Three Ways To Answer The Dreaded "Do You Take My Insurance?" Question
Developing communication skills, and more importantly phone communication skills, is absolutely VITAL to the cash based chiropractor. And being able to confidently answer the dreaded ‘Do You Take My Insurance Question?’ is a necessity for the cash based chiropractor. The key to handling this questions is to ‘NEVER SAY NO.’ The minute a client hears the word ‘no’ they will stop paying attention to what you have to say after - no matter how good the response.
At our clinic we’ve tried a few different ways to answer this question and wanted to share three of our favorite.
1) Slow the Conversation Down Redirect to What They Really Want
The truth is that most people, don’t want to know if you take their insurance. What they really want to know is "‘Can you solve my problem?’. And we can’t answer that question until we know what the actual problem is. If your problem is wrist pain and I only treat back pain - than the insurance question won’t really matter - will it? When you can get the prospective client to open up about their problem and worries/concerns and let them know that you truly care about them - they will be more likely to book an appointment with you.
Here is an example script that we used at the clinic
“Thank you so much for calling our clinic, before we start I want to be sure we’re going to be the best clinic to help you. Do you mind telling me a bit more about what’s going on?
Easy. Simple. And shifts the conversation to what they really care about - how you can help them.
2) Mention the Superbill
The Superbill is an itemized receipt with your clinic information and the CPT and Dx Codes that any client can use to try and be reimbursed for your services. Most clients have no idea what it is and so you can try and explain that even though you’ve out of network, there is still the possibility they can be reimbursed.
“What we do at our clinic is use what’s called a superbill. This is an itemized receipt that we provide at the end of your visit that you can send to your insurance and if your care is covered, they will send you a check in the mail. Do you mind telling me a bit more about what’s going on?”
Ending the sentence with ‘check in the mail’ leave them feeling good, and immediately getting into the actual problem will help shift the conversation to more important things.
3) Reply With Confidence
People like confidence. If you sound unsure and defensive about not taking insurance, they will likely pass on your services. Being out of network is extremely beneficial for the person (they don’t know that yet), so quickly mentioning these benefits is another great way to answer.
“The good news for you is that we’ve chosen to be out of network . Being out of network is THE REASON we’re able to get the outcomes we do when other clinics may have failed. Because we can take THE TIME AND ENERGY needed to really understand what’s going on and get you the outcome you want - is that something that you would be interested in?…Answer…”Great, well tell me a little more about what’s going on…”
Asking them is they’re interested in having someone dedicate time and energy to getting the outcome they want almost always
There you have it - three entirely different ways to answer the ‘Do You Take My Insurance Question?’ question. Not so scary, is it? What I’ve found over the years is that some feel more comfortable for me while others feel a bit more awkward or forced. You want to find the one that comes the most natural for you and is also the most effective at getting cash paying clients in the door.