---
title: "What Is In-house membership plan? Dental Practice Glossary"
description: "An in-house membership plan is a practice's own plan for patients without insurance, who pay a monthly or yearly fee in return for set services or discounts."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/in-house-membership-plan
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Finance and valuation

# In-house membership plan

An in-house membership plan is a practice's own plan for patients without insurance, who pay a monthly or yearly fee in return for set services or discounts.

The ADA describes an in-office dental plan this way: the patient pays the doctor or dental office a fixed amount of money on a monthly or annual basis and in return generally receives set benefits. Such a plan is not insurance and is run by the practice. The ADA offers a toolkit to help dentists decide whether to start one, and it notes that research shows patients with a benefit plan are more likely to seek dental care and accept treatment plans. Rules for these plans vary by state, so owners should ask an attorney before launching. The fee level links to the practice's [fee schedule](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/fee-schedule).

[Next stepPractice consulting with Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact?topic=consulting)

## Related terms

-   [Fee schedule](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/fee-schedule)
-   [Patient financing](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/patient-financing)
-   [Case acceptance](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/case-acceptance)
-   [Patient retention](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/patient-retention)

## Sources

1.  [ADA, Is an in-office dental plan right for your practice?](https://www.ada.org/resources/practice/dental-insurance/is-an-in-office-dental-plan-right-for-your-practice)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)