Dental Tribune UK Edition, October 4-10, 2010, No.24 Vol.4

October 4-10, 201016 Business Management Tribune United Kingdom Edition R ecently, on a trusted rec- ommendation, I attended a small private hospital in the South East of England (a 500 mile round trip from my home), to have a consultation with a specialist and to partici- pate in some tests. The fee for the time I spent in the hospital was around £1,700, and the outcome (apart from a chat and a couple of short emails), mainly consisted of an estimate for the treatment that they had offered to me. Although I was grateful to be given a solution, albeit an expensive one, the process I went through to get it irritated me. Most of us are too impatient for the consultation process, al- though we accept that a consul- tation is a necessary step toward finding a solution or providing an outcome to our situation. That’s why carpet fitters, for ex- ample, write ‘Free Estimates’ on the side of their vans – they know that their clients don’t really want to pay for them. However, the carpet fitter needs to size up the job, decide the way forward, offer an estimate and close the sale, much like a dentist. Boosting patient experience Now, I’m not an advocate the offering of free consultations – I’ve always believed people don’t value what they don’t pay for. Look at the number of missed appointments in NHS GP sur- geries and hospital out-patient clinics. However, paying for a consultation can leave the pa- tient feeling grumpy too, unless you can turn the experience into one which genuinely adds value to the patient. So, how can you do that dur- ing a new patient consulta- tion in a dental practice? Let me tell you a little bit more about my private hospital expe- rience and I think you will see the parallels with a dental prac- tice. During my visit, they ran late and I wasn’t told how long I might have to wait or how long the consultation would take, so I couldn’t easily arrange to do anything else with my time. At no point did anyone ex- plain to me how they conducted their consultations, what might happen, how long it might take and what I could expect at the end. I felt that my presence in their clinic was mostly to allow them to reach whatever con- clusions they could. Part of this deal was that I would behave like a good patient and do what- ever was asked of me as I was poked and bled! I felt my experi- ence was a win for them, but a loss for me, particularly finan- cially. They hadn’t made it clear what the value of a consultation would be, and I left the clinic with the very same symptoms that I arrived with. Communication is key So, in order for your patients to leave your new patient consulta- tions feeling satisfied with their appointment, I suggest that you consider some of the following ways to make a patient’s initial consultation feel like a valuable experience. Make sure patients understand: 1. How your new patient consul- tations are structured, both in ad- vance of the visit and on the day 2. How long the whole visit will take 3. How you will communicate the outcomes, treatment plan/ solutions that you will be offering 4. To inform the practice staff if they are experiencing any pain or discomfort, you will then have time to offer any first aid or temporary solutions to relieve their symptoms 5. That they will receive a thor- ough verbal and written expla- Keeping them keen Making sure new patients know everything they need to know about future treatment will add value to your practice, says Simon Hocken ‘At no point did anyone explain to me how they conducted their consultations, what might happen, how long it might take and what I could expect at the end. I felt that my presence in their clinic was mostly to allow them to reach whatever conclu- sions they could..’ Informing patients about new treatments can help to boost the patient experience FenderMate® is a trademark registered by Directa AB. Registered Design and Patent pending. Mimics natural contour Flexible wing exerts pressure for maintained separation and cervical adaption Inserts like a wedge Compressing wedge mimics natural separation and prevents overhangs World’s Fastest Composite Matrix? 3216-1009©DirectaAB Matrix Distributed in the UK by Trycare, Tel. 01274-88 10 44 More Designs by Dentists www.directadental.com

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