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Finance
Patient finance: what to do now
Chapter Eight
What to Do Now
From offering finance to operating a system
1. Stop optimising for price — optimise for conversion
Most practices approach finance as a cost:
comparing:
7% vs 8% vs 9%
This is the wrong lens.
Finance is not a cost centre — it is a conversion engine.
What to do
accept a target share of finance (e.g. X%)
price treatments accordingly
optimise for:
case acceptance
total revenue
2. Standardise the offer
Variation kills adoption.
What to do
Offer the same structure every time:
12 months — 0% (default)
24 months — low APR
36 months — higher APR
no ad hoc decisions
no custom structuring per patient
no overchoice
Simplicity drives usage.
3. Move finance earlier in the journey
Finance is too often introduced:
after hesitation
after rejection
too late
What to do
Introduce finance:
on website
in marketing
at consultation start
alongside price — not after
Patients decide based on affordability, not price alone.
4. Capture and present a quote immediately
Delays reduce conversion.
What to do
generate a simple quote in-chair
not a complex treatment plan
anchor:
total price
monthly price
attach finance instantly
allow patient to decide on the spot
5. Make mobile the default
Patients overwhelmingly prefer:
their own device
their own time
What to do
always send a mobile link
minimise fields
optimise for:
speed
clarity
Faster completion = higher conversion.
6. Track every application in real time
Finance is not instant like cards. Drop-off happens.
What to do
use an application tracker
review:
daily or weekly
identify:
approved but not completed
follow up:
gently
contextually
Conversion continues after approval.
7. Close the booking gap
A critical operational mistake:
card → appointment booked immediately
finance → delayed booking
Reality
there is no cooling-off period in-person
What to do
allow booking: immediately after approval
train teams to: treat finance like card
Finance patients should not be treated as second-class.
8. Optimise for approval rates
Low approval = low usage.
What to do
offer:
multiple terms (12 / 24 / 36)
use:
multiple lenders (prime + near-prime)
avoid:
overly large treatment bundles
Approval rate is the single biggest driver of adoption.
9. Integrate into your core systems
Finance should not sit on the side.
What to do
integrate with: PMS / CRM
enable:
auto-fill of patient data
automatic reconciliation
full visibility
Finance should behave like a payment — not an admin process.
10. Use AI to remove human bottlenecks
The biggest constraint today is:
people
time
inconsistency
What to do
Use AI for:
1. Inbound
answering calls
qualifying patients
explaining finance
2. Pre-consultation
sharing:
pricing
options
expectations
3. Follow-up
outbound calls
reminders
conversion nudges
AI increases consistency and availability — without increasing headcount.
11. Unify payment methods
Patients don’t think in products.
They think in:
“how do I pay?”
What to do
Offer one system that includes:
card
finance
pay-in-3
near-prime
one application
one decision
one flow
Fragmentation reduces conversion.
Final takeaway
The practices that win will not be those that offer finance.
They will be those that: turn finance into a seamless, repeatable system
From:
optional
manual
inconsistent
To:
embedded
automated
reliable