Improving case patient acceptance of implant treatment is one of the key components of the Implant Coordinator’s role. This is accomplished primarily with effective implant consultations and fee presentations. There is a formula that leads to maximum case acceptance rates, which is the subject of this blog. We will cover the specific verbal skills, phrases and key words that improve patient acceptance in a follow-up blog.
1. Call Patients Prior to Consultation Appointments
The Implant Coordinator should speak to all new implant patients on the phone prior to their consultation appointments. This is an opportunity to determine each patient’s primary concerns, and goals for overall health, appearance, and well being, so that you can better prepare for the consultation appointment.
During this call, patients should be introduced to The Dental Implant Guide, particularly the Why Dental Implants? section of the site, which will educate the patients on the advantages of implants compared to other treatment options.
2. Call Referring Offices Prior to Consultation Appointments
The referring offices should be called to thank them for the referrals and let them know when their patients are scheduled for their consultation appointments. Ask if there is anything your office should know to make the patients feel more comfortable during their appointments. This is also the ideal time to coordinate with the referring office on x-rays or treatment planning information.
3. Prepare for Each Consultation Appointment
Prior to each consultation, share the information from the two phone calls with the surgeon. Review the notes from the phone call. What is important to each patient? Prepare the information you want to present and discuss with the patient. Organize visual aids that are relevant to the patient’s goals and case type.
4. Greet Patients Personally & Explain Flow of Appointment
When the patient arrives for the consultation, greet them personally and introduce yourself. Let the patient know that you will be reviewing some preliminary information prior to the doctor’s examination and diagnosis.
It is also important to let patients know that once the doctor has completed the exam and reviewed the diagnostic information, he/she will have the information necessary to determine the ideal treatment plan and various alternatives, as well as the fees for treatment and the sequence of appointments. If this protocol is followed patients are less likely to ask about fees until the end of the consult, thus allowing the Implant Coordinator and the doctor to discuss the benefits and value of implants before discussing the cost.
5. Restate the Patient’s Primary Concern and Goals
Remind the patient that that you discussed his/her primary concerns and goals on the phone. Ask if there is anything else that is important to them.
6. Discuss the 4 Major Benefits Before the Doctor Enters the Room
Regardless of whatever else you present to a patient during the consultation, there are 4 things that patients absolutely must hear and understand early in the consultation.
1. Dental implant treatment is the only option that preserves the bone that deteriorates when teeth are lost or removed.
2. Dental implant treatment is the only option that does not compromise the health of the adjacent teeth.
3. Dental implant treatment has the best long-term success rates of any tooth replacement option
4. As a result (of the above) dental implant treatment is the most cost effective method of tooth replacement.
Introduce these benefits by saying at the beginning of the consult that the patient’s dentist has referred them for a consultation because this is the preferred method of tooth replacement and then define implants as substitute tooth roots and go through the 4 benefits above.
These 4 benefits are described in detail on The Dental Implant Guide in the Why Dental Implants? section. If there is Internet access in the consultation room, the information in this section of the website is an invaluable resource and visual aid for consultations.
7. Compare the Advantages of Implants to Other Treatment Options
An understanding of the advantages of implants compared to other treatment options will help the patient appreciate and the value of dental implants as the preferred method of tooth replacement. Use visual aids, such as the Implants vs. Bridges page on The Dental Implant Guide.
8. Introduce the Surgeon and Take Notes During the Exam & Diagnosis
Once the patient’s primary concerns and goals, as well as the basic information outlined above has been presented and discussed, the Implant Coordinator can introduce the surgeon for the examination and diagnosis. During this segment of the appointment, the Implant Coordinator should be taking notes so that the fee, components, and sequence of appointments can be determined.
9. After the Surgeon Leaves, Answer Patient’s Questions
It is important to make sure that the patients understand the treatment recommendations. Sometimes doctors use technical terms, which should be explained. Answer any remaining questions for the patient and prepare the treatment plan and fees to be presented.
10. Present the Treatment Plan & Fees – Don’t Hand the Patient Off
Fees should not be discussed until the end of the consultation. It takes time to create value for implant treatment before the patient focuses on cost. Additionally,
the fees should be presented by the Implant Coordinator, who has been involved with the patient since the initial phone call and is familiar with the patient’s goals, desires, and concerns.
Fees should not be handled by the surgeon – or by someone who wasn’t involved in the consultation. This includes the staff at the check-out desk (with other patients standing in line) and the “Financial Coordinator” in a separate business office.