1090: Metric Mondays: Same-Day Collection Percentage:Are We Collecting When Care Happens? - Robyn Theisen

Are your financial systems helping you collect what patients owe when care happens—or are unexpected balances creating extra work for your team later? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Robyn Theisen, ACT Dental coach, about same-day collection percentage and why clear financial arrangements matter for both cash flow and the patient experience.

You’ll learn what this metric measures, what low same-day collections can reveal about your systems, how stronger financial conversations reduce accounts receivable, and what your team can do to improve financial clarity before treatment begins. For practical ways to strengthen your financial systems and create more predictable collections, listen to Episode 1090 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Same-day collection percentage measures how much of the patient portion owed for treatment is collected before the patient leaves the practice.
• Lower same-day collections often point to weaknesses in financial arrangements rather than a collections problem alone.
• Reviewing and signing treatment plans before appointments helps patients understand their financial responsibility in advance.
• Clear financial expectations reduce unexpected balances, collection calls, statements, and administrative follow-up.
• High-performing practices use consistent systems, payment options, and role-playing to help team members present financial arrangements confidently.
• A healthy same-day collection percentage can vary based on the practice model, including differences between fee-for-service and PPO-heavy practices.
• Teams can audit financial readiness during chart preparation by confirming that patients have signed financial arrangements and clear payment expectations.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to same-day collection percentage.

01:38 Why same-day collections matter as a practice metric.

05:08 Common signs that same-day collection systems are not working.

07:17 How prepared teams approach financial conversations.

10:17 Why collection benchmarks depend on the practice model.

12:39 Auditing financial expectations during daily chart preparation.

13:00 Final thoughts on improving financial systems.

Guest Bio:

Robyn Theisen brings an entire life and legacy of dental experience to the team and every team with which she works as the daughter and sister of dentists. With almost 20 years of experience in dentistry, her roles ranged from practice management to operations at Patterson Dental to coaching teams. Robyn’s passion is empowering teams to realize that they can dramatically impact the lives of the people they serve by implementing skills and systems to remove barriers to life-changing dental treatment. She has done it for decades and does it every day with dental teams.

Outside of coaching, she enjoys time with her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Emerson and Ruby. She loves traveling, music, fitness, and cheering on the Michigan State Spartans.

Episode Resources:

• Creating a Clear Financial Policy resource: https://hub.smilesource.com/c/resources/creating-a-clear-financial-policy-55-questions
• ACT Dental Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: gina@actdental.com
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
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