Learn how to use tools already in Dentrix to monitor and document treatment case acceptance.
Do you track case acceptance in your office? When you present treatment plans to patients, do you find patients are scheduling appointments for those procedures, or is this an area in which your practice can improve?
You can use Dentrix to track if patients are accepting recommended treatment plans, and if they aren’t, you can also use Dentrix to track why they aren’t accepting them. Use this information to improve your patient education process or consider offering different payment options to make treatment more affordable for patients, so you can increase case acceptance.
After the doctor has diagnosed treatment, and the clinical team has spent time reviewing the treatment with the patient and answering their questions, you can create the treatment case in the Dentrix Treatment Planner.
You can select different, appropriate options when you print the treatment case for a patient. For example, you can select to show insurance plan maximums and deductibles, so that it’s easier for the patient to understand what their portion will be as well as any insurance benefits that will apply to their treatment. Once the patient understands the estimated costs involved in their treatment, you can have a conversation with them about payment options.
It’s important to have payment options available because patients may not be able to pay for an extensive treatment plan in one payment at the time of service. Offering payment options, like making monthly payments using CareCredit, can increase case acceptance, because you’ve made the treatment plan more affordable.
Once the patient has made a decision whether or not to accept the treatment plan, update the case status in the Treatment Planner. By updating the case status, you can use Dentrix reports to track your case acceptance. When you update a case status, be sure to add detailed notes about why you are changing the status, including conversations with the patient. That way everyone in the office can refer to those case status notes and be aware of the current status of the treatment plan. For example, if a patient rejects a treatment case you presented for a crown because they don’t currently have dental insurance, but they will have dental insurance in a few months and they plan to schedule the crown at that time, you can make a note to that affect in the case status notes. When the patient comes in for their next recall appointment, the hygienist will be able to read the case status note and follow up to see if the patient is ready to schedule the crown.
You can review your case acceptance rate on a monthly basis using the Practice Advisor Report to see the percentage of treatment plans that are being accepted by patients. You can then use that information during your team meetings to discuss how your office has increased case acceptance or how you may need to further improve your process.
Having a good case acceptance rate is important because it means higher production for your practice. More importantly, it means patients are moving forward with the treatment that they need for their dental health. Use Dentrix to track if patients are accepting treatment plans, use case status notes to track the reasons why, and use the Practice Advisor Report to track your monthly progress.
Learn More
For additional information, see the following :
- 7 Keys to Case Acceptance
- Foolproof Steps to Increase Patient Case Acceptance
- Give Patients the Info They Need to Say Yes
By Charlotte Skaggs
Certified Dentrix Trainer and The Dentrix Office Manager columnist
Charlotte Skaggs is the founder of Vector Dental Consulting LLC, a practice management firm focused on taking offices to the next level. Charlotte co-owned and managed a successful dental practice with her husband for 17 years. She has a unique approach to consulting based on the perspective of a practice owner. Charlotte has been using Dentrix for over 20 years and is a certified Dentrix trainer. Contact Charlotte at vectordentalconsulting@gmail.com.
