Treatment planning statistics serve as valuable leading indicators—potentially some of the most important ones! To clarify, a leading indicator is a predictive number or trend within the practice that can forecast future revenues or profitability.
I track my treatment planning stats weekly through my BlueIQ insights. I review case acceptance, which includes treatment presented, treatment accepted, and the percentage of those dollars. Additionally, I examine the number of patients presented with treatment and the number of patients who accepted treatment, also known as patient acceptance.
One trend I’ve observed is that as the volume of dentistry increases and the number of patients seen rises, case acceptance and patient acceptance tend to decline. Why does this happen?
Typically, it’s because of feeling rushed, leading to either insufficient explanation of treatment options or inadequate time spent with patients to fully educate them about procedures, resulting in fewer positive responses. So, how can we address this issue?
The first step is to train your team, including hygienists and assistants, to assist in educating patients about procedures both before you enter the room and after you depart. When they act as extensions of you, it enhances patient understanding and increases acceptance rates.
However, sometimes you may encounter a barrier (often observed around 125 exams per month) statistically leading to a significant drop in acceptance rates. This fluctuates between high-production and low-production months in a sine-wave pattern. While the high-production months may seem promising, inadequate treatment planning leads to subsequent low-production months.
During these slower months, there’s ample time for thorough treatment planning and patient connection, leading to an uptick in production the following month.
If you find yourself in this situation, the next consideration is hiring an associate to share the workload. Of course, this decision requires careful consideration, which is why we’ve created the Associate Dentist Manual to guide you through the process.
Today, take a moment to review your treatment planning statistics and compare them from week to week and month to month.
Be well and do well,
Typically, it’s because of feeling rushed, leading to either insufficient explanation of treatment options or inadequate time spent with patients to fully educate them about procedures, resulting in fewer positive responses. So, how can we address this issue?
The first step is to train your team, including hygienists and assistants, to assist in educating patients about procedures both before you enter the room and after you depart. When they act as extensions of you, it enhances patient understanding and increases acceptance rates.
However, sometimes you may encounter a barrier (often observed around 125 exams per month) statistically leading to a significant drop in acceptance rates. This fluctuates between high-production and low-production months in a sine-wave pattern. While the high-production months may seem promising, inadequate treatment planning leads to subsequent low-production months.
During these slower months, there’s ample time for thorough treatment planning and patient connection, leading to an uptick in production the following month.
If you find yourself in this situation, the next consideration is hiring an associate to share the workload. Of course, this decision requires careful consideration, which is why we’ve created the Associate Dentist Manual to guide you through the process.
Today, take a moment to review your treatment planning statistics and compare them from week to week and month to month.
Be well and do well,
Dr. Addison Killeen
P.S. Need a second opinion at your treatment planning strategies? At Dental Success Network (DSN), we have a community with strategies and support you need to transform your practice into a thriving business. Let’s build your legacy together, so start shaping your future with DSN today!
