3 Steps to Successful Treatment Follow-Up

It’s a common problem that many dentists face – oftentimes your patients will be unable to schedule a follow-up appointment for treatment on the same day that you diagnose their problem. They understand that they need to have additional work done, but need to check their schedules or get additional time off of work or find a babysitter and aren’t able to say for certain when the best time for their treatment would be.

We know that you don’t want to seem pushy, so it can be difficult to develop a successful follow-up plan. Below are 3 steps to help you schedule follow-up appointments with patients who can schedule on the same day as diagnosis:

1. Make sure your patient knows you’ll be following up and find out the best time and phone number to reach them.
2. Work with your staff to set aside time each day to allow your office to get in touch with follow-up patients.
3. Make sure your staff is giving patients a detailed message regarding their follow-up care. One that will make them want to schedule an appointment.

Before your patient leaves on the day of their diagnosis, make sure that they are aware that you’ll be contacting them regarding their treatment. Make sure the call happens no longer than a week from the day of their first appointment. You can create a reminder on your office computer, or you can create a follow-up binder to keep track of who needs to be contacted and when. At the daily morning huddle, remind your staff to check on the computer or the binder for any patients who need a follow-up appointment scheduled.

If you reach the patient’s voicemail, leave them a message about the appointment and ask them to call you back. Once this is done, refile a reminder to call them again the next week. Only call your patient twice or three times, any more than this and you will seem much too pushy.

CTC National has knowledgeable and experienced consultants who can assist you in dental staff training and other important tips to keep your practice running smoothly!