I know, I’m a broken record on this, but it is worth repeating and emphasizing again and again.
Right now, with every single individual patient visit, you have this one and only opportunity to “reset” their vision for health and their value over themselves with a fresh perspective.
This does not require significantly more time. It only requires more direct and poignant conversations, more resourceful engagement with photos and x-rays, and the proper use of questions. All with the goal to open patients’ minds to get them contemplating beyond just problems into health enhancements and improve the overall quality of their lives that you can provide to them.
There really has never been a time where it is not you having to bring up the conversation – it has already been brought up. It is at the forefront of everyone’s mind: what can they do to better take care of their health and prevent future disease (among all the other benefits to them that they might not even think about that you should lead the way by discussing and making known).
Remember, you are able to guide each patient down their pathway to health every time you see them but this opportunity is rare and unique. We certainly hope this never happens. Whether they are a new patient, a patient from long ago, a patient that was here just a few months ago, or a patient who has consistently been in for hygiene, they are all now coming back for their first visit since all of this has happened.
You have a very obvious excuse to update x-rays and photographs. Simply by letting them know that today we are doing an assessment over where you are at with your oral health and we are going to look at you as though this were your first time here to make sure we are doing everything we can to help you get and stay healthy.
Of course, you can and should make personal connections, check in with them, ask about how they are doing, and continue to make them feel cared for from the moment they walk in – but then, as I pointed out last week, you must get down to business.
And your business is helping your patients get healthy in the best most complete and comprehensive way possible.
While we have always believed and practiced that every patient matters so you commit to making every visit count; the reality is, now, every appointment is a critical. Patients who have missed, cancelled, rescheduled, in waiting, or has delayed their health for long periods of time is one that you can make a difference with today.
Besides, if you have embraced my mantra of “get them while you’ve got them,” meaning that you never take a patient, an opportunity to help, a visit for granted; then you will make the most of your time with each patient now – not waiting or delaying.
I challenge you to make a commitment to yourself, your team, your patients, and your doctor that you will do all you can in the time you have with the patient you are caring for; whether that is on the phone, in the parking lot, in the hallway, in the treatment room, in their mouths, in the consult room, or any other place engagement that exists.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to accomplish more with each individual patient now than you have perhaps throughout their entire relationship with you.
And the same applies for our Specialty Practices where every patient you literally only get one shot anyway – so better make the most of it now more than ever.
Your action today is to write down, document, make a list, and share with your team what is your patient engagement strategy and your visit flow that you are committing to master and execute on for every patient you have the good fortune to lead and influence today!
