The patient experience in a dental office is a journey or a process that requires ongoing treatment, management of everything, and follow-ups. Both parties involve a series of interactions, and for that reason, patient-provider adherence matters. Capline Dental Services stresses why follow-ups are crucial and how to work around them to promote efficiency and minimize workload.
Capline Dental Services' top seven strategies are to build solid doctor-patient relationships that keep patients coming back, improve health outcomes, foster patient satisfaction, and improve patient trust.
All the above situations require follow-ups to monitor patients' improvement and symptoms and understand their routines for better outcomes.
This vulnerable and uncertain relationship has an impact on the patient's health. It acts as a safety net in demanding health challenges where empathy, emotional support, and care go beyond competition.
There are several slips. To understand how to build a long-term relationship, let's acknowledge a few common barriers.
Now let us talk about improved patient engagement, patient loyalty, and high patient satisfaction for the overall success of the dental practice. How patient follow-ups and office operations are interconnected, and the key is not the staff but the communication tools that deliver the information and lighten the workload.
The communication tools touch the personalization, automation, and customization to work efficiently even with monotonous tasks such as phone calls and sending emails. The below examples contribute to specific situations by showing genuine care and understanding.
The brain forgets things up to 80% if not repeated, and the instructions care booklet shows that the team cares for the patients. Using patient messaging tools such as automatic emails and text messages with instructions to follow ensures adherence and helps patients with improved outcomes.
The instructions swamped the patients during the clinic visit. The dental staff can schedule follow up appointments by sending reminders through email, text, and voice to make it easier for the patients. To simplify, include a secure link to an online scheduling tool, where they can pick and choose at their convenience. Patients can choose a day and schedule a time without calling the office.
To check the progress, educate patients about their diagnosis. Newsletters with relevant articles can help achieve this.
Nowadays, all follow-ups do not require the patient in the practitioner's chair. Live video may help patients with great distances, or if transportation is a barrier, it can act as an alternative to understand their symptoms and check their progress.
Batch messaging or recall notification tools can help to get the overdue patients' text or email reminders automatically for preventive screening or regular clinic visits.
Two-way exchange creates a comfort zone for the patients to ask questions, clarify directions, and reschedule. The patients can immediately connect to the dental office. That assures the patients that their practice cares about them and that they feel comfortable discussing their concerns and facilitating a successful care experience.
Dental practices specify which patients require follow-up appointments and the specific type of follow-up needed. As a dental practice, there are several important considerations, including: