Written Discount Policy for the HOF Clinic

Everyone who sees patients has heard it: "can you give me a discount?" An improvised answer, given by different people on different days, creates two problems. The first is financial: the discount appears with no criteria and erodes margin. The second is trust: the patient who paid in full finds out someone else paid less, and the clinic loses credibility.

The way out is a written discount policy: a few clear rules on who can give discounts, in which situations, how much and in exchange for what. This guide shows how to build one, with a hypothetical margin example. The values are illustrative, and advertising and consumer rules must be checked against the standards of your professional council (in Brazil, for example, CFO or CFM).

Why write the policy

Without a policy, each appointment negotiates on its own. With a policy, the conversation moves from "can I or can't I?" to "what does the rule allow?". There are three gains:

• Predictability: you know what your margin can take.
• Fairness: equal situations get equal treatment.
• Team security: whoever handles the patient does not have to decide alone or improvise.

A written policy also helps tie discounts to legitimate reasons, such as paying upfront or loyalty, instead of pressure in the moment. See discount requests for conversation scripts and discount for upfront payment in HOF.

First, find out how much your margin can take

Before setting percentages, calculate the limit. A procedure with a small contribution margin cannot support a large discount. Hypothetical example, for a fictional plan:

If a 10% discount (R$ 300.00) comes out of the margin, it drops to R$ 1,065.00. But note: the discount also reduces proportional fees and taxes, so the exact math varies. What matters is realizing that a discount comes out of margin, not out of cost. A 10% discount on price can mean a 22% drop in contribution margin (in this hypothetical example). To understand the concept, see the glossary entry contribution margin and the page profit margin in HOF.

The five elements of a good policy

1. Triggers: in which situations a discount is allowed.
2. Tiers: how much, in each situation.
3. Authority: who can grant each tier.
4. Counterpart: what the clinic gets in return (early payment, loyalty, a slot in low-demand hours).
5. Record: where and how the discount is noted.

1. Triggers

Legitimate, healthy triggers:

• Upfront or early payment, which reduces fees and risk.
• Booking a plan with several stages paid at the start.
• Low-demand hours, when there is real idle time.
• Making up for a failure by the clinic itself (a courtesy, not a discount).

Triggers to avoid: a discount for insistence, for comparison with another place or for "last day". These reward pressure rather than a decision. And never make a discount conditional on deciding on a larger volume of product, because that mixes price with clinical indication.

2. Tiers

Define simple tiers. Example structure (hypothetical percentages, adjusted to your margin):

The upfront payment discount should relate to what the clinic saves in card fees. See card terminal fees in the procedure price.

3. Authority

Who decides what:

• Reception: can apply tier A automatically, because it is a rule.
• Commercial lead or manager: can apply tier B.
• Owner or responsible professional: decides tier C and any exception.

This takes the burden of negotiating off reception and prevents discounts from being used as a way to please people. See delegating tasks in the HOF clinic.

4. Counterpart

Every discount should have a visible trade: the patient pays earlier, books more stages, takes a slot that was empty. A discount without a counterpart is pure loss. Recording the counterpart also helps you assess later whether the rule was worth it.

5. Record

Note each discount: amount, reason, who authorized it. Without a record, there is nothing to review. The field can live in the financial spreadsheet itself. See HOF clinic financial spreadsheet.

Policy template (to adapt)

Review the text with your accountant and, if needed, a lawyer, and check your council's rules on advertising and offering discounts.

How to communicate without weakening the value

How you present the discount matters as much as the number. Present the plan price first and the condition afterward, as a payment option, not as a "favor".

Avoid phrases like "just for you" or "let me see what I can do": they teach the patient to always negotiate. When a patient asks for a discount outside the rule, answer with respect and firmness: "Our policy is the same for all patients, and I can show you the payment options we have."

Discounts and quote acceptance

Many clinics use discounts to make up for a poorly presented quote. Before cutting the price, review the presentation: did the patient understand the plan, see the logic of the volume and know what is included? A good written quote raises acceptance without lowering the price. See how to increase plan acceptance and quote acceptance rate.

If the clinic uses Harmy, the PDF quote shows the price per ml for each area, discount, validity and notes, with the clinic's name and logo. The discount appears explicitly, and validity in days reinforces that the condition is temporary.

When to review

Review the policy when margin falls, when material cost rises, when the processor fee changes or when you notice many exceptions. If tier C is used often, it has become the rule and needs to be rewritten. If nobody uses tier B, perhaps the benefit is not attractive. The weekly dashboard helps you see the effect: see weekly clinic indicators dashboard.