Seating and dismissing patients

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY

How and when to seat patients, what to say to them, and how to introduce the doctor

BEST CASE SCENARIO IF WE ARE 100% CONFIDENT

Patient flow is smooth and efficient. Patients feel like we are well prepared and organized and take their visit seriously.

WORST CASE SCENARIO IF SOME OF US ARE NOT

Patients feel like we are disorganized and they're not that important to us. We get confused about what's happening and who these people are.

Docs walk in the room and say, "Hey nice to meet you Joe!", and the patient says, "Ummmmm we met last week and talked for an hour and I paid you $10,000."

WHAT DOES 100% CONFIDENT MEAN?

You properly introduce 100% of your patients.

HOW IT WORKS:

Step 1: Seat the Patient

Patients should be seated as quickly as possible once they are READY in YAPI and we have a chair open.

If the doctor is not quite ready, seat the patient anyways, because:

1. If the patient has to wait for the doctor, we would much rather have them wait in a tx room than in the waiting room.

2. The DA or someone else can get started with pre-op steps, prepping the patient, consent, pre and post op instructions, scans, records, etc.

3. The doctor might be able to sneak in to give LA or start the appointment.

Step 2: Prep the patient for today's visit

Once the patient is seated, verify the plan for today.

EXAMPLE:

"Hi Mrs. Jones, my name is ______. Today, Dr. _______ and I plan on fixing those cavities on the top right. Do you have any questions about what's going to happen today?"

Most patients have at least a little anxiety about their dental visits. Avoid words that might make their anxiety worse, like:

• extraction

• root canal

• drill

• grinding

• needle

• surgery

Instead, use phrases that emphasize how we are going to help the patient, like:

• "We are going to fix those cavities"

• "We are going to get rid of that infection"

• "We are going to make that toothache feel better"

• "We are going to strengthen those weak molars"

• "We are going to start working on rebuilding your smile"

If the patient is here for an emerg or consult, ask enough questions and gather enough info to:

1. Decide what records or xrays are required before calling the doctor in.

2. Give the doctor a headsup on what's happening. You don't need to go into too much detail with the patient, because the doctor will ask a lot of the same questions when they come in anyways.

3. Make the patient feel relaxed and comfortable.

Step 3: Introduce the doctor

When you introduce the doctor, keep in mind that it is quite possible that the doctor has no idea who this patient is, even if we just saw them recently or have seen them many times before.

Your introduction is a cue or reminder to the doctor so we can refresh our memories about who the patient is and what's happening today.

Introduce the patient by name.

IMPORTANT: If the patient's spouse or parents are also in the room, be sure to introduce them too.

And then tell the doctor:

1. What happened at the last visit?

2. What's happening at today's visit?

3. What's supposed to happen at the next visit?

EXAMPLE #1:

"Dr. Bennett, this is Mrs. Jones. This is Mrs. Jones' first visit with us today. She lives just around the corner and you met her neighbour Mrs. Smith last week. Mrs. Jones is here today because she broke a bottom molar on a chicken wing and it's feeling a little sore. We took an x-ray today and she's hoping you can take a look."

EXAMPLE #2:

"Dr. Bennett, this is Mrs. Jones. I'm sure you remember that Mrs. Jones was in for her new patient visit a couple weeks ago and you talked to her about strengthening some of her back teeth with crowns, fixing some cavities, and then making her a nightguard.

Today we are starting with the cavities and crown on the bottom right, and then she has another visit scheduled in a few weeks to do the left side."

Step 4: Dismissing the patient

Set the next person up for success!

FD has to collect payment and possibly book the next visit. The more info you can give them, the better.

BAD EXAMPLES:

"Bye Mrs. Smith - you can just walk past the front on your way out."

"Bye Mrs. Smith - you can stop at the front and the ladies up there will help you out."

How is FD supposed to know if

• the patient needs to be stopped for payment?

• all of the treatment has been posted?

• any next visit should be scheduled?

GOOD EXAMPLES:

"Hi Stacey, Mrs. Smith is all done for today. We did her cleaning and checkup and Dr. Bennett would like to see her back to work on the bottom right cavities. I've posted everything for today and put all the treatment in planned."

"Hi Stacey, Mrs. Smith is all done for today. She has a sore tooth and Dr. Bennett would like her to come back to see Dr. Schneider to have it removed. Can you talk to her about the cost and scheduling? I've entered the details in her chart (ie. I filled in the DOC TREATMENT PLAN autonote). Also I didn't get a chance to post for today - Dr. Bennett said there would be no charge."