GuidesTeam
Doctor commissions everyone understands
How to work them out and share them so every doctor trusts the number.
The goal: a number everyone trusts
Paying commissions is easy. The hard part is having the doctor look at their number and think “yes, that’s right”. When the rule is clear and the detail is visible, month-end conversations are short and calm.
This guide helps you choose the model, decide what gets deducted and share the calculation so anyone can check it.
Choose a model
There are three common models in dental clinics. You can use one for everyone, or a different one per doctor or per procedure type:
| Model | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage | The doctor gets a share of what’s charged for each procedure | Most treatments |
| Fixed amount | A fixed amount per procedure done | Repetitive, stable-price procedures |
| Mixed | A fixed monthly amount plus a percentage of production | Doctors with set hours at the clinic |
On what’s collected or what’s billed?
This is the most important decision. Calculating on what’s billed pays the doctor for work done even if the patient still owes. Calculating on what’s collected pays only what has already come into the clinic.
Many clinics choose collected because it protects cash flow: if a patient pays in instalments, the commission is paid in the same proportion. Whatever you choose, apply it equally to everyone and put it in writing.
What gets deducted
Before applying the percentage, define which costs come off first. The most common are:
- Lab costs: crowns, prostheses, aligners.
- High-cost materials used in that procedure, such as implants.
- Discounts the clinic gave the patient.
- The insurance share not yet collected, if you pay on collected amounts.
Anything not on the list isn’t deducted. That way nobody gets surprised.
Procedures with insurance
With insurance there are two parts: what the patient pays and what the insurer pays, which arrives weeks later. Decide whether the commission on the insurance share is paid when the insurer pays or in the month the work was done. The first option is the most common and the healthiest for cash flow.
How to share the number
Give each doctor a monthly statement with the detail, not just the total:
- Date, patient and procedure for each line.
- Amount collected and deductions applied.
- Commission percentage or amount.
- The month’s total, and what’s still pending for next month.
Send the statement a few days before payday and leave time to review. If the doctor spots something, it gets fixed before paying, not after.
A fixed calendar
- Period close: the last day of the month.
- Statement sent: the first days of the following month.
- Doctor review: a couple of days.
- Payment: always the same day each month.
Special cases
Decide in advance how to handle the situations that come up again and again, so you don’t improvise every month:
- Treatments over several visits: the commission is calculated per visit done or when the treatment is finished.
- Two doctors on the same procedure: it’s split by what each one did, in agreed percentages.
- Refunds: if money is returned to the patient, the commission paid is adjusted the following month.
- Work that has to be redone: define who covers the cost and how it affects the commission.
Summary
A clear, written model, one rule on collected or billed, a short list of deductions and a statement with every line’s detail. With that, every doctor trusts their number and you pay on time, in peace.