The best time to ask for a referral or review is to ask patients after they have said something positive about your office, one of the team members, or the dentist. When a patient says something positive, the team member should immediately respond with a thank you, and then ask them to share that information.
Full Answer
How do I refer a patient to a different dentist?
The patient should leave the primary care office with a referral to a specific dentist or dental office with which the primary care practice has a referral agreement. Instructions should make it clear to the patient what to do, what to expect, and whom to contact if problems arise. 2.
How can a dentist help a patient find the best specialist?
Help the patient find the best specialist. If possible, provide options, and involve the patient in shared decision making in selecting the specialist. A dental professional could be held liable for referring a patient to a specialist who is not competent to perform the treatment.
Should your dental practice have a referral program?
Don’t make your patients jump through hoops or feel nervous about participating in your dental referral program. Any patient should feel welcome to refer a friend, family member, or coworker to a dental practice —and trust that, when they do, the person will be welcomed and receive excellent service.
What should the dentist send to the primary care clinician?
The dentist should send the primary care clinician a consultation note documenting when the patient was seen, what was done, and any future treatment plans. 4.
How do you refer to a dentist?
Dentist continue to be addressed as 'Dr. (Name)' when retired. You included his or her professional post-nominals (e.g., “DDS”) on official correspondence, but now that he or she is retired, you use the social form – Dr. (Full Name).
How do I choose a dental practice name?
With that in mind, here are some things to remember as you choose a name.Consider the Legalities of a Potential Dental Office Name. ... Your Personal Brand. ... Your Specialties and the Services You Provide. ... Your City, State, or Neighborhood. ... Your Patients and Target Audience. ... Your Patients' Feelings. ... Capture Patients' Attention.More items...•
How would you ask a patient to refer their friends and family to the practice?
You can introduce the topic by saying you wish you had more patients like this person, and mentioning that you'd love to help their family and friends if they are looking for a provider like you. Without asking in a high-pressure way, you've made your patient aware that you'd like them to refer others to you.
Why do dentist refer to other dentists?
Referrals aid patients in obtaining necessary procedures for their teeth, while the referred dentists gain more income from these patients. Dentists must collaborate with each other to help patients and earn more revenue.
What does DDS stand for?
Doctor of Dental SurgeryThey both mean the same thing—your dentist graduated from an accredited dental school. The DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) and DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry or Doctor of Dental Medicine) are the same degrees.
What are some dental terms?
Dental Terminology & DefinitionsAbrasion. Tooth wear caused by forces other than chewing such as holding objects between the teeth or improper brushing. ... Abutment. A tooth (or implant) that supports a dental prosthesis. ... Anesthesia. ... Apicoectomy. ... Arch. ... Basic Cleaning. ... Bicuspid. ... Bilateral.More items...
How do you write a patient referral?
How to refer a patient to another doctorInform the patient.Share information with the receiving doctor.Document patient referrals.Manage the patient referral process.
How can I ask for referral?
Rather, ask: "Do you feel you know my work well enough to refer me for a job at your company?" or "Do you feel you could give me a referral?" That way, your referrer has an out if they are not comfortable providing a referral for you, and you can be assured that those who say "yes" will be enthusiastic about your ...
How do you refer a patient to a doctor?
Determine and document the reason for the referral in the patient's medical record. Before contacting the other physician, explain to the patient why a referral is necessary, including what the patient should expect from their visit with the specialist.
Can a dentist refer you to a specialist?
Although, generally it would be a general dentist that would 'refer' a patient to a specialist, it is not uncommon that patients will sometimes locate a specialist themselves and approach him or her directly. This is particularly common in the field of orthodontics for example.
Why would a dentist refer me to an oral surgeon?
A dentist will normally refer patients to an oral surgeon for issues such as treatment of wisdom teeth, complex extractions, correction of congenital growth defects or if you have a complicated medical history. An oral surgeon is trained and skilled in the following procedures and many others.
When would a dentist refer a patient to a specialist?
Implants near a nerve or the maxillary sinus. These are more challenging and come with more risks that a specialist is trained to address. A patient whose bone is infected or needs to be rebuilt before an implant can be placed is also typically referred to a specialist.
Can doctors treat friends and family?
The American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Medical Ethics states: “Physicians generally should not treat themselves or members of their immediate families” [7]. Although these guidelines do not specifically mention friends, the reasons given for not treating family members apply equally to friends.
