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Managing Your Dental Practice With a Patient Retention Plan
Do you have the queasy feeling that patients are slowly slipping away, lost somewhere in the day-to-day “busyness” long before you realize they are gone?
Take a moment and answer these questions:
- How many inactive patient charts do you have hidden in the closet or buried in the backyard?
- Have you increased hygiene days per week in the last year or is the hygiene department still inventorying the cotton balls?
- Is the chunk of change you dole out to the hygienist more than 33 percent of what they produce?
If the stack of inactive charts is high enough it could serve as a structural support beam for a second practice, or if you nodded “yes” to questions two or three, I have good news and bad news. First, the bad news: You are losing patients and more are circling the drain as you read this article. The good news is the situation can be corrected quickly and efficiently, and it is easier than you think.
One of the most common cracks through which patients slip into “never to be seen again territory” is the recall system. It is frequently the practice orphan that no one really wants. Ah, but you say you have a successful recall system. Your patients are booked six months in advance before they leave the office. And, well, I should just see your hygiene schedule because there isn’t an opening for the next six months. Like every other dentist you know, you’ve been handling the system this way throughout eternity, so it must work, right? Wrong.
Yes, six-month scheduling is a popular system, largely because it demands very little. But low maintenance goes hand-in-hand with low payoff. Practices using this technique can “boast” only 76 percent patient retention and, if that weren’t bad enough, they have a nearly 50 percent higher loss of patients than similar-sized practices that do not pre-appoint. As you have probably experienced, the cancellations and no-shows also are frustratingly high in the six-month scheduling system.
I encourage a different approach that is designed to keep your chairs full and your patients informed and involved. First, the hygienist explains the need for follow-up prophies and exams to the patient during their visit. The hygienist asks the patient to address the envelope in which their recall notice will be sent. The hygienist instructs the patient to schedule the next appointment when their notice arrives in the mail. (Don’t panic! Appointments scheduled two to three weeks ahead are less likely to be cancelled or result in no shows.) Your practice uses a professionally written and printed recall notice -- not a postcard -- and the hygienist writes a personal message to the patient noting something specific relating to that patient’s dental needs. If possible, also include an educational brochure relating to the patient’s condition.
Delegate responsibility for the recall system to someone who will be accountable for its success and will be given the tools and the time necessary to succeed.
That person is your patient coordinator, and you should expect them to:
- Make a specific number of patient phone calls each day in a specific amount of time.
- Schedule a specific number of appointments.
- Ensure that a specific number of patients complete treatment.
- Schedule to ensure the hygienist achieves a specific daily or monthly financial goal.
- Manage a specific number of unscheduled time units in the hygiene schedule per day.
A good patient coordinator should be able to manage a patient base of 500 to 1000 on an average of 15 hours per week. It doesn’t take much to figure out that reactivating a few inactive patients pays for the position quickly.
Monitor the system regularly -- at least every 30 days. Establish clear goals for your patient retention plan. And designate a specific person to be accountable for its success. The system will work and you can rest easy knowing you’ve plugged the drain.
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