#887: Ensure Your New Patients Are Staying

Dental A Team Podcast

Tiff and Britt discuss ways a practice can make sure their new patients are sticking around, including the importance of gaining feedback from those folks who are leaving and double-checking there’s a chain of accountability in the first place.

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Transcript:

The Dental A Team (00:02.16)

Hello, everyone. I am back again today with the one and only brilliant Brit. I have coined her new name and it's sticking it's gonna fit. Add it to the list. She's got about 15 of them. So your 16th name brilliant Brit. Thank you for being back with me today. I am on pod nine. just recorded another podcast that I cannot actually wait to release to the whole world here because I love

The Dental A Team (00:26.852)

when we can dive into stats and numbers. So Britt, thank you so much for being here with me today and recording these with me. I'm excited for this one as well. How are you? How are you doing? How's life? How's the world of brilliant Britt?

Britt (00:39.03)

I mean, I'm here with Spiffy Tiffy, so it's a good time.

The Dental A Team (00:42.074)

That's fair. That's fair. That's fair. I can't believe how well that name stuck. comes on a just so everyone knows. When my anniversary comes around every year, I get something marked some sort of memorabilia marked with Spiffy Tiffy. And they haven't let my even though our caricatures are gone. If you've never seen our caricatures, you need to go do some Dental A Team digging. They're out there somewhere. And this year's came with my character because they know

Britt (00:51.573)

Yeah.

The Dental A Team (01:10.339)

that Spiffy Tiffy Care for sure cannot die. So thanks for reminding me of that, Brit.

Britt (01:13.218)

Definitely not. And it's one of the best nicknames, so it's a good one and it fits you so well.

The Dental A Team (01:17.23)

you

The Dental A Team (01:20.749)

thank you. Thank you. I feel like I have an easier name to rhyme with. you know, brilliant, Britt. I like it. Awesome. Well, thank you for all of that. Today, I wanted to chat new patients. And in the dental industry, we focus a lot of attention on new patients. And we focus a lot of attention on new patient acquisition. But it's something that I've noticed with a lot of my clients recently.

Britt (01:26.136)

Yeah.

Britt (01:29.992)

Thank

The Dental A Team (01:48.556)

I've done a really big focus this year for all of my clients on their active patient count and just making sure that that's continuously growing because I just don't think that there's enough emphasis put on that on the business side of practice ownership. So I've been really working with my practices on that this year. Part of that is looking at those new patients, that acquisition, but then also are they staying, are new patients returning? And I don't think that that's something

we're constantly watching. We'll watch active patient count, new patient acquisition, and sometimes practices are watching their attrition. So what patients have left from their active patient count and looking to see with that, you guys are gonna look at, Your new patients minus your attrition gives you your actual active patient, like additions, right? Your actual new patients acquired, but you're not gonna notice that those new patients

are not coming back likely until six months later when they should be coming in. If they randomly end up on some sort of follow up someone decided to do because they don't actually have re care in the system because there should have been SRP or in 18 months when they fall off as a nutrition patient and they're no longer your active patient count. So not watching that in between to me is like, I don't know, I, it actually makes me think of when I order off of Amazon so often.

that I forget that I ordered something and it never came. That's what it feels like to me when you pay for a new patient, and you're not making sure that they're coming back. It's like ordering off of Amazon, forgetting you ordered it and never noticing that they took your money and didn't give you the product, which doesn't happen often. But I have had it happen where orders are delayed, orders are delayed. And I have to request it like sometimes you have to work for that stuff. It's not just as easy as a click.

That's what our new patients are like. So when we're paying to acquire these new patients, and we're working really hard to get them in the schedule, you guys, making sure that they're coming back is going to be huge. Britt, I chatted with you about this like five minutes ago. You have a ton of really great ideas on that. You know, my space is always like, well, relationships, if they love you, they'll come back and like we could dive into that forever. But there's a million podcasts on that. I actually really loved the ideas that you have wrapped around

The Dental A Team (04:12.971)

how to make sure how we're tracking it, how to ensure that they're coming back and how to make them really value that space. So I would love to hear when you're working with clients or in the past when you worked with more clients, you guys, she's not up for grabs, okay, I'm just gonna put that out there. She's brilliant, is behind the scenes. But when you were working with clients before and what you see a lot of the other consultants doing, what are like top three spaces, top three ways

Britt (04:28.17)

Thank

The Dental A Team (04:41.874)

you think a practice could do really well in making sure that those acquired new patients stay.

Britt (04:46.926)

Yeah, I love your analogy on Amazon because I think we've all come that person either like that we don't recognize it doesn't come or something shows up and you're like, huh, what is that? And that's when I know I have a problem sometimes. good, good analogy. think number one, I'll start with like being aware, right? So how many new patients are we getting and what's our attrition rate? How many patients did we see 18 months ago?

