So last month I was working with my business consultant on updating our practice procedure manual. The intent of the manual is to spell out every little step and detail taken by our staff to insure great results and beautiful smiles for our patient family.

The bottom line is that the more organized and efficiently we run the practice, the more benefits we can offer to you, our highly valued patient. By running a smooth-sailing ship we can offer such conveniences as on-time treatment, less waiting time, maximum utilization of your insurance benefits to limit your out of pocket expenses , less costs passed on the patient, and higher quality results.

So, back to my conversation with my consultant. As we were discussing all of the intricate details and steps of our office policies and procedures, I remarked: “Hey Mike, you know there really are a lot of behind the scene details that we handle on a daily basis. Plus we handle a lot of these tasks in a concentrated form on our weekly administration days. I bet that patients have no idea of how hard we work to make sure that they get that great Kineret Orthodontics Smile. Man, if they only knew of all those extra hours and steps taken, I think they would be very impressed with our commit…….” and Mike stopped me right there before I finished the sentence. He said, “Well, Dr. Steve, did you ever think to tell them? I think they should know—they would appreciate it.”

Rather than overwhelm you with all of the details of our practice, (we have a 1 ½ inch thick procedure and policy manual), I thought it would be useful to outline just the steps taken from a new patient’s initial phone call through the first month of braces. So, here we go!

I. New patient phone call

Treatment coordinator visits with the patient on the phone and listens to patient’s core needs and wants—it is important to us to treat our patients like family and we are committed to taking the time to individualize treatment from the very beginning.

Patient is directed to website for directions, map and, virtual tour of office and to download patient questionnaire forms

Insurance information is gathered to assist the patient in maximizing their benefits

Patient’s file is put into auto responder email system for automatic appointment reminder emails and text

A hard copy and digital chart is created

 

II. Exam Visit

Good treatment starts with good diagnosis—diagnostic records are obtained. This includes:

Head film and panoramic x-r ay imaging, facial and intraoral photos, diagnostic models.

Gather and evaluate initial patient information forms in order to individualize and personalize treatment

Patient’s core needs and wants and the super benefits of treatment are identified. Options and outcomes are discussed and visualized. This is interactive and in our practice all questions are answered.

Treatment costs are reviewed and the Treatment Coordinator works together with the patient to create an individualized payment plan to fit their monthly budget.

Communication is opened up with the patient’s dentist and a request to clear for treatment is sent. If the patient does not have a dentist they are given a referral.

Set up and organize chart, schedule next appointments and overview what will happen, conduct tour of the office and overview patient reward and prize system.

 

 

III. Diagnostic and Treatment

Doctor and treatment coordinator review the patients diagnosis and treatment plan, informed consent and risks, benefits, alternatives, office policies and contracts, home care, insurance contracts/processing, additional records and any necessary referrals are all handled at this visit

Fun stuff: patient picks out movie, smoothie, colors, earns their first Kineret Bucks for the prize and gift card shop

Bond brackets, place initial arch wires, dispense and review homecare materials

Send initiation of treatment report to DDS, and follow up on cavity, periodontal clearance, chart procedures

Organize hard copy chart and sub charts and digital ledger, contracts

Schedule next appointments and enter into auto responder email and text system for automatic appointment reminders

Start insurance claim filing and tracking procedures.

 

Whoa, that’s a lot of steps—and this is all done while we are straightening your smile!