Your practice is thriving in many areas: the marketing efforts are paying off, new patients are consistently walking through the door, and glowing online reviews reflect your dedication to patient care. Yet, as you review the monthly reports, a concerning trend catches your eye. Despite the influx of new patients and the loyalty of existing ones, treatment plan acceptance rates are lower than expected. Additionally, hygiene recall appointments are declining, leaving significant gaps in the schedule.
You notice a pattern: new patients who initially express interest in comprehensive care do not follow through with their treatment plans. Meanwhile, long-time patients are missing and/or delaying their hygiene recalls, disrupting your ability to maintain relationships and keep their oral health on track. These missed opportunities not only affect your schedule but also have a noticeable impact on revenue and patient retention. It’s clear that while attracting patients has been successful, ensuring they stay engaged and commit to their care requires a different approach.
The Business Impact of Missed Treatment Plans and Recalls
To illustrate the impact of low treatment plan acceptance rates and missed recalls on your business, we’ve outlined their potential effects on the practice as a whole:
- Reduced Revenue: Every missed treatment or hygiene recall is revenue that doesn’t make it into your practice.
- Missed Opportunities for Growth: Hygiene recall appointments are a gateway to identifying additional treatment needs and strengthening patient relationships.
- Higher Costs for Patient Acquisition to Fill Gaps: It costs significantly more to attract new patients to fill empty spots than to retain and engage existing ones.
- Weakened Patient Relationships: Lack of engagement can lead patients to feel undervalued, increasing the risk of losing them to competitors.
Understanding the Challenges: Recalls and Treatment Plans
Missed Hygiene Recalls
Missed hygiene recalls are often the result of several things including a lack of efficient tools, processes, and a disciplined approach to follow-ups. Practices that rely solely on phone outreach often end up playing long games of phone tag, have limited availability during office hours, and overwhelm the staff who have many other tasks they need to focus on.
Another challenge for practices is quickly and efficiently identifying which patients are due for recalls within specific windows of time – to optimize the effort required to reach out.
Without regular visits or the ability to share important information with patients through digital channels, patients often don’t see the full value of regular hygiene visits because they are not aware of the long-term health benefits, like preventing gum disease or tooth decay, or the potential risks of skipping them. This lack of understanding can make the effort, time, or cost involved in scheduling these visits feel unnecessary to them.
These challenges, if left unaddressed, lead to inconsistent recall rates, gaps in patient care, and a strained relationship between the practice and its patients.
Low Treatment Plan Acceptance Rates
Low treatment plan acceptance rates often result from challenges in a practice’s ability to clearly communicate the importance of treatment, addressing patient concerns, and offering personalized solutions. Patients may struggle to grasp the urgency of treatment if it is not explained in relatable terms, or they may feel overwhelmed by technical jargon that confuses rather than informs.
Patients often have concerns about cost, time, or potential discomfort that go unaddressed, leading to hesitation or rejection of treatment plans. Many patients are also unaware of the long-term consequences of delaying care, as practices may not effectively convey this information.
Finally, the absence of a structured follow-up system or tools to re-engage patients with unscheduled treatments can result in missed opportunities. By improving communication strategies, addressing concerns proactively, and implementing effective follow-up processes, practices can build trust, enhance understanding, and increase treatment acceptance rates.
Revenue Implications
Imagine this:
Let’s say that for every 25 treatment plans presented, approximately 40% of patients never return for their recommended care. For example:
20 outstanding treatments × $750 average treatment fee = $15,000 in lost revenue per month.
Annualized, this equals $180,000 in potential revenue left on the table.
Without regular follow-ups, patients may deprioritize their dental care, leading to consistently low treatment acceptance rates. Research shows that implementing a structured follow-up system can increase acceptance rates by 15-20%, turning missed opportunities into completed treatments and strengthening patient relationships.
Turning Missed Opportunities into Growth
Being proactive in addressing these challenges is essential, focusing on managing both treatment plans and recalls in a systematic and efficient way:
Increase Hygiene Recall Rates
Leverage Recall Manager
- ClearDent’s Recall Manager helps practices identify patients with missed recalls and follow up systematically.
Automated Recall Reminders
- Send automated scheduled text and email reminders for overdue recalls through your patient engagement software like ClearConnect—ensuring patients are reminded to book their appointments.
- Include links to online booking, enabling patients to schedule at their convenience and reduce phone tag. This not only improves patient satisfaction by offering flexibility but also reduces the administrative workload for your staff, allowing them to focus on other critical tasks.
Maximize Recall Appointments
- Use hygiene visits as an opportunity to discuss overdue treatment plans. Understand patients’ barriers and offer solutions to help them follow through.
Engage Patients with Educational Content
- Share newsletters or social media updates about the importance of regular hygiene visits to maintain oral health and prevent costly treatments later.
Boost Treatment Plan Acceptance Rates
Clear, Straight-Forward Proposals:
- Provide patients with detailed, written treatment plans, including costs and benefits.
- Use visual aids like x-rays or digital imaging —making the need for treatment more obvious and memorable.
Proactive Follow-Ups:
- Leverage ClearDent’s Treatment Plan Manager to easily track unscheduled treatments and set up and send automated reminders.
- Assign a team member or establish workflows to ensure consistent follow-ups.
Address Financial Concerns:
- Offer flexible payment plans, assistance navigating insurance coverage, and financing options through Contract Billing tools, making it easier for patients to commit to their care.
- Train staff to confidently discuss financial options and alleviate any questions or concerns patients may have.
Educate Patients:
- Use email newsletter campaigns to explain the long-term consequences of delayed treatment, such as tooth loss or increased costs.
- Use chairside software with visual aids to help patients understand the urgency of their care.
A Proactive Approach to Growth
Focusing on treatment plan acceptance and recall rates is critical for the long-term success of your practice. By addressing these challenges, you can increase revenue by converting missed opportunities into scheduled appointments. Additionally, you can strengthen patient relationships and loyalty through proactive engagement, while streamlining workflows to reduce the administrative burden on your staff. ClearDent has the tools you need to maximize profitability and continue to grow your practice.
Don’t let missed treatment plans and recalls hold your practice back. Request a demo today and discover how ClearDent can help your practice thrive.