Updating Fees in Dentrix for the New Year

Today I discuss the process for updating your fees in your Dentrix software. I cover topics such as updating office fees, updating treatment plan fees, and strategies for fee increases. Learn a couple great ideas for forecasting revenue based on fee increases when you export your fees into an Excel spreadsheet.

I also offer tips on updating fees for PPO plans and how to forecast revenue based on fee updates. Additionally, I share a tip for copying fees for in-network and out-of-network plans so you get the highest benefit for your patients. Overall, this episode provides valuable insights and guidance for dental practices navigating the fee update process.

Takeaways:

1. There are different ways to do a fee update, including updating office fees and treatment plan fees.
2. Treatment plans do not update automatically, so it’s important to manually update them if necessary.
3. Consider a fee increase strategy that focuses on different procedure code ranges.
4. When updating fees for PPO plans, it may be helpful to have a buddy assist in the process.

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The High Performing Dental Team · #92 Updating Fees in Dentrix for the New Year

In this solo episode, I wanted to dive into a topic that’s top of mind for many of you right now—fee updates. We’re right in the middle of the first quarter, and this is typically when practices review and adjust their fees.

I’ve had several of you reach out asking how to do a fee update, what to do about patients with existing treatment plans, and how changes will affect your production numbers. So, I decided to tackle all those questions here.

I walked through how to update your office fees using Dentrix’s fee schedule maintenance—whether that’s applying a percentage increase across the board or rounding to the nearest dollar.

I also explained that treatment plans don’t update automatically unless you manually trigger them, and I offered some recommendations for handling that without disrupting patient expectations.

When I was in practice, I took a more strategic approach to fee increases. I didn’t just apply a blanket percentage—I adjusted my fees based on the type of procedure. For diagnostic and preventive codes, which patients encounter more frequently, I kept increases modest at around 4–5%. For restorative procedures, like crowns, I bumped them up a bit more—usually 8–10%.

I shared that with many of you because it allowed me to maintain patient trust while still keeping up with rising costs. For PPO fee schedule updates, I always recommend grabbing a buddy to help input those codes manually.

It’s time-consuming, but it’s necessary since you have to match the insurance company’s exact allowed amounts. Trust me, it goes way faster with a partner, and yes—an ice-cold beverage helps!

I also love using Excel to forecast the potential revenue impact of fee changes. One of the practices I work with exports their fee schedule, plays with different increase scenarios, and projects how much additional revenue they could generate if they did just a few more procedures or raised fees by a small amount.

It’s such a smart move! I also touched on how to handle PPO transitions—like copying your full fees into plans you’re dropping out of or starting from full fees when joining a new plan, then adjusting down. I hope all these tips help you feel more confident and strategic during your fee update process.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out on Navoni.com or DM me on Instagram or Facebook. And if you found this episode helpful, please rate, review, and share—it means the world to me!