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Lawyers: Being Paid Shouldn't Be Like Pulling Teeth!

By Peter A. Johnson
February 01, 2019

I arrived early for my root canal last week, and as if the anticipatory anxiety wasn't bad enough, it was heightened when I realized that I left my wallet at home. Why the increased anxiety? Because I knew that dentists require payment before you leave the office. As I was worrying about my wallet, I had an epiphany — lawyers can learn a lot from dentists, especially when it comes to establishing billing and collecting expectations. (Dentists have successfully eliminated the billing component, which has been replaced by the payment receipt.)

Think about your last visit to the dentist. One of the first questions asked well before you sat down in the chair was, "How will you be paying for today's services?" There was that prominent sign advising that patients are responsible for payment for all services, including those not covered by dental insurance.

Nobody enjoys visiting the dentist, but everybody knows you still must pay him or her on the day of service. This is known as an "up front agreement." The dentist is going to be paid despite the fact that the procedure may be painful and may require more work than initially anticipated.

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