The process of moving a patient from one member of the team to another is called a “hand-off.” We do this by never leaving a patient alone without letting them know who and what to expect next. It means you never leave them alone in a treatment room, wondering who’ll come in next or how long they will be there, or you never drop them off at the front desk to talk to a receptionist on the phone. It requires informing your patient of each step of the way by explaining who and what comes next, anticipating their needs, and introducing them to the next team member, all while creating an environment that will increase treatment acceptance and reduce canceled and broken appointments.

When the hand-off isn’t planned for (and rehearsed in advance), we have patients who leave our offices with little or no idea of why they have to come back, what they’re having done when they do come back, and what will happen to them and their teeth when diagnosed conditions are left untreated.  Confused patients don’t accept treatment.

When done correctly, we create ideal, loyal patients. That’s because these patients understand the reason and purpose of their next visit. They know exactly what they will be having done, they know why they’re having it done, and they know what will happen if they delay or avoid their treatment. Ideal, loyal patients would even like to come in earlier to have their treatment done sooner if an appointment becomes available.

This is possible because every action we take in our office should move the patient closer to comfortably deciding to accept optimal dental care. Our intention should be that every patient we hand-off accepts all of the dental treatment that is presented to them.

We all know patients who have been told about a serious dental condition that is getting worse by the minute. And even though we’ve explained the implications of not treating their condition, many patients have still not taken action. It’s because they are unable to “connect the dots” to come to their own conclusion and need more help from us.

Connecting the dots:

It's not hurting, so why should they get it fixed now?  Why not wait a little longer?  Or wait until it starts to hurt?  What's important is why our patients get so confused.  We've told them what needs to be done.  Don't they understand us?

The reason our patients are confused is that we've failed to check off all of the essential things that we should have told them.  And most of the time, we've been so brief with them that if they've heard us telling them what needs to be done, they've not heard it thoroughly enough for the information to connect with them; they just haven't heard it enough times.

That's why I propose that the patient experience multiple hand-offs throughout their visits.  Consider how many times this can happen.  The patient needs to be handed off by the dentist to his or her dental assistant.  The dental assistant then needs to hand-off the patient perfectly to the front office person, who then also needs to clear everything up with the patient again.

The hand-off that helps a patient connect:

Of course, in each hand-off, the patient must be included. Every time a patient hears the information passed on in the hand-off, a little more sinks into their mind. I find that dental office hand-offs are not long enough and do not involve enough people. This brevity is what creates confusion for the patient. How often do we see that the front-desk hand-offs can be so brief they’re almost curt? For example, “We need a 30-minute appointment for a DO on 17.”

And sadly, I often hear this in clinical areas as well. The dentist will simply tell their assistant what is needed next without including the patient in the exchange. So, now we have a patient with little or no commitment to their treatment. There are no “dots” to connect yet; it only takes a few seconds more to explain the next step.

This is what should happen to help patients “connect the dots”:

The dentist should be communicating with the patient throughout the appointment about what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how things are progressing. At the end of the appointment, as the chair is brought up, the dentist must take command by coming around to the front of the chair, connect with the patient by making eye-to-eye contact, and take the following 10 steps:

1. Outline exactly what treatment the patient received, including the number of teeth restored, the number of surfaces, and the depths and severities of every tooth restored, in lay terms with no jargon.
   
2.  Let the patient know what he or she should expect to feel following the appointment, including any possible discomfort and the reasons why. 
   
3. Communicate a clear message of exactly what the patient is having done at the next appointment. This is not meant to be a laundry list; rather, it should cover exactly which teeth will be addressed next time and the reasons why.
4. Let the patient know exactly when he or she should be seen next. It is the dentist’s responsibility to create a sense of urgency for the next appointment. When there is no urgency from the dentist, then it is difficult for the person who schedules your appointments to create that urgency too.
5. Clearly explain the implication (what you’re concerned will happen) if the patient does not proceed with the treatment as planned. The patient needs to be informed about what the consequences will be by delaying or ignoring the next appointment.

The Final Steps:

These are the emotional stages of the dental-patient hand-off. The process is finalized when the dentist personalizes the hand-off to maintain a connection with the patient. This final personal connection cements the relationship. Without it, your relationship with the patient is reduced to a transaction that can only be justified by price, like a commodity where only the lowest price wins. The last five steps ensure that this is never the case.

6.  Sincerely thank the patient for their time today.

7.  Thank the patient for being a great patient today.

8.  Send the patient off with genuine wishes of good health and well-being.

9.  Connect, if you can, with some wishes about any personal information or some positive occurrence or event in the patient’s future

10. Look for a way to go above and beyond the patient’s expectations for the day. This may have been something the patient mentioned to you, or it may have been something the patient shared with another team member that has now been passed on to you. Patients love to feel they are being treated as a person—not as a set of teeth. Always look for a way to exceed a patient’s expectations. And this is not difficult because it’s likely that no other dental team has done this before.

Well-prepared and rehearsed hand-offs erase many negative feelings your patients have, such as:

• Encourages patients to continue their dental care. 

• Ensures that patients feel understood.

• Strengthens rapport.

• Removing the worry from a treatment presentation.

• More treatment acceptance.

• Build and maintain trust.

The Hand-Off:

The entire team must be on board regarding hand-offs.  Practice your handoff strategy during a staff meeting, then briefly review it again during your morning huddles.

Of course, you will customize your handoff for each patient's situation.  The key point is to hand off the patient encouragingly and reassuringly from team member to team member, making the patient feel cared for by each team member.  Positive hand-offs like this not only strengthen support from all team members but also make them feel that every team member is on their side.

Conclusion:

By following this easy 10-point plan, you’ll create the ultimate dental handoff, and by making it your office protocol for all handoffs, including handoffs to hygienists and dental assistant handoffs to the front office, you’ll create a simple, perfectly working, watertight system. It will strengthen your relationships with your patients, and make it easy for them to connect the dots on their own toward more treatment acceptance.

They will have much more of a connection with you and your team, as well as much more clarity about the importance of their treatment plan. If every patient leaves sensing connection and complete understanding, our appointment schedules will stay full, and our patients will receive better care.