A letter nobody wants to write
Costs have gone up and your clinic needs to change its fees. Most of your diary is routine care for regular patients, many of them older and on fixed incomes, some seen at home. You want to give proper notice, be clear, and not have podiatrists debating prices at the door.
Last time, a notice went on the waiting room wall and on the website. Home visit patients never saw it. Some appointments were charged at the new price, some at the old. A few patients were upset, and the podiatrists had awkward conversations they should not have had to.
Why fee changes go badly
- Notice goes out through channels many routine patients never see.
- Home visit patients, who pay at the door, are the last to hear.
- Prices in the clinic system are changed by hand, early or late.
- Appointments already booked are charged inconsistently.
- Reception and podiatrists are not given the same wording to explain the change.
- Patients with special arrangements, such as a family paying, are not told.
What a messy fee change costs
Upset patients, awkward conversations at appointments, inconsistent invoices that need correcting, and patients who stop coming because they felt surprised. For a clinic that depends on long-standing regulars, the way a change is handled can matter as much as the change itself.
| Group | Usual gap | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic regulars | See a poster, maybe | Personal letter or message in good time |
| Home visit patients | Hear at the door | Letter before their next visit |
| Family payers | Not told | Told directly, as the payer |
| Already booked | Charged inconsistently | Rule you choose, applied by the system |
| Care homes | Invoice changes without warning | Notice to the home and families |
How we build the fee change
- You decide the new fees, the date and how appointments already booked are treated. We record those decisions.
- Every active patient and payer is listed by preferred route: letter, email or text. Home visit and care home patients are included, along with family payers.
- A notice in your words goes out in good time before the change, with a clear date and the fees that apply to that patient's usual appointment.
- On the change date, prices in Cliniko, WriteUpp or your system are updated, and any appointments that should be honoured at the old price are marked so they charge correctly.
- Reception and podiatrists receive the same short briefing and wording, so the explanation is consistent.
- Replies or concerns from patients go to one inbox for the practice manager.
- Returned letters and bounced emails are flagged so contact details can be updated.
Your fees and how you communicate them are your decisions. We make sure the notice reaches everyone and the system charges what you decided.
What the change looks like when it is handled well
Every regular hears about it personally and in time, including those seen at home. Nobody is surprised at the door. The system charges the right price on the right date. Booked appointments are treated as you promised. The desk and podiatrists say the same thing. And the practice manager has one place for any replies.
Are you planning a fee change?
- Your last fee change was announced mainly by poster and website.
- Home visit patients heard about it at the door.
- Some appointments were charged at the wrong price.
- Staff explained the change in different ways.
- Family members who pay were not told.