Find the optimal monthly and annual pricing for your in-house membership plan. See projected revenue, member savings, and break-even analysis instantly.
A dental membership plan is an alternative to insurance where patients pay a monthly or annual fee directly to your practice for access to preventive care and a discount on additional treatment. Unlike insurance, there are no deductibles, waiting periods, or claim denials. It's a direct relationship between patient and practice.
The recommended approach is to price at 30-40% of the total annual value of included services. This ensures patients get clear savings (they see they're getting $500+ worth of services for $40-50/month) while you maintain profitability. It should be higher than your PPO write-down but lower than full fee-for-service. Use your market location and patient demographics to adjust within this range.
Typically, membership plans include preventive services: 2 cleanings per year, 2 exams per year, annual full mouth x-rays, and emergency exams. Some practices add fluoride or additional x-rays. The key is that these services are predictable and establish the patient relationship. Restorative and cosmetic work is discounted but not included.
Most practices offer 10-30% on additional treatment. A 20% discount is common and competitive. This gives members incentive to have treatment done at your practice while still protecting your margins. Remember: a 20% discount on a $1,000 crown ($200 off) is still better than the 40%+ loss on a PPO case.
This varies by practice, but the calculator shows you exactly how many members you need to replace your annual costs (staff time, supplies, etc.). Most practices find they need 40-100 members in the first year to break even on membership, and profit on each member after that. Additional treatment discounts are where the real profitability comes in.
A membership patient who pays $45/month ($540/year) plus treatment at discounted fees is typically more profitable than a PPO patient. For example: PPO patient generates $600 in collections with 42% write-off = $348 net. Membership patient: $540 membership + (say) $400 in treatment at 20% discount ($320) = $860 net. Plus, no claim denials, no coding disputes, predictable cash flow.
A common membership pricing strategy is to offer 11 months of service for 12 monthly payments, or price the annual plan at 11x the monthly fee (e.g., if monthly is $45, annual is $495 instead of $540). This creates perceived value and incentivizes annual payment, which improves cash flow and retention.
Yes, many practices do. However, the membership plan becomes more powerful as you phase out PPO plans. Start by offering membership to new patients and current PPO patients as they renew insurance. Then, gradually reduce or drop the worst-performing PPO plans. This transition typically happens over 18-36 months. The calculator helps you see how membership revenue can replace PPO revenue.
This calculator includes cost-of-living adjustments by state. If you're in California, your recommended pricing will be higher than if you were in Arkansas. This is because patient fees are already higher in high-cost markets, so membership pricing adjusts accordingly. Use the location selector to get an accurate recommendation for your market.
Yes. Specialty practices (ortho, perio, implants, etc.) often have higher procedure values and may structure memberships differently. A membership plan for an ortho practice might focus on treatment plans and discounts rather than preventive care. This calculator gives different recommendations based on practice type. Specialty practices often benefit more from membership revenue because treatment case values are higher.
Family plans are a great way to increase membership value and patient lifetime value. A typical family plan might be 1.5-1.75x the individual plan price. For example, if individual is $45/month, family might be $70-75/month. This calculator focuses on individual membership pricing, but the same principles apply to family plans. Many practices offer both options.