As the end of the year approaches, most dental insurance benefits will reset. Now is a great time for dental offices to remind patients of their remaining insurance benefits and encourage them to schedule any needed dental appointments before the end of the year. 

In this blog post, we will discuss how dental offices can create an effective end-of-year insurance benefits reminder letter to dental patients.

Why should I send End of Year reminders?

Staying proactive in reminding patients about their remaining insurance benefits before the end of the year is a crucial practice. An end-of-year insurance benefits reminder letter serves as a gentle nudge for patients to utilize their dental insurance effectively. Many patients may not be fully aware of the benefits they still have available, and timely reminders can encourage them to make the most of their insurance coverage.

Who should receive End of Year reminders?

The ideal recipients for the end-of-year insurance benefits reminder letter are patients whose dental benefits renew on January 1st, as well as those with FSA or Health Savings Accounts (HSA) funds that expire at the end of the year. This includes patients who are overdue for their hygiene visit or those due for one within the current year. Moreover, the letter should target patients with pending or incomplete treatments, emphasizing the importance of utilizing their remaining dental insurance maximums before they expire. By identifying and reaching out to these specific groups of patients, dental offices can effectively encourage them to take advantage of their insurance benefits and address their dental needs in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The great news is that Practice by Numbers custom campaigns can automatically generate these lists for you!

Does it have to be a physical letter?

Utilizing email campaigns for communicating with patients offers several distinct advantages compared to traditional physical letters. Firstly, email campaigns are cost-effective and environmentally friendly, eliminating printing and postage expenses while reducing paper waste. Additionally, emails can reach patients almost instantly, ensuring timely delivery of important information and allowing for quicker responses. The digital nature of emails allows for dynamic content, interactive elements, and hyperlinks to relevant resources or appointment scheduling, enhancing engagement and convenience for recipients. Furthermore, email campaigns enable easy tracking of metrics, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of the campaign, which can inform future outreach efforts. Overall, email campaigns provide a more efficient, eco-friendly, and data-driven approach to patient communication.

What should an End of Year reminder include?

1. Personalization

While creating an insurance benefits reminder letter, it is essential to personalize it and make it relevant to the recipient. Begin your letter addressing them by their name. Personalization enhances the overall effectiveness of the reminder letter and encourages a positive response from the patient. 

2. Remaining Balance

Include the balance of the patient’s remaining dental insurance benefits. Patients need to be aware of how much money they have left on their insurance so that they can plan their dental appointments and not waste their benefits.  

This is where using an automated custom campaign can be especially beneficial. Both of these fields – the patient’s name and remaining balance – can be pulled directly from your PMS rather than needing to be entered manually for each patient.

3. Urgency

End of year insurance benefits, as we know, don’t roll over to the following year. Let patients know that this is the best time to use those benefits and encourage them to schedule their remaining appointments. Creating a sense of urgency might persuade patients to take action before their benefits expire. Not to mention, if they wait until December to try to schedule an appointment, chances are you won’t have room to fit them in! 

4. Call to Action

A call to action is essential to any marketing strategy, including insurance benefit reminders. After outlining their remaining benefits, encourage patients to utilize them by scheduling appointments with your office. Provide multiple communication channels where they can book their appointments and reiterate the benefits of using their remaining benefits before they expire –  and before your schedule fills up for the end of the year. If you utilize online scheduling, include a link in the reminder so patients can schedule while it’s fresh on their mind!

5. Follow up 

Your end-of-year insurance benefits reminder should not end with just one letter. Remind your patients about their remaining benefits in subsequent phone or email follow-ups. You may want to send out additional campaigns targeting patients with unscheduled treatment – they may be more incentivized to schedule now that they’ve been reminded about their remaining balance. Remember, your goal is to help your patients use their remaining benefits and maintain their oral health.

Sending an end-of-year insurance benefits reminder letter is an excellent way to remind patients of their remaining insurance benefits. Personalizing the letter, outlining the remaining benefits, creating a sense of urgency, providing a call to action, and following up are all useful strategies. Educating and reminding patients of their remaining insurance benefits is essential not only for their oral health but also for their financial well-being. Help them utilize their remaining benefits and help your practice grow.

To learn more about how Practice by Numbers can help with custom campaigns, online scheduling, recall and unscheduled treatment reminders, schedule a demo today!