A recent survey conducted by the ADA’s Health Policy Institute showed that 35% of dentists felt they were not busy enough and would like to see more patients.
If you identify with the 35%, this guidance is for you.
“Even though practices may operate a little differently or experience different situations, there are steps you can take to fill your schedule,” says CDA Practice Management Analyst Matthew Nelson, who co-developed the guidance with his fellow analysts. Read on for help identifying ways to increase your patient count. The suggestions do not cover every possible scenario, and each item may not be applicable to every situation.
Maximize your current patient base: Reporting, follow-up and referrals
“Look first for missed opportunities with your current patient base,” Nelson recommends. “Are they receiving your full focus?”
These are the patients who have joined your practice over time and built a strong, trusting relationship with you, but patients can fall through the cracks easily when you only see them a couple of times a year.
Familiarize yourself with your practice management software reporting and make sure none of your patients has unintentionally dropped out of your system. Critical reports to review include the past-due recall list and incomplete treatment list. But you might also follow up with patients you referred to colleagues and who may have failed to complete treatment, such as a patient referred to an endodontist who may not have come back to complete the crown. Check in with your practice management software customer service team if you need assistance pulling these reports.
- Expert tip: Assign each report to a team member, set a reasonable goal (10-20 patients contacted per week), and follow up on their results in weekly recap meetings. If patients state they are not coming back, be sure to inactivate them in your system.
Beyond reporting, follow-up and referrals, you can use your current patients as a low-cost marketing resource. Do you ask your patients for referrals? They may not know that you are looking for new patients.
Nelson says the marketing can be as simple as “Mrs. Smith, we just love seeing patients like you. You may not be aware, but we are accepting new patients and would love it if you would refer your friends and neighbors.”
However, remember that you cannot give gifts for new patient referrals but you can send thank you cards. Read more about marketing strategies later.
Review operational systems: Confirmation protocols, hygiene/recall booking
Any review of a practice’s operational systems should begin with the cancellation and no-show rate. “If your cancellations are higher than 10%, dig into the reasons why,” Nelson advises.
Ensure you have a strong confirmation protocol in place. Are you capturing patient phone numbers, obtaining text confirmation consent and collecting email addresses? Are you asking your patients for their preferred method of communication? Do you have a structured and consistent system? Nelson recommends contacting the patient three times: two weeks prior to the appointment, two days prior and the day before.
“If patients do not confirm, consider using verbiage like, “Dr. Stark reserved an hour of her time for your care. We’d kindly appreciate confirmation that you’ll be here for the appointment,” Nelson offers.
Your hygiene/recall patient rebooking percentage also requires scrutiny. “Ideally, you are re-booking a minimum of 90% of your patients for their recall visit before they leave the practice,” Nelson says. “Anyone not re-booked is at risk of falling out of your system and falling behind on their dental care because this method relies on patients remembering they are due for care.”
One recommended approach is to pre-book the appointment for the same day of the week and timeframe as their current visit. If the patient is reluctant, consider using verbiage like, “I understand that we may need to change this date or time in the future, but I want to make sure we keep you on the schedule for your next exam and cleaning. With your permission, I would like to book you for the same day and time six months from now.”
Lastly, review your case-acceptance percentage. Reports available on your practice management software will show you how much diagnosed treatment remains unscheduled. By reviewing your case acceptance rate, streamlining your patient communication protocols and role-playing common patient objections in your team meetings, you can improve your case acceptance and potentially fill in some of the gaps on your schedule.
- Expert tip: CDA’s member-only resources can help you meet your goals by assessing cancellations, recall patient rebooking rate, case acceptance and more. Use Top 10 KPIs: Investigative Questions to assess your systems.
Review your marketing strategy: Goals, ideas, implementation and tracking
Once you have ensured that you are maximizing your current patient base and confirmed that you are systematically strong in your processes, the next step would be to review your marketing strategy and evaluate if the money you’re spending is working for you.
- Identify your goals: Are you looking to fill the schedule, grow the practice to add another provider or simply replace the natural attrition that happens?
- Review the demographics and the large employer groups in your community: Make sure the marketing strategy fits your local community and your patient base. For instance, are you in a community composed mostly of large families or young working professionals? Where will your audience see your marketing? (Will social media ads or mailers be more effective?) Would it make sense to try some business-to-business marketing?
- Determine your new patient goal and break it down by the number of new patients needed each day, week and month. Collaborate with your team on ideas for reaching these goals so everyone is working together.
- Identify a plan: Start with internal marketing utilizing patient referrals, as described earlier. Are you promoting your practice and website using search engine optimization (SEO), social media advertising and/or social media presence through a marketing company? Consider sponsoring or attending community events to engage with your local community. Similarly, dentists can sponsor local sports teams, offer oral hygiene instructions at local schools or provide table days for large employers. “You could even host an after-hours mixer at your office with your local chamber of commerce and do office tours,” Nelson offers.
Expert tip: Stay involved in your marketing strategy. For example, create a calendar that lists ideas for events and social media post ideas, and when new patients call the practice, ask how they heard about you so you can track the most effective ideas. If asking over the phone doesn’t feel natural, collect that information on their new patient paperwork. Follow up by thanking them for coming in.