Can a doctor give medical advice to friends?
Medical guidelines say that doctors should generally not treat family members or friends, but that doesn't stop nonpatients from seeking medical advice.
Can you call in prescriptions for friends?
Generally, doctors shouldn't prescribe medication for friends and family, according to the AMA—but there are exceptions. “There's a core authority and responsibility that we have,” Dr. Baron said in an exclusive interview with MDLinx. “We are licensed and have the authority and ability to write prescriptions.
How do you respond when family members ask for your personal diagnosis?
SOME RESPONSES TO REQUESTS FOR MEDICAL ADVICE “Yes, of course, I would be happy to help.” “Let me make sure that I understand what you are asking.” “I would be happy to continue to be involved.” “I am happy to help but please understand that [I have not examined you], [I am not a cardiologist], [I am not your doctor].”
What is a dental review?
A review is when someone takes the time to go online and tell the public about a business so others will know about that business. A good review is second to getting a good referral, but honestly either one will help get you more new patients. For a dental office, these words can be used interchangeably. But what’s important is that whichever one ...
When to ask for referrals?
The best time to ask for a referral or review is to ask patients after they have said something positive about your office, one of the team members, or the dentist. When a patient says something positive, the team member should immediately respond with a thank you, and then ask them to share that information.
What is a referral for a business?
A referral is when someone tells someone else that they should go to a particular business for their services. They actually tell someone else that this business is great and why they will love it. There’s nothing better than a referral for any business. However, a review is the next best thing. A review is when someone takes ...
When someone asks you to do something, do you remember it?
When someone actually asks you to do something, you tend to remember it. A personal request doesn’t get buried among a ton of other things, and you’re more likely to follow through with it. Therefore, it’s important to have your team ask patients each and every day.
What is a Dentist Referral Program?
Basically, a dentist referral program is a system that rewards your current patients for referring their friends, family, coworkers, or anyone else, to your practice. Think of it like the best type of rewards program, amped up by positive word-of-mouth. There’s no direct charge for the referral but you will need to do some initial work to set up the program.
Why do dentists need referrals?
If your practice is established, you’ve done the work creating great relationships with your current clients. Building your own referral program will let you benefit from those connections. Considering a successful practice can lose nearly 20% of their patients a year, a dentist referral program can also help keep your client base stocked.
How to get referrals for patients?
Stock your front desk with referral cards that can be handed out to patients after their appointment. All you’ll need are some business sized-cards that highlight the type of rewards your patients could receive if they bring in a referral. Have these cards in a spot where they’ll quickly catch the eye of a patient while they’re making their next appointment or settling their bill.
What is Opencare for dentists?
Opencare is the only risk-free patient acquisition solution for dentists.
What are the laws for dentists?
Dentists are also bound by two federal referral laws for doctors, the Stark Law and the Copeland “anti-kickback” Act. Typically, if you avoid paying third-party services to refer patients you should be in the clear. But check with your state regulations so you’re familiar with your local laws.
How to pre-qualify patients for referrals?
One easy way to pre-qualify patients to give referrals is by conducting a short, informal survey at the end of every visit. Ask patients if they were happy with the service they just received and if so, encourage them to give a referral.
How much conversion rate does referral program have?
This will make it easier to celebrate your goals once you reach them or focus on areas to improve. Remember that referral programs have about a 10 percent conversion rate, this varies widely depending on the industry and the sales management of the particular business.
What is a dental referral order?
A referral order to dentistry provides structure to the referral process. If there is no dental referral in the electronic health record (EHR), it will be necessary for the HIT department to create one. That structure is used to ensure that: • The ordering clinician is prompted to include all necessary clinical information in the referral. • The ordering clinician specifies to which dentist or dental office the referral is made. If the practice has an in-house dental service, it is necessary to distinguish between “internal” and “external” referrals. External referrals will be easier for clinicians to use if they include a drop-down list of names and contact information for dentists in the referral network. • The referral order is processed by the referral coordinator, who verifies that insurance information is valid and that the referral is sent to the correct dental clinic. • Information the patient needs to make an appointment with the dentist is included in the after-visit summary. • The clinic’s referral tracking workflow is activated. Most EHRs have a feature to help clinics track referrals from the time they are ordered until the report from the consultant arrives at the clinic and is entered into the EHR.
What is a structured referral to dentistry?
