Just like anyone, if your patients don't understand why their dental appointments are important, for a variety of reasons, they may casually break those appointments. Here's what you can do to change that mindset.
If more than 1% of the appointments at your practice are broken due to patients cancelling at the last minute or simply not showing up, you can do better. In our work with thousands of dental practices vexed by this problem, Levin Group has developed several highly effective strategies for eliminating no-shows and late cancellations.
Practices’ scheduling systems, patient populations, and protocols vary. For this reason, formulating a total solution requires an expert business analysis of your situation. However, the following techniques have resulted in significant improvements wherever we've implemented them:
Educate patients about the value of their appointments
Your patients will not automatically appreciate how much their scheduled appointment is worth, to them and to your practice. You and your staff must build that value and instill respect in the minds of your patients for your time and professional skills.
The best time to lay this groundwork for a good relationship is when patients first join your practice. Since you’ll be familiarizing them with your facilities, your personnel and your philosophy, explaining the value of each appointment will be perfectly natural. You’ll want to “remind” your existing patients of this, also. You may want to print up a simple explanation of the value of appointments and your scheduling policies. Be sure to use “friendly” language.
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Mention value when making appointments
Use scripting to smoothly incorporate value messaging into the appointment-making process. For example, if you have Saturday hours, point out that your patients “really love the convenience!” You can also explain why it’s important for them to show up on time… and if they need to change their appointment, why your office needs sufficient notice.
Update your confirmation system
Many dentists aren’t taking advantage of modern communication technologies for appointment confirmation. If you don't have one, investigate automated phone and text messaging systems. Even something as simple as acquiring and using patients’ cellphone numbers can help tremendously because calls to these phones are more likely to be answered.
Follow-up with no-shows immediately
As soon as you’re sure patients won’t show, have your scheduling coordinator call them to ask if they’re okay. If this is a first offense, they can be told that the doctor has decided to waive the penalty fee as a courtesy. Don’t allow them to reschedule in less than two weeks, then call back in a couple of days to offer a time slot that has “just opened up.” All these elements will heighten the sense of value for these patients and reduce future problems.
Begin using these methods in your practice and you’ll almost certainly see a substantial decline in no-shows and last-minute cancellations. Your patients will have a greater sense of the value not only of their appointments, but also of the oral health care services you provide.
Learn how Levin Group consulting works, and why it works so well. If you’re in any way dissatisfied with your practice, Dr. Levin’s systems-based approach to improving performance might be exactly what you need. Email Levin Group at [email protected] or call (888) 973-0000.
