Why does discounting fees become a death spiral for dental practices?
Because nobody is forcing the discounts. The dentist hears no enough times in a row, concludes that fees are the problem, and lowers them. Some patients say yes. The dentist concludes the lower fee was the answer and lowers them again. The margins compress. The team works harder for less. The next round of no’s drives another discount. Sears, Kmart, and Best Buy lived this exact pattern in real time. The way out is upstream: build qualifying systems that filter patients before they reach a fee discussion, and stop trying to win every case on price. The patients you actually want are not price-driven. They are readiness-driven. Price discounts attract the patients you cannot afford to attract.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.