Published: 21/06/2021
By Denplan

Tell us about your considerations when joining Denplan? What made you feel that Denplan in particular would be a good option for you personally?

We transferred across to Denplan from another payment plan provider nine years ago. With our other provider we had started transferring patients onto private plans, but it was very noticeable that while they may be competitive on price, as a practice we were not getting any additional support or benefits that we really needed.

I started seeing the support my dentist friends that were on Denplan were getting; every time there were changes from CQC or RQIA they had support from Denplan with manuals and guidance, which I didn’t have. I saw that Denplan offered so much more as part of their plans. Marketing support, professional support, training, events – plus knowing they had a dedicated Business Development Consultant Joanne Hall in Northern Ireland was a huge benefit too. She has been a huge support and invaluable in what we have achieved.

Since joining Denplan in 2012 things really expanded for us. We had so much more support as a business. We’ve seen huge patient growth since and one of the biggest reasons is that we, as a whole team, really believe in the product. It’s not just the dentist saying a patient should join a plan, it’s part of our ethos and the message gets reiterated to patients by our receptionist team and hygienist too – and they notice that.

The demand for our hygienist went up from two to five days a week, all from Denplan patients. While the hygienist part of the plans may not be as financially favourable, as a dentist it frees up my time. It gives gaps in my books for me to focus on the bigger treatments such as implants.

For me it’s all about looking at the bigger picture and what you want to practise day to day, as well as what benefits our patients. We are certainly a more profitable practice since joining Denplan and implementing all these changes.

How have patients received Denplan in your practice?
 

Since being with Denplan, our patients have a whole new preventive approach to their oral health.
 

As dentists we are noticing the difference the hygienist visits are making for our patients. Because they see her so regularly, their mouths are healthier and they are more motivated to invest in their oral health. We have seen less tooth decay and an uptake in specialist treatments such as implants and orthodontics as a result.
 

Besides being more motivated, patients have also been more loyal since being on Denplan. Even during the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 we lost a lot fewer patients than I expected. Even the few we did lose have mostly returned since we reopened.
 

Which of Denplan’s services do you find most useful?
 

Our Business Development Consultant Joanne Hall is our first point of call. She’s based in Northern Ireland and is a great support for me and the whole team. From day-to-day queries to training and business planning. And the nice touch of a box of chocolates being hand delivered when we’ve hit a target is invaluable.
 

Another huge benefit is access to all of Denplan’s marketing support. Our practice manager uses the Simply Select online portal regularly to design bespoke marketing materials for our practice. Whether it’s a notice board for when patients enter, posters for the bathrooms, Facebook posts or leaflets it’s a great way to create something that all ties together. Either with Denplan’s imagery or uploading things to make it even more bespoke to ourselves.
 

The events and training benefits are also huge. As a principal the Denplan Forums are brilliant. They are educational, but also give huge social support. Dentistry can be a lonely profession if you allow it to be, but Denplan brings us together with other dental colleagues by enabling us to network with others in a similar position facing similar problems.
 

And the annual balls are great. My whole team cannot wait for them to be back!

How has the support been during COVID-19?

During the first lockdown when we were forced to shut, I had regular conversations with our Business Development Consultant Joanne, which was so useful just to have someone at the other end of the phone checking in on us in such a difficult time.

As with many others, we wanted to ensure we were prepared to open as soon as we were allowed. With five surgeries and increased demand for PPE, I was getting worried about access especially to gowns that became increasingly hard to get hold of. The news that Denplan supported us with PPE was a huge relief and enabled us to be ready to open our surgery doors despite only having one week’s notice to do so. All the advice we got and the PPE support meant we were ready to start working, when so many other practices weren’t.

Having patients on Denplan gave a financial reassurance too while we were forced to close. My biggest worry during the first lockdown was that lots of patients would drop off while we were shut, but surprisingly few did.  The week before we re-opened we rang and triaged and prioritised patients and in the following two months from June 2020 we worked incredibly hard to catch-up on lost time. The few patients that had dropped off Denplan during lockdown all returned once they had been in for their initial appointment.

Patients really appreciated how quickly we got them in again. We had prepared and with Denplan’s support were ready to open as soon as we could.

Since COVID-19 and the lockdown our patients have actually been even more appreciative of access to dental care. We have seen a huge growth in patient numbers. Word of mouth spread that we were able to see patients when others couldn’t. I also think people have started re-prioritising things a bit more after the pandemic. They are prioritising their health and wellness and having possibly saved quite a bit in lockdown, the dental treatment they’ve perhaps been putting off they now want done.

You recently joined our new Denplan Plus membership. Tell us about why you joined?

We joined in February 2021 just after it launched. We were working towards a lot of the benefits within the membership scheme, but it has given us a better framework and new targets – which is always good to have. It felt like the natural next step for the practice both in terms of educational support for the team, to keep patient growth, but also from a compliance and quality assurance perspective.

What are the key benefits of Denplan Plus for you?
 

Waiving the patient joining fee is a key benefit for us. It is a conversation starter with a patient to say we are now as an additional benefit able to waive the joining fee, meaning a lot of the plans actually do work out cheaper from day one versus pay as you go. It feels like a nice offer and gives the team even more confidence starting the conversation about the Denplan payment plans. We have already hit 50 per cent of our growth target and it’s clearly given us new motivation to have the additional support, as well as the added benefits of prize draws and other team incentives from our Denplan Plus membership.

On the educational side, we are looking to start the growth training programme in the coming weeks. We also have new staff members joining the team next month where the online resources will be great and enable them to be upskilled with minimal support from other team members that are under other work pressures.  We also have Denplan Champions from our team going on training to support our growth.

The enhanced compliance support also fitted in with my plan to apply for Denplan Excel accreditation in the coming year. Denplan Plus enables this and I think the accreditation will be a great framework and something the whole team will benefit from. From training to maintaining high standards in record keeping within the Denplan Excel framework will be hugely beneficial. I’m sure our patients would get reassurance from it too, so we look forward to working towards that.

About Dental32

Dental32 has been based in Magherafelt since 1984, offering routine dental care as well as specialist treatment. Moving to new premises in 2007, dentist Claire McMullan joined the team and has been the sole owner of the practice since 2019.

Dental32 has expanded from three to five surgeries and today has five dentists and two hygienists. Specialist treatment includes dental implants, orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics. All of Dental32’s staff are trained to the highest standard.

Claire McMullan is also on the committee of Irish Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry (IAAD) and is actively involved in the organising and promotion of study clubs, courses and conferences in Northern Ireland. She is currently involved in setting up ‘Confidence in Dental Implants;’ A modular course in partnership with Dentsply Sirona for clinicians beginning their journey in Dental Implants.

To find out more visit:  https://dental32.co.uk/

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