The goals of a structured referral to dentistry include: 1. The patient should leave the primary care office with a referral to a specific dentist or dental office with which the primary care practice has a referral agreement.
How to find a dental partner?
Consider these approaches: • Build a local culture of collaboration based on personal relationships, and self-identify supportive referral partners. For example: • Primary care practice staff can nominate dental practices they know and trust. • Consider asking patients with established dental relationships to recommend their dentist. • Anecdotal experience suggests that dentists establishing new practices (and those looking to increase their patient base) may be the most willing to accept a mixed stream of patients (commercially insured, Medicaid-insured, uninsured). • The Insure Kids Now website maintains a searchable, national dentist locator for dentists who see children enrolled in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs. It contains general dentists as well as specialty dentists and indicates if they are accepting new patients. This is a starting place for practices focusing on their pediatric population to begin identifying possible dental practices to engage. • Contact the local and/or state dental society for assistance. Many dental societies maintain a list of dentists open to new patients, including practices that accept Medicaid and/or offer sliding fee scales. • Some states maintain a searchable website run by the state Medicaid program that enables searches by town or ZIP code for dentists who accept Medicaid plans. Nationwide, 42 percent of dentists participate in Medicaid programs, though there is significant variety from state to state (Health Policy Institute, 2015). Some practices may be able to find multiple referral partners who accept both commercially and Medicaid-insured patients, while others may have fewer options. • Invite local dentists to an open house to network and connect with the practice team, or to provide an educational lunch-and-learn session for the practice team. This time can serve to both educate care team members on oral health topics and build relationships. • Contact a local dental school and explore opportunities to create interprofessional education opportunities with dental students, as a means of building relationships with future referral partners. • Identify an intermediary who can help facilitate conversations and broker referral agreements. This could include a medical society or professional association chapter, state primary care association, office of rural health, local health improvement network, a local foundation, or other neutral party.
What is a HIT in dentistry?
Health information technology (HIT) supports structured referrals to dentistry in three ways: 1. A formal order to dentistry. 2. Sharing administrative and clinical information between the clinicians. 3. Referral tracking.
What is a referral coordinator?
The role of the referral coordinator is particularly important here, as they will likely be the primary contact person for the dental referral partners. If a practice does not have a staff member with this title, then this role refers to the care team member who manages this work. Key concepts to review include: • Ensuring that a protocol is in place to track the patients who are referred to dentistry, including where they are referred if multiple referral partners exist. • Establishing a method of communication with the referring partners, and a primary contact at those offices. During the initial pilot it can be helpful to arrange regular check-in calls with the primary contact at the referring partners to do a quick review of the referral workflow and ensure that referrals are proceeding as expected. • Coordination with the data reports to ensure effective referral tracking and identification of any obstacles early in the process.
Why are referral agreements important?
Referral agreements are an important step in building a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities for communication and care coordination between clinicians. They provide an opportunity to discuss protocols and processes in advance to ensure smooth communication and clear expectations of the referral process. Specifically, they help clarify each party’s role in meeting the expectations of a closed-loop referral. As relationships and trust develop over time between medical and dental clinicians, referral efficacy and patient access to care is increased. Referral agreements include agreement on:
What is the most important thing about the way information is sent back and forth between the ordering (primary care) clinician?
What is most important is the content and timeliness of the messages, and the commitment to share information with one another.
How to refer a patient to a dentist?
Effective communication is critical to a successful referral. Explain to the patient why the referral is needed for a particular treatment or condition and that you will remain the general dentist. Let the patient know what to expect from the specialist and the treatment, and reassure the patient that you will remain in contact with everyone to ensure the best possible outcome. Schedule the appointment while the patient is still in your office. If the patient needs to reschedule or cancel, the patient may; however, your staff has facilitated the referral.
How to avoid miscommunication between dentist and specialist?
Proactively avoid miscommunication between the dentist and specialist by providing a formal written referral. Always document the details of phone referrals followed by a written referral after the call. Referral letters should include the following information:
What information should be included in a referral letter?
Referral letters should include the following information: Patient demographics and identification. Date of the referral and last date the referral may take place. Evaluation and treatment completed to date. Copies of diagnostics performed, including information about when it was collected. Diagnosis and prognosis.
How to make a referral for a specialist?
Patient safety is the primary focus when making a referral. Familiarize yourself with the specialists’ communication skills, clinical judgment , and competence. Explore complaints or evidence of poor care provided by the specialist. Find another provider in the community if a pattern of poor care develops. Consult with colleagues before recommending a specialist that you do not know well. Solicit feedback from both the specialist and the patient.
