Do Not “Fall” Into the Autumn Dental Hygiene Slump: Strategies for a Productive Dental Hygiene Schedule
Our team has compiled a list of action items to help practices maintain, not necessarily full, but highly productive, Dental Hygiene schedules during the fall months. These strategies are designed to optimize your team’s time, enhance patient care, and prepare your practice for a strong finish for year end.
12 Tips for Ensuring a Full and Productive Dental Hygiene Schedule:
Assess Provider Needs Based on Active Patient Count
Evaluate how many Dental Hygiene providers you need to serve your current patient base.Implement Block Scheduling for Perio and New Patients
Reserve dedicated time slots to ensure these high-value appointments are prioritized.Achieve a 90% Pre-Appointment Rate
Aim to pre-appoint at least 90% of patients and consider scheduling multiple future visits when appropriate.Diagnose Disease and Curate Recare Intervals
Use clinical findings to personalize recare frequency, improve patient health outcomes, and enable your provider to run on scheduled appointment times.Instill Value Within the Appointment
Pinpoint a “pearl” of importance for the patient’s next appointment. Be sure to share with the patient and document to reduce future cancellations and no-shows.Establish a Dental Hygiene Scheduling Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Ensure scheduling is successful by implementing a playbook, process, or system that suits the needs of your practice.Coordinate with Front Office and Restorative Teams
Identify patients needing restorative care and bundle appointments for convenience.Enforce a Clear Cancellation/Failure Policy
Set expectations and reduce last-minute gaps in the schedule.Utilize Waitlist Auto-Notification Features
Fill openings quickly by notifying patients when availability changes with a click of a button.Send End-Of-Year Benefit Notifications
Remind patients to use their remaining insurance benefits before they lose them.Audit Automated Recare Systems
Ensure messages are being sent effectively and allow for easy patient response.Personalize Recare Outreach
Use targeted phone or text messages for patients who are due or overdue. Tailor your verbiage to gain results with scheduling vs. simply completing a task of “recare.”
Interested in diving deeper into these strategies? We would love to schedule a 30-minute session with you to explore how we can tailor these tips to your practice’s unique needs.
Reach out to our team at Dental Consulting Company today and let us help your team build a schedule that is both full and productive this fall! Our coaches are here to help: hello@dentalconsultingco.com.