Wansbeck House Dental Care, Hull, Yorkshire

Background

Ravinder Varaich qualified in 2002. She began her career at a mixed practice in Rugby in Warwickshire. She had completed her vocational training there and returned to work at the practice for two months after she qualified. Ravinder worked alongside three dentists who were dealing with a patient list of around 8000. This gave her valuable NHS experience but also convinced her that she wanted to work within the private sector sooner rather than later.

“I had looked around for a job in a private practice, but joined a mixed one hoping that perhaps it might convert. I remember the speed with which we had to work. We didn’t have time with the patients. It affected our relationship with them. We converted to a fully private practice a year later and became Wansbeck House Dental Practice.”

Solution

The outgoing principle dentist had already investigated the possibility of a conversion to the private sector. He had looked into the different plan providers and had come to the conclusion that DPAS offered the best option in terms of flexibility of products, cost effectiveness and experience in delivering the plan.

Following the principle’s departure Ravinder took over the practice and spearheaded its transformation from the NHS to the private sector. She soon found that DPAS and its 20 years of experience in administering payment plans would pay dividends in terms of boosting the efficiency of her new business.

“I inherited both the practice and the process of conversion. A letter, laying out all the options was sent to the patients. The whole process ran smoothly. DPAS were very good when I called with any problems that cropped up. They made good suggestions for us based on the history of our practice. It seemed to me that they were genuinely familiar with our business. It felt like a tailormade solution really. I had imagined that it would be a stressful process, particularly as I hadn’t been there long. To be honest I was hoping that there had been enough negative press about the NHS that patients would decide to join us. Most of them did. Only about 20 percent decided not to stay on with us.”

Benefits

Today Ravinder is the sole dentist at the Wansbeck House Dental Practice. She works alongside a team consisting of a hygienist, a therapist/hygienist, five dental nurses (one of whom is a treatment coordinator), and a receptionist. Between them, they handle 1,800 patients; 1,000 of which are on a DPAS plan.

The partnership with DPAS has given the practice the freedom to structure patient care and treatment its own way.

“We have a selection of plans which we’ll advise patients on when they join. Each plan offers a slightly different service: 500 or so patients are on Plan A. Each of them has an hour’s visit every six months and they’ll see me and the hygienist. Plan B patients see me every six months and the hygienist every three months. There are about 300 on this plan. Our latest plan, Plan C, deals with patients at high risk of gum disease. We like to see them every three months. They get an extra fifteen minutes during their appointment so we can advise them about the right form of treatment for them. Finally there’s Plan K - our new plan for children. We like to have half an hour with each child.”

Ravinder says that one of the key advantages is the peace of mind that the DPAS plan provides for both patients and practice alike.

“There’s a steady monthly income which helps to maintain loyalty and quality of care. On the whole, the patients are comfortable with the monthly payments. I think many of them had believed that private treatment was expensive. But this is a way to give them affordable access. They can fit it into their family budget.”

As for the practice team, they also like the security of knowing that there’s a guaranteed monthly income. They know patients will come back regularly and they know they have the time to really talk to them.

“Our staff members have become really involved. Patient retention is much better under DPAS. I think the patients are genuinely happier.”

To find out more about how DPAS can help smooth your journey from NHS to private practice, or to see how we can make your existing payment plan administration work more efficiently, please contact us.