Why provide a fee range at the CDP wrap-up, and what does that framing accomplish?
To prevent sticker shock at the case presentation and give the patient and their decision partners time to mentally prepare for the financial commitment. The script is direct: “Based on other patients with similar problems, the fee for your case could range anywhere from $X to $Y.” The doctor pauses to let it land, then writes down the range so the final fee at the case presentation stays inside that boundary. The framing does several things. It anchors the patient’s expectations near the real fee level. It gives them a week to discuss the range with their spouse, evaluate financing options, and arrive at the case presentation already in the right ballpark mentally. It demonstrates fee transparency, which builds trust. And it prevents the worst-case dynamic where a patient hears a final fee for the first time at the case presentation and reacts to the shock rather than to the recommendation. The range is not the final number. It is the bounded preview that prevents surprise.
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.
