Sally McKenzie, CEO McKenzie Management Printer Friendly Version

Better Patient Retention Starting Today

Do you have the uneasy feeling that patients are quietly slipping away, getting lost on the way to their next appointment, wandering somewhere between the subprime mortgage crisis, inflation woes and general economic angst? You try to reassure yourself that though it does seem there are more appointment failures and cancellations, it’s probably nothing too serious. Unfortunately, it’s likely your instincts are spot-on and your patient retention is, in fact, in a downward spiral.

Time to conduct an active patient inventory! Answer these four simple questions:

1. How many inactive patient records are taking up space in your files or are tucked away somewhere in storage?
2. Are you converting 85% of emergency patients to comprehensive exams?
3. Have you increased hygiene days per week in the last year?
4. Are your hygienists’ salaries more than 33% of what they produce?

If the number of inactive charts is enough to open a second practice, or if you answered “no” to question two and three and “yes” to question four, your patient retention is weak.

The good news, however, is that you can take steps to strengthen it immediately.

First, keep in mind that patients seldom make a conscious decision to leave a practice; more often they simply drift away. They come in for a routine appointment and depart wondering if they should have taken time out of their busy schedules for it. They book the obligatory six-month cleaning and quietly question if it’s really necessary to keep it. They pay the bill and ask themselves if the visit was actually worth the money. Meanwhile, dental teams lament the fact that many patients don’t appreciate the need for dental treatment, yet seldom take advantage of opportunities to reinforce the importance of ongoing care at every “routine visit.”

What’s more, dentists often unwittingly minimize the value of dental care. Consider this common scenario: A hygienist spends time carefully explaining to Mrs. Jones that she is now showing signs of periodontal disease and her oral hygiene appointments may need to be increased. Then the doctor walks in, greets Mrs. Jones and marvels at the great job she is doing with her oral healthcare. The patient is confused and silently doubts both the doctor and the hygienist’s diagnostic credibility. Unfortunately, the value and importance of the hygienist’s message is all but lost, and the hygienist feels that her/his recommendations have been undermined. The doctor has probably lost a patient.

If your practice is not stressing the importance of the next visit to patients while they are sitting in the chair, you probably have many more broken appointments, cancellations and lost patients than you should.

Take a mere 10 seconds to avoid mixed messages and maximize your role as a clinical team. The hygienist tells the doctor what she/he found and subsequently discussed with the patient. The doctor immediately knows that the patient is prepared to hear a more detailed diagnosis and treatment plan. The patient, in turn, understands the value of ongoing dental care and sees yours as a clinically reliable team in which she can place her trust.

Next, try just a little harder with your patients. Research has proven that customers/patients respond positively and are willing to spend more if they feel like a business—in this case, a dental office—is making an effort to go the extra mile.

Tomorrow, instead of merely going through the motions, take some steps to shake up the routine and demonstrate to patients that you’re willing to put forth a little more interest and effort on their behalf.

Engage the patient in conversation about oral health goals. Many practices will do this during a new patient visit for the first and last time. If you’ve been seeing certain patients for three years and haven’t asked them lately how they feel about the condition of their mouths, you’re missing any number of treatment opportunities. Based on such conversations, educate patients about treatments that are offered in the practice to address oral health goals. Provide them with professionally written and designed materials that educate them about services and procedures. Don’t assume that patients know what you can do for them. Tell them.

Sally McKenzie is CEO of McKenzie Management, a nationwide dental management, practice development and educational consulting firm. Working on-site with dentists since 1980, McKenzie Management provides knowledge, guidance and personalized systems that have propelled thousands of general and specialty practices to realize their potential. Sally can be reached directly at 1.877.777.6151.

Interested in speaking to Sally McKenzie about your management concerns? Email her at Sally@thedentistsnetwork.net.