Dr. Whyte Smile Increases On-Time Collections by $40K with NexHealth

Since graduating from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry in 2013, Dr. Michael Whyte has been operating his own dental practice in Richmond, Virginia. He offers a comprehensive range of services, including general, cosmetic, and family dentistry, and he exhibits a passion for improving patient outcomes by leveraging cutting-edge technology.

Challenge: Inefficient Processes Leading to Overdue Payments

Dr. Whyte found that managing payment collections was a time-consuming and costly process for his practice. Despite outsourcing payment collections to two virtual team members, the traditional process of calling patients and sending paper statements every month proved ineffective.

Without an efficient way of communicating with patients and a convenient way for them to pay digitally, overdue balances were lingering for more than 120 days. “It’s hard to keep that accountability rolling to make sure we are getting compensated for the work we’ve done,” Dr. Whyte said.

Solution: A Faster and Easier Payment Experience for Patients and the Practice

Looking for a tool that would help him redesign the payment collection process, Dr. Whyte had a few key requirements. “And we found NexHealth to hit all the high points,” he said.

Here’s what the elevated payment process looks like now:

1. Hassle-free payment requests: Rather than making awkward phone calls and sending time-consuming paper mailers, Dr. Whyte’s staff can click a button to send text and email requests effortlessly.
2. Automated payment reminders: The staff no longer have to worry about tracking payments or constantly following up — payment reminders are now on autopilot.
3. An easy, secure way for patients to pay: Since adopting NexHealth Payments, Dr. Whyte has observed a significant increase in payment completion rates. “It’s valuable to just send patients an easily accessible payment link, and they can click on it to directly pay,” he said.

Results: A $40K+ Increase in On-Time Patient Payments

Dr. Whyte quickly saw results from the refined payment collection process. “We used to have overdue balances in the 6-figures, and we have shrunk that by a solid 40%,” he said. “So it’s been pretty effective, and we are saving 20 hours of payroll a week on top of a more efficient and better workflow.” Dr. Whyte can now bring payment collection in-house, eliminating the need to outsource to two virtual assistants who handled payments the traditional way.

He also found that patients, especially those under 40, appreciate the seamless digital experience of receiving a direct payment link. “The reality is, our culture does change with each generation, and there's a reason we try to make things easier and more efficient,” Dr. Whyte said.

In the future, Dr. Whyte looks forward to using the new Ledger Sync functionality for NexHealth Payments to identify the patients with open balances from his practice management system and automatically post their completed payments to the ledger. This will save his team even more time and allow them to continue focusing on providing exceptional patient care.