What do I owe a patient who cannot afford the work? Three things, and you owe them as a professional whether or not you ever earn a dollar. First, minimize the time you make them invest in learning what is possible, because dragging them through a long consult for treatment they cannot fund is cruel. Second, minimize their emotional investment for the same reason. Third, prevent their embarrassment. Nobody wants to sit there feeling exposed about what they cannot pay for. The cleanest way to honor all three is to be prepared, especially at free consultations where this person most often [...]