Many patients and clients these days are constantly looking for bargains and how to get stuff cheap. They are even getting into bartering in your practice which traditionally never happened for healthcare professions in Canada. But times are changing and demographics are changing too, and we are seeing this trend for some patients and clients to try and negotiate your fees down.
What can you do about this?
Let’s start with the fact that most of the professions have a fee guide that you should be sticking to and can nicely relay that fact to the person.
Secondly, some professions have a lot of insurance matters to deal with, and the matter of the patient’s co-payment comes up and they sometimes ask not to pay that. You are then in the awkward position of not wanting to lose a patient over that 20% co-pay amount, but that means giving up 20% of your income which means you have to cut back somewhere. Buying cheaper products, equipment, medications, etc. is not a good answer, and neither is hiring poor quality staff. These will reduce your patient base.
Benjamin Franklin was quoted as saying, “The bitterness of low quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
Take the high road
Howard Shultz, Starbuck’s founder, is famous for his fanatical passion and pursuit of quality. And that company reigns supreme in the coffee industry internationally as a result.
Therefore, in your practice your whole team needs to be passionate about delivering the highest quality possible. This includes using the best materials, answering the phone in the highest possible mood, listening to the patient or client’s concerns and addressing them, delivering the highest quality treatment (your pride in your quality shows through), and so on.
“A Passion for Perfection” is a good motto for one and all to embrace in a practice.
