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CDS Member News and ArticlesProfessional News Articles : FRONT DESK by Mary M. Byers, CAE : Conquer cancellations Conquer cancellationsDecember 8, 2009 It’s the time of year when patients may opt to cancel because of the weather — a convenient excuse to keep them from keeping their appointment with you. But just one cancellation a day at the average value of $100-$125 each can cost your practice over $20,000 a year in lost revenue. And since 60-85 percent of dentistry is generated from the hygiene department, an empty chair can mean even more lost revenue. What’s a practice to do? The following tips will help reduce your cancellations and no-shows. Train your patients how to treat you. Make it clear that you expect patients to keep their appointments. Carefully review all of your material to insure that it doesn’t include information about how to cancel — which many preprinted recall cards do. Addressing cancellation in this manner sends the message to patients that it’s okay to cancel, even when it’s not. Ask for 48 hours notice in the event of a cancellation. This signals patients that a last-minute change of plans is not acceptable. Be clear. When appointing patients, state the date, day, time and length of appointment. Doing so enables the patient to mentally run through other commitments he or she may have at this time and will help avoid scheduling conflicts. Remind. Make confirmation calls at least two days in advance. Choose to talk to the patient vs. leaving a voicemail whenever possible. Doing so enables you to confirm that the patient is aware of, and plans to keep, the appointment. Follow Up. Contact every patient who cancels, doesn’t show or doesn’t reschedule. This keeps these patients from dropping through the cracks. They should be rescheduled as soon as possible. Show concern for no-shows. Don’t wait to contact no-shows. Call them and say, “Mrs. Smith, we were expecting you for a 4 o’clock appointment today and were concerned when you didn’t arrive. Is everything okay?” Patients appreciate knowing you miss them and this is an additional way to signal to patients that you are serious about appointments. Maintain a list. Keep a list of patients who are willing to come in sooner for an appointment. Doing so makes it easy to schedule another patient when you do get a cancellation. Remember, an empty hygiene chair means less dentistry scheduled overall. Change it up. If patients are finding it difficult to keep appointments during the work or school day, consider adding evening hours or a Saturday morning to your schedule once a month. Doing so may be enough to accommodate the patients most likely to cancel or be a no-show. Helping them find a time to visit also helps your bottom line. Cancellations and no-shows erode practice profitability. Make it clear to patients that you expect them to keep their appointments and make it easy for them to do so. This should be standard operating procedure. When it is, you’ll experience less down time and higher productivity in the practice.
CDS presents Front Desk, a column addressing problems dentists and staff members experience in the office. Front Desk is prepared by Mary M. Byers, CAE, a professional speaker and freelance writer. Ms. Byers may be reached at mbyers@marybyers.com or www.marybyers.com. Send suggestions for topics to be covered to review@cds.org. |
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