What is required to be recorded in a patient record?
Copies of written communications and evidence of verbal communication, including phone messages with both the patient and specialist, must be kept in the patient record. Refusal or nonadherence to care must be recorded, with evidence of efforts to overcome the refusal or nonadherence. Finally, if the patient fails to seek specialist care ...
What is the best evidence for a referral?
In the event of a claim resulting from the referral and treatment, documentation is the best evidence. Documentation of the evaluation, treatment, and discussions with the patient that lead to the referral is critical.
What to do if a patient refuses specialty care?
If the patient refuses specialty care, carefully document an “informed refusal.”.
What is a dental referral program?
A dental referral program for patients is very similar to other rewards programs. Just like your credit card gives you airline miles or cashback rewards for buying gas and groceries, patient referral programs offer the current patient a reward for every new patient they send your way. This is known as word of mouth marketing (WOMM), and it works.
How many patients do dental offices lose a year?
Referrals are responsible for 63% of new patients (more than any other dental marketing strategy). Dental offices lose between 15 and 20% of patients every year due to natural attrition. If your practice has four chairs, you will need to find 30 to 40 patients a month to keep steady, sustainable growth. Referral rewards programs can help.
Where to mention referral reward?
You can also mention your patient referral reward program on invoices, in your email signature, on appointment confirmations, and in a newsletter. When you communicate with your patients, make sure they know how much you appreciate their referrals!
Does referral affect dental care?
This means that any rewards or incentives offered for referrals cannot affect the dental care provided, including offering preferential or priority treatment to those who refer.
Is boost medical a digital marketing?
At Boost Medical, we know that healthcare digital marketing is not about clicks or pageviews ; it’s about patients, and your dental referral program for patients is no different.
Can a patient write their own name on a check in form?
These can be a simple pre-filled form with space for the current patient to write their own name to get credit and handed to patients as they check in (or out).
Is social media good for dental?
New referrals will most certainly check your website and social media channels before booking an appointment.
How to make a referral for a specialist?
Patient safety is the primary focus when making a referral. Familiarize yourself with the specialists’ communication skills, clinical judgement and competence. Explore complaints or evidence of poor care provided by the specialist. Find another provider in the community if a pattern of poor care develops. Consult with colleagues before recommending a specialist who you do not know well. Solicit feedback from both the specialist and the patient.
Why is tracking patient referrals important?
Tracking patient referrals and return visits is essential to efficient patient care. A centralized and uniform tracking process should be kept separate from the patient’s record. The tracking should cover the timeframe from the patient’s referral to the return visit to the general dentist.
Can a dentist fail to refer a patient?
On occasion, patients have asserted their general dentist referred them to a specialist who provided substandard care and that the referral itself was negligent. Dentists referring care outside their background, experience or training must take care to avoid liability issues associated with referrals.
Can a dentist be legally responsible for referring a patient?
The American Dental Association’s General Guidelines for Referring Dental Patients notes: “In some situations, a dentist could be held legally responsible for treatment performed by specialist or consulting dentists. Therefore, referring dentists should independently assess the qualifications of participating specialist or consulting dentists as it relates to specific patient needs.” Vicarious liability is a concern if you refer a patient to a specialist who lacks skill or judgment.
How many citations does a dental practice need?
If a competitor has more links or more citations, it’s likely you will rank below them. Top-ranked local businesses have an average of 86 citations according to a recent Bright Local study. Most dental practices have a variety of citations but the number does vary.
What is a dental citation?
Citations are references from websites to your business’s Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP). Search engines consider these NAP citations as signals that you are a legitimate local business.
Do dental rankings require a lot of links?
Most top local dental rankings do not require a huge number of links, but we always recommend benchmarking and researching your competitors. Some markets are much more competitive. First.Dentist offers free strategy sessions where we will review your links and citations.
Do dental practices pick up citations?
Most dental practices naturally tend to pick up citations. This occurs as a result of being listed in different types of official business and medical directories, and people often post links to the practice address and phone number online.
Is a dental practice a part of SEO?
Building and maintaining citations for your dental practice is clearly an essential part of Local SEO. They are one of the first things we check and work on for our SEO clients. Consider them as the foundation of a house; you need to get these right before other parts of your search engine home are built.
