How do I justify a fee range without sounding like I made it up?
Anchor it to other patients, not to thin air. When you state a number out of nowhere it sounds invented, and the patient feels it. So tie the range to reality. Tell them that based on other patients you have seen, treated, and are treating with problems similar to theirs, the fee for their care can range from this to this. That single phrase, based on other patients with similar problems, changes everything. It signals you have done this many times and the number is grounded in experience, not pulled to fit them specifically. Then pause and let it settle. Do not rush to fill the silence because you are uncomfortable. The patient may react, may tell you something useful, or may just think. Let them. A grounded range presented calmly beats a precise number that sounds improvised.
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.