Successful Reactivation of Overdue Patients

It has been said that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and yet expecting a different result". I am perpetually amazed at dental team members who attempt to make contact with overdue patients, but make no preparation whatsoever before picking up the phone. All they have in front of them is a computer screen with the patient's contact information, and possibly a hygiene recall card which they pulled out of the month the patient was supposedly due to come back in. Sometimes that card has been in that stack for over a year, so obviously something has prevented that patient from appointing. In order for us to be effective in re-activating this patient, we must first identify who this patient is, and what his or her hot buttons are. 

Let's identify the steps involved in the successful reactivation of overdue patients:

*Number one rule:

Always have the chart in front of you, before you pick up the phone!

*Thoroughly review the chart, before you pick up the phone.
  a. What kind of patient has this person been?  Have they always come in at their prescribed recall interval in the
      past?  Have they always kept their scheduled appointments, or is there a history of broken appointments?

  b. What concerns has this person expressed in the past?
      Insurance / Money - do they only want treatment that is covered by their insurance?  If so, they may have 
      put themselves on a longer recall because they do not want to pay out of pocket for additional recalls.  If this
      is the case, be prepared to speak to them about how this may result in the need for more extensive and
      costly treatment for them in the future.  Review the notes from their last hygiene appointment refer to their to
      their perio charting and speak to them about the importance of more frequent recalls to try to avoid the larger
      investment for deep cleanings or perio surgery.

      Time - Find out what times work best for them, and try to arrange an appointment in those time framces, if at
      all possible.  A good way to offset this is to pre-appoint this patient in advance for future recalls as far out as
      your system allows.

      Patient who travels - Note on their recall card or in your computer that this is the case.  These patients are
      usually not able to schedule too far in advance.  Often a quick call list works best in these situations.  Even if
      they are not in town when you do reach them, possibly they know when they will be, and can schedule for
      that time.

      Lack of Value - This is the most challenging patient to re-appoint. This person is usually a "need only" patient.
      They will call you when they feel they need to come in.  These are also the patients who call with after hours'
      emergencies, or call demanding to get in immediately on the schedule.  Practice philosophy will usually
      determine if this patient is allowed to remain in the practice, or is legally dismissed as a patient.

      Dental Fear - This patient needs to be handled with extra "TLC".  Show empathy, and reassure the patient
      they have nothing to worry about.  You can also offer nitrous oxide or pre-medication before the appointment,
      if the Doctor permits.  Often it is best to appoint these patients at the last minute, so they won't have time to
      fret about coming in.  Quick call list works well for this type of patient.

*Be careful with verbal skills, when you do get the overdue patient on the phone.
  Never say "We just had a cancellation, and wondered if you would like to come in to have your teeth cleaned". 
  Please!  Don't ever say those words!  Think about it, what message does that convey?  It sounds like you are
  only calling them because you have a cancellation that you need to fill.  Would that motivate you to schedule?
  Instead say "Hi Mary.  This is Elaine from Dr. Smith's office.  How have you been?  Dr. Smith was reviewing your
  record today, and is concerned that we haven't seen you since __________ (state the date the patient was last
  seen).  He asked me to contact you and schedule an appointment for you to come in."

*Then LISTEN!!!  What do you hear?  What concern is the patient expressing that has prevented them from
  coming in?  Then proceed to take their objection and turn it into a benefit.  For example; let's say their objection
  is money.  Use the "feel, felt, found" method to let the patient know you hear his or her concern.  "Mary I
  understand how you feel about investing the money to come in every 3 months as recommended by Dr. Smith.
  Other patients have felt the same way.  However, what they found is that by coming in every 3 months, they
  saved money in the long run, because they avoided the need for the more extensive and costly deeper cleanings
  which would be needed if their gum condition got worse.  Sometimes the patient really is not saying "NO", they
  are saying "KNOW" - "I need to know more".

*If the patient is really not willing to give you a reason for why they are choosing not to re-appoint, then say
  "Mary, we value you as a patient.  Has anything happened in our office that has prevented you from returning?"
  If the patient says no, then ask permission to check back with them later.  If the patient says yes, then hear
  them out.  Then say "If I can arrange to take care of this problem, would you then feel comfortable making an
  appointment?"  If the answer to that question is no, then respond with "Possibly you would be more comfortable
  having your dental treatment in another practice.  I would be happy to provide you with the number for the local
  dental society, who can assist you in finding another dentist.  Once you have done so, please contact us to
  arrange to have your x-rays forwarded."  Then let the patient know you will keep their records in active status
  for 30 days, and if you haven't heard back from them, they will be inactivated and no further attempts will be
  made to recall them.

So, let's summarize.  Always thoroughly review the chart, before attempting to contact the overdue patient. Overdue patients are out of relationship with the practice, for whatever reason. Your role is to re-create the relationship, by building rapport so the patient wants to re-schedule. Building rapport starts with making the patient feel important, letting the patient know you care about them. Every living creature on earth needs to feel they are special, that they matter. How would you want to be treated, if you were on the other end of the phone? It really is that simple!

"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget
how you made them feel." ~ Carl W. Buechner

By Elaine Dickson