The Dental A Team (04:49.962)

Thanks.

The Dental A Team (05:00.765)

Yep. Yep, agreed.

Britt (05:14.21)

that have not returned for an appointment, think is a reality check for everyone to see, do you have more new patients than you're losing? Do you have about the same, so we're running like even, or are we not even getting as many new patients as we're losing so that we know where we're at? And then I think some of the tips, you probably hear all the time, make sure everybody leaves with an appointment.

Make sure everybody leaves with an appointment. like, number one, that's it. Hygiene, everyone should be leaving with appointments so that they don't fall off this, like fall off our radar. Cause then we've all got to just work to try to get them scheduled. They have to try to remember to get themselves scheduled. So that's number one. I think number two is going to be making sure that we have some sort of recare reminder for those ones that fall through, that fall off the schedule.

We're doing texts, we're doing emails, calls if we need to. There's some sort of system around Recare to make sure that those patients are coming back and are getting back on the schedule, I think is huge. And my number three is anyone who's leaving the practice or doesn't come back, I want feedback. If they're moving, fine, no problem. Like if they're willing to give me feedback, I want anything so we know if there's a problem happening for why we're losing our patients. So we can fix those things and retain as many people as possible.

The Dental A Team (06:30.927)

Yeah, I think that's fantastic. And that feedback, you guys can come in the form of like Google reviews for sure. We always want to push Google reviews. But then also to my, to my phones team is what I'm going to call it. Whoever's answering calls or making calls, really being diligent when a patient says, no, we don't want to schedule or no, I'm okay right now. And really asking the hard questions of, know, can I ask why you're not returning? It's really

important to our practice to ensure that we're top notch and that we're doing everything we can for our patients. So just want to know, we miss the mark somewhere? Are you, you know, are you moving? Like, can I just ask why you're not returning? Just asking that question being open for feedback and then not getting defensive, right? For sure not getting defensive. Don't take it personally. It's not you. Okay, it's a system. It's a it's a system problem in the practice if we're losing patience for anything other than like them moving and

I've had I've even had patients where they're like, actually, my son just graduated dental school. So like, we're going here. I'm like, my gosh, for sure. Absolutely. Totally understand. So asking for that feedback can be a little bit uncomfortable, but it's super important, especially you guys, when we have new patients that aren't scheduling back. A lot of times they're overwhelmed. They feel they can't afford it. They feel maybe they didn't get the time that they deserve. They don't understand their treatment plan like

really digging into those things because there's a lot I think for it when you're asking for that feedback, and you get feedback like that, that's an opportunity to be like, my gosh, I would hate to know that you you go into the world to any other dental practice and go confused. Like, can I at least can I take a couple of minutes with you and really dive into it and answer any unanswered questions that you might have? Whether you stay with us or not, I want to make sure I do my due diligence and you have the information.

that really like that vulnerability I feel like really makes a person like, okay, show me what you got. And it can save a big save a patient, I've done it, I've saved patients that way. But regardless, I think our reason for being here is to ensure that people are healthier when they leave than when they came in. And even if that means a patient going to get a second opinion or going to another office and they get the treatment done somewhere else, at least you know, at night when you go to bed, you took your time.

The Dental A Team (08:51.074)

and you took their time to make sure that they understood. So, Britt, I think that's brilliant. And that follow -up kind of goes into like asking for the reason for leaving has to come from a phone call that was initiated most of the time that patients are not calling our practices and being like, hey, by the way, I'm moving. So please cancel my account. Like I'm not coming back. They don't think about the dentist, right? Or, hey, you made me upset and I'm not comfortable there. So I'm not coming back.

Britt (09:03.458)

and

The Dental A Team (09:20.803)

just FYI, I'm going over here. Like they're not gonna call and tell you 99 .9 % of the time. The way that we get there is with follow -ups. So Britt mentioned making sure that patients always have an appointment when they leave, making sure that we're doing our due diligence on follow -up if they don't schedule that appointment or if they fall off for whatever reason. So we're calling on re -care, but then Britt also there's the side of the treatment follow -up. And I think we think treatment and we think doctor.

Britt (09:44.992)

you

The Dental A Team (09:48.211)

When are they getting the crown done? What about that implant? What about that ortho? Like all of these pieces, but what about that SRP you guys? How many patients, how many new patients fall off the radar because you guys, your systems aren't automatically putting them on re -care. They're not coming up automatically on your re -care if they didn't get their pro -fee. So they leave no pro -fee, no re -care setup. They need SRP and then they're not getting called. And then

Britt (09:54.732)

Mm -hmm.

