Bridget just took a post dated check from a mom for our $292 down payment to get her started today because we had time. NOW. That as opposed to waiting for them to come back in a few weeks… Or maybe not come back… TODAY is the answer. TO frigging DAY. Put the braces on. Remove the barriers. Forget the stupid records fee… Forget charging for X-rays… Don’t worry about the few who won’t pay you… Most people will pay you most of the time with minimal prompting. With an excellent collection system you will lose less than 5% of the time. If you don’t have a great system then figure it out…  90% of 4 million is much better than 98% of 1 or two million… And if you take this position you’ll have less stress I GUARANTEE it. Don’t ask the loser nerds in the cry baby FB groups if this is true… find and ask someone who produces/collects more than 4MM per provider and they will all tell you it is so – there are a lot more than you think but they won’t be on your favorite FB group griping about the state of orthodontics because they are too busy putting braces on.
You have nothing to lose but your fear and worry and self pity… If others have done it then it’s probably possible…
If you use less expensive braces and treat reasonably well and reasonably fast you can’t lose (I know we all think we are awesome but results speak for themselves – happy patients who send their friends and a successful business are the litmus tests not the one hard case you got lucky on or the approval of your fellow tooth nerds). If you don’t allow overtime patients to accumulate you can’t lose. If you do things the same way as all those whiny cry babies do then how can you expect anything different? Make up your mind that you can do anything anyone else can do. That and the will to make changes and implement are all it takes. If you have staff members who refuse to change then FIRE THEM. No one in the community gives a rip about some random hourly employee no matter how much you or your team thinks otherwise. Bridget and I know this because we have taken over DOZENS of offices, thought the same way you do and cost ourselves millions by waiting too long to fire turd employees. You know the ones who are impeding your success. FIRE THEM. Go visit a successful office and copy what they do. If you are not currently successful then your opinion of how to be successful is suspect at best – because your results prove you don’t know WTF you are doing. Sorry for the rant but I’ve had a few dozen encounters lately with doctors who are struggling but refuse to listen to any advice or do anything other than what they are comfortable with and DAMN it’s frustrating. Keep doing what you’re doing if you’re happy if you are not then FRIGGING CHANGE! TODAY.
ok i’m done…

PS I found out later that mom was so happy that Bridget trusted her that she volunteered a credit card for a second form of payment. Most people are happy to do what they say they will most of the time. Don’t allow the few abusers out there set policy for you as doing so will cost you goodwill and millions of dollars.