Dental New Patient Intake Customization
Dental new patient intake is time consuming. And is a detail-oriented process. But one that is absolutely necessary. This fourth week in January, we wrap up our customer service focus. And encourage all members and their teams to work through the Dental Telephone Training Course this week. Perhaps chat about the topics at a team meeting. Or even share a tip each day at a morning huddle.
This week’s full blog post is available to all readers. Although some articles do have a “members only” section, this article is for everyone! So, let’s jump in and chat about our new patient callers and how we can better support our clinical team. And even provide more accurate billing and patient information for everyone.
What Do We Need To Know?
Our world has changed. We are in the midst of a global pandemic. And there are additional considerations for our team and our patients. Maybe revisit intake processes and questions asked of new patients. Look at the process with new eyes. Is there anything we might like to do to streamline the process? Is there a better way? Or a question to add to an existing intake process?
Are there unnecessary questions we currently ask? Maybe something that needs new verbiage? Or perhaps something to eliminate from an initial phone conversation altogether? Many dental offices now provide new patient forms on their website. So, let’s rethink what we need to know to schedule a first appointment? And we absolutely want to start with name, contact numbers, and email addresses first!
Dental New Patient Intake Requirements
Dental new patient intake is different for specialists than for general dentists. However, names and phone numbers are necessary for all. We might even need to call our new patients back. Especially if there is a lot happening at our front desk at the time of the new patient call. And that’s okay. We might even want to consider a call back to a referring dental practice. But at least start with the basics.
Be sure to ask if the patient is experiencing pain at the time of their call. And if so, what the pain level is. Does the patient require immediate care? Is there a need to meet in today’s schedule? This too might require a call back. And we may even need to speak with our dentist. So, know what needs to be gathered for immediate consideration. And be sure the team is well informed and trained in this regard. What are the expectations? And when does the dentist need to be consulted?
Patient Benefit Verification, History, Claims Tracking & More!
How Important is Insurance Information?
Patients are generally very concerned with dental benefits. However, are not often well informed. Therefore, we definitely want to be on top of this right away. It’s not the first question we ask. But, is information we must gather and look into before any appointment happens. Why before an appointment?
Let’s resolve any insurance issues before treatment occurs. Patients may present for treatment with a medical insurance card rather than a dental insurance card. A new patient may have no dental insurance at all. But somehow, they believed they did. Or they have coverage but no card. And this happens more and more. And it takes the patient some time to track it down. Benefits may be maxed for the year. Or there are waiting periods to consider.
Dental New Patient Intake Technologies
Technology is fabulous! And a huge time saver. Although, I do find there is still some man-power involved. Especially when we are gathering new patient information and insurance data. But I also appreciate every minute I can save. And so do our patients. We have busy lives and things to do! Let’s make good use of what is available to us. And save our energies for the things we must manually address!
Please take a look at the technologies offered to you here today. Schedule a no pressure, no cost consultation with these companies. It will take just a little time, and you’ll know if this is for you. And feel free to shop around. Find what works best for your practice needs and budget.
Time is Precious
Enjoy your new patient calls more! And find there is now more time for initial questions. Because you can trust the technology to help with patient registration and insurance verification and benefits. Yes, we may still need to make a phone call or two. But there will be less questions to ask. And less information to gather manually.
Time is a precious commodity. And one we never get back. Technology gives us more time. Something that is truly hard to come by in these trying times. Take the time to carefully reconsider your dental practice intake forms and processes this week. Update, refresh, and rethink your steps. You’ll be so glad you did!