The Dental A Team (10:17.452)

two years later, they're like, Hey, and we're like, you're basically a new patient, like I've been seen there and I want my cleaning. Now like this pickle is conundrum and it happens all the time. So making sure we're doing our due diligence there as well. Britt, what do you do? Or what did you what do you do for your clients? Like what do you suggest for that kind of follow up so that those SRP patients are limited or you know, perimenopathy, full maltebrate, like all of those patients, how do you make sure that they don't fall off the radar?

Britt (10:47.598)

Yeah, so hygiene treatment is just the same as doctor treatment, right? So you're gonna wanna follow your 2 -2 -2. So two days, two weeks, two months.

Like Tiff said, if someone's not scheduling, ask the hard questions. I can only provide solutions or work through it or help them in any way if I understand where they're coming from and what's going on, what's the true reason why they're not scheduling. So try to answer the question, solve it then if you can. If they still don't schedule, then set it up that like, hey, is it OK if I give you a call in a couple of days just to follow up, answer any other questions you have? So genuine concern for, like Tiff said, I want them to get the treatment taken care of. Wherever it is, I want

them to feel like they've got a place that cares about them, that they get the treatment taken care of and take care of their oral health, and that we're following up. And we're going to continue that follow -up two days, two weeks, two months. And then at two months, I want to make sure they've got something scheduled for their next visit. So if they need scaling and route planning and they haven't done it yet, what solutions can we come up with? If we don't have a solution for that, then at least schedule their next exam if we're not going to do something else. Make sure it's really clear if they can't do that right now. We want them to do something

But we want to make sure they're coming back so we can make sure no other issues arise and we have a chance to have a conversation to talk to them about the thing that they haven't gotten done, answer questions, make sure they know what's needed and walk them through it so they don't just get lost and never get that thing taken care of.

The Dental A Team (12:12.095)

Mm hmm. Yeah, beautiful. I love it. I love it. So making sure our new patients are returning is really going to come down to the scheduling and the follow up you guys and like we said in the beginning, you're going to see it in the attrition eventually, but I don't know about you. I don't want to wait 18 months to see if my money that I spent to acquire a new patient actually worked. And I don't I give like 50 % credit to a new patient number.

Britt (12:40.802)

Hmm

The Dental A Team (12:41.661)

Like it's a new patient today, but are we still, are we maintaining that patient? So really watching those numbers is super important. And I'm going to just reach out to the practice owners here, the doctors, the dentists, and just say, you guys, it is your job to make sure that your team understands what their job is. And if they don't understand that our job is to make sure that our patients are healthier.

and that means caring about their health, and we do that with these systems in place, that goes back to leadership, that goes back to practice ownership, and it goes back to making sure that everything is super clear for all of the positions within your practice. So I would look at the different positions, not the people, the positions in your practice, and look at who, which position would be best.

to take on this kind of a role. Like who's making sure that our new patients are coming back? Who's making sure that the treatment follow -up is there, that re -care follow -up is there? Who's making sure patients are leaving with appointments? And who's the buck stops here? Because if my hygienists are responsible for scheduling their next appointment, but a patient comes up and they don't have that appointment, is someone at check -out checking that? Is our front desk team equipped to really take a look at that and know

check for an appointment, listen in the handoff, do our handoffs, talk about that. Like where is the accountability set up and what's the process there? Because it's really easy. I'm gonna tell you right now as like a one man team, right? It's really easy as one person for that to be my responsibility and no, it's a job that I dislike. Maybe it takes a little bit of time and nobody's actually gonna ask me if it's happened. And when the schedule falls apart, I'm like, I don't know.

Britt (14:34.188)

Yeah.

The Dental A Team (14:34.48)

Well, the schedule fell apart, right? Because there's no accountability attached to it. didn't actually do the re -care calls I was supposed to. And now it's hard to get patients into the schedule. So that was my soapbox for practice owners. Please make sure that your team knows what's expected of them. And that also means like these follow -ups are happening because you're paying for these new patients and I want you to make sure that they're staying. So Britt, you said patients never leave without an appointment.

Britt (14:48.002)

you

The Dental A Team (15:04.55)

We're doing our due diligence on re -care and we're getting the feedback. So re -care and follow -up, we're gonna tie those two together. So re -care follow -up and diagnosed treatment follow -up, that also counts SRP, you guys, that gets lost in the shuffle very, very often. And then getting that feedback from patients so that we can address systems when they need to be addressed and make sure that things are flowing the way we need them to. Now, flipping from like easy implementable, easy to see,

Britt (15:06.936)

Mm

The Dental A Team (15:34.467)

Now you're going to flip and I'm going to talk like relationships. I think that this is huge. And I think this is the foundation of really getting patients into your practice. We work really hard at new patient acquisition, at new patient phone calls, making sure that everything's set and it's beautiful for a new patient. But what about when they're no longer a new patient? They've come in today, had their new patient appointment. They're no longer a new patient anymore.

