbishment, what would you expect the quote to look like?
If you were booking a 25th wedding anniversary cruise for £8,440, what brochures/videos would you expect a travel agent to share with you?
You clearly get the point.
Why did this treatment plan disappoint me so much?
Three sheets of A4 paper.
Sheet 1 - a plain print out of the proposed treatment - this is what you get, this is what it costs. Followed by declarations that:
There are three ways to pay;
If you get a discount for being a plan member but leave the plan we will come after you for the discount;
If you cancel any of your appointments within 48 hours, there will be a charge.
Sheets 2 & 3 - a covering letter that confirms the cost, ways to pay, penalties and a consent signature.
Not a lot of love in the room.
I attach here my 10-step treatment plan presentation guide - the example I was looking at covered just 3 of the 10 steps - diagnosis, cost, ways to pay - no mention whatsoever of the patient's personal circumstances, the patients who have already walked that path or the people who were going to be involved in delivering the treatment.
If you already have 85% or more take-up on your plans - congratulations and have a nice day.
If not, take a moment today to review one of your own higher-value plans - compare against my 10-step list. Then fix it.
Step 11 (by the way) is using Powerpoint/Keynote to create great Tx plan presentations for your patients and Loom video voice-overs to talk the patient (and other significant decisions makers) through the plan. A.K.A. almost 100% Tx plan conversion.