How Downtown Dental Fenton Recovered $60K in 30 Days with The Billing Company’s Auto Collection

Overview

Downtown Dental Fenton, a well-established dental practice, faced a significant collections challenge. They had over $100,000 in outstanding patient balances and were struggling to keep up with manual payment reminders. Their existing system, Curves’ text-to-pay solution, was entirely manual, requiring staff intervention for every transaction.

Within just 30 days of implementing The Billing Company’s Auto Collection, they successfully recovered $60,000, reducing their A/R by 50%. Their team now enjoys a more efficient, automated process, freeing up valuable staff time and improving patient satisfaction.

The Challenge: A Manual & Inefficient Process

Before partnering with The Billing Company, Downtown Dental Fenton encountered several key issues:

• $100K+ in Outstanding A/R: The growing backlog of unpaid patient balances put significant strain on the practice’s cash flow. With revenue tied up in overdue payments, it became harder to reinvest in operations and maintain financial stability.

• Manual Payment Processing: Downtown Dental Fenton relied on Curves’ text-to-pay system, which required staff members to manually send every payment reminder. Without automation, follow-ups were inconsistent, and many patients failed to act on time.

• 20 Hours Per Week Wasted: Staff members were dedicating nearly half of their workweek solely to collections. This reduced the time available for patient care, scheduling, and other essential administrative tasks, ultimately impacting the practice’s efficiency.

• Inefficient Paper Statements: The practice mailed physical statements, which were slow to reach patients, costly to send, and frequently ignored. Many statements went unanswered, further delaying collections and increasing the administrative burden.

• No Automated Follow-Ups: Without an automated system, the practice had no way to ensure consistent, scheduled reminders for outstanding balances. As a result, payments were often delayed, leading to a cycle of reactive rather than proactive collections.

The Solution: Automating Collections

When Downtown Dental Fenton switched to The Billing Company’s Auto Collection, their workflow improved dramatically:

• Automated SMS & Email Reminders: Patients received polite, consistent payment reminders without any staff intervention. These reminders were strategically timed based on patient behavior—sending a friendly notification when a payment was first due, followed by automated follow-ups at set intervals. This eliminated awkward collection calls while increasing on-time payments. Patients responded positively, with many appreciating the convenience of digital reminders over paper statements.

• Frictionless Online Payments: The practice leveraged The Billing Company’s secure online payment platform, allowing patients to settle balances quickly from their phones, tablets, or computers. This reduced reliance on phone calls and front desk transactions. The ease of access meant that more patients paid immediately upon receiving a reminder, contributing to a 25% increase in same-day payments.

• Flexible Payment Plans: 10% of patients opted into installment-based payments, increasing overall collections while reducing financial strain for those unable to pay in full. The flexibility helped prevent accounts from being sent to collections while maintaining a steady cash flow for the practice. Patients could choose weekly or monthly plans, with payments auto-deducted, ensuring higher completion rates.

• Zero Training Needed: Staff adopted the new system within 2 days with no learning curve. The interface was intuitive, and because billing was fully automated, team members no longer needed to manually text patients or track down payments. This allowed the front desk to focus more on patient scheduling, insurance verification, and customer service rather than debt collection.

• Instant PMS Integration: Payments and reminders were seamlessly written back into their existing practice management system (PMS), eliminating the need for manual reconciliation and reducing bookkeeping errors. Now, every transaction was instantly reflected in their PMS, ensuring accurate financial records. Staff no longer had to chase down missing payments or manually match patient accounts.

The Results: More Revenue, Less Work

The impact of The Billing Company’s Auto Collection solution was immediate and measurable:

• $60,000 recovered in 30 days, significantly improving cash flow and eliminating financial strain on the practice.

• 50% reduction in outstanding patient A/R, ensuring a healthier revenue cycle and faster payment turnaround.

• 20 hours per week saved, allowing staff to focus on patient care rather than manual collections. Office morale improved as employees no longer had to spend hours following up on payments.

• Higher patient satisfaction, as patients appreciated automated reminders and the option to make payments from their mobile devices. The practice even received unsolicited positive feedback from patients who found the system more convenient than traditional paper billing.

• Improved revenue collection, ensuring long-term financial stability for the practice. With faster payments and fewer overdue accounts, the practice had more predictable revenue, allowing them to reinvest in operations, upgrade equipment, and provide better patient care.

What Downtown Dental Fenton Says

“We had $100,000 in outstanding balances, and within 30 days of using The Billing Co.’s Auto Collect feature, we recovered $60,000. We highly recommend it — 10/10!”

Conclusion

By switching from a manual, staff-intensive collection process to an automated, streamlined system, Downtown Dental Fenton transformed the way they handle patient payments. Their team no longer spends hours chasing overdue balances, and instead, payments flow in effortlessly through automated SMS and email reminders. The ability to offer flexible payment plans has strengthened patient relationships, ensuring that more people can pay their balances without financial stress.

With less effort from their team, they now collect payments faster, easier, and with higher patient engagement. The automation has eliminated human error, improved tracking, and created a more structured approach to revenue collection. As a result, they have more predictable cash flow, allowing them to focus on expanding services and improving the patient experience.

Their success story serves as a testament to how dental practices can reduce outstanding A/R, improve operational efficiency, and enhance patient convenience with automation. What was once a frustrating and time-consuming process is now a seamless, stress-free experience for both staff and patients.