What does that relationship look like? Are you maintaining that level of relationship, that level of customer service that you have for a new patient being acquired? Are you maintaining that for the patients thereafter once they're not new patients anymore? Because that is really easy to feel and it's very easy to see and it's very easy to lose patients out the back door. So way back to the beginning when I said paying attention to your active patient count, you guys, if you're

If your attrition is high or near your new patient acquired number, you're likely needing to look at that relationship piece and look at what the patient experiences after having become a new patient. I would hate to leave this unsaid and see doctors out there trying to see 80 new patients a month just to impact their active patient count.

when you likely could be doing something around 25 to 40 new patients a month, plus maintaining an active patient count through your re -care, through your treatment follow -up and having a profitable company. If all of those systems, foundational systems are in place. I really like 40 at top 40 to 45, maybe some of my high producing doctors and like efficient doctors can cut that. But I really, really like

40 or less, 25 to 30 really, but up to 40 new patients per full -time doctor provider max, because you're gonna lose out on a lot of pieces after that. That's a whole nother conversation, but making sure that those new patients are staying is gonna be really tracking those numbers. You're gonna track active patient count, attrition, case acceptance, diagnosis amount, and obviously your new patient number.

Britt (17:39.711)

Thank

The Dental A Team (17:55.766)

Now, Britt, what's something that you've seen, you've been into a lot of practices in person and what's something that you've seen that just stands out to you on like this office is stellar. There are new patients, there are re -care patients, like just their patients walking through the door feel like family, whether they're brand new or whether they've been here for years. What's something that really stands out to you that makes you feel that way when you walk into a practice?

Britt (18:19.66)

Yeah, some key pieces, right? And to keep in mind, I love that you said, right, that new patients and returning patients, right? What's that experience? They don't feel a shift. They feel just as important. Today is the first time they came to our office, even if it's years later, if not more important, because we know them a little bit better. So with that, think some key pieces are some of my awesome practices that are so warm. They greet their patients really well from the get -go, right? On the phone and when they walk into the practice,

Like they are genuinely acknowledged and people are excited to have them there. It's not a burden, it's not a problem. They're excited to have them. They greet them well and they try to be really efficient with the patient's time and be respectful. I think these days, right, time is important to everybody.

Yes, some people like to come and chat with us and spend time, but most people want to be efficient. They want to have a good time while they're there and they want to get on to their next thing. So being efficient with their time and communicating really well about what's going on when it comes to treatment, when it comes to finances, communication is really big and making sure that they're acknowledged, right? We try not to really leave them alone. We try to get them in and out and be efficient and not make them feel like they've been left or forgotten at any point within their experience.

The Dental A Team (19:29.525)

you.

The Dental A Team (19:37.161)

Yeah, I agree. I love that. think you're like, you hit the nail on the head with that, like warm, that warm welcome over the phone or in person. think you guys know, you just feel that energy and you can feel when someone being genuine. And when someone genuinely knows how to do their job, what their expectations are, and how they can win is when they're really genuine with the patient base. So I love that. Okay. So

Making sure your new patients are sticking you guys you need to start tracking some things or looking at items that maybe you're already tracking. Active patient account, attrition, new patient numbers, and your case acceptance and make sure that you guys have so I want you to pull those items start looking at them start digging into those trends and then I want you to make sure that you have a re care system in place and an unscheduled treatment system in place that really works. We like the 222 like Britt talked about.

If you want info on that, can email in [e-mail]. We would be happy to send it over to you. It's a quick form. If you want training on it, reach out to us. We train the practices every single day on things just like this. So let us know how we can help you, but I want you to track those items. Start watching for those trends. Start digging into the systems that are creating the trends and then make sure you have a good solid re -care system and a good solid unscheduled treatment system. And someone is responsible for both of those.

with accountability attached. So someone else is making sure that they happen or helping with it as well. Britt, thank you so much for your time today. I truly appreciate it. I value your input so much. You are a stellar consultant and a rock star administrative piece to this company and you have impacted so many lives. So thank you so much for being here with me today. I value you and your brilliant Britt brain. Thank you. Yeah.

Britt (21:32.376)

Yeah, well, always good to be here with you, I like when Tiff gets on her soapbox. She's always got good things to share. So you better listen up when Tiff starts going, because she's got something good. And Tiff is such a huge relationship piece with people, right? She trains teams on it all the time. And that really, right, people remember how you make them feel. So when it comes to patients, even if they're not there for long, and even if it's a scary place, they're going to remember you. So make sure you give them a good impression. That lasts a long time and builds loyalty big time.

The Dental A Team (21:59.888)

Awesome, thank you. I love that. All right, go get the feedback, go do the hard things, go do the easy things and reach out to us, [e-mail] anytime you need and we'll catch you next time.