Dental practices
The expiring benefits campaign
Most dental plans reset on 31 December and unused benefit does not roll over. That is a genuine deadline, which makes it one of the few honest reasons to call today.
It is also the most abused message in dentistry, so the difference between a campaign that works and one that annoys people is entirely specificity.
Build the list from two filters
Filter your unscheduled treatment list to patients with remaining benefit greater than zero and an expiry date within ninety days. That intersection is the campaign.
It is usually far smaller than the full list, and it converts at a materially higher rate, because the reason to act is real and dated.
Be specific or do not call
"Use your benefits before they expire" is noise. "You have $840 remaining and it expires on 31 December" is a reason.
That means verifying the remaining benefit before the call. If you cannot verify it, that patient is not on this campaign.
Sequence it across the quarter
Start in early October, not December. December is booked out and every competing practice is calling the same patients with the same message.
October for high-value cases, November for the middle of the list, and a final December sweep for anyone reachable. Working backwards from the deadline is the mistake everyone makes.
- Early October — A-priority cases with verified remaining benefit
- Late October — email to the full filtered list
- November — second call to everyone not reached
- Early December — final call, last honest openings only
- January — reset declined-financial cases; their benefits have just refreshed
The part almost everyone forgets
In January, every patient who declined on cost has a fresh benefit year. Reset those rows to not contacted and run them again.
This costs nothing and it is consistently the highest-yield hour of the whole system.
Common questions
Is this pressuring patients?
Only if you are vague or dishonest. A verified balance and a real expiry date is information the patient is entitled to. Inventing scarcity about appointment availability is where it turns into pressure.
When should the campaign start?
Early October. By December the schedule is full and the message is saturated.