Dental Courses Australia
The Importance of Treatment Planning
Dentistry is both an art and a science. The treatment plan is important as it organizes the dentist’s thoughts, communicates to the rest of the practice what can be done for this patient and allows the front desk to make solid financial arrangements and scheduled effectively. Most importantly a comprehensive treatment plan “Wows” and educates your patients in the best dentistry available.
A good treatment plan comes about as the outcome of taking carefully considered systems and procedures. One: Building a relationship with the patient and learning their wants and desires. Two: A complete medical and dental health history. Three: A comprehensive clinical examination. These are the most important aspects of the patient treatment planning process. It is only possible to build an excellent treatment plan by combining and collating these procedures.
Building a Relationship This begins with the first interactive contact with the patient. Through simple conversation and listening skills the treatment coordinator and then the provider gains insight to the patient's personality and background. From this they are able to build a basic profile. People like to buy from people they have a relationship with.
Medical and Dental Health History From this background information, we are able to open up conversation on medical and dental health history. The patient’s chief complain, aesthetic concern, previous experiences, expectations, perceptions, attitudes and degree of motivation. This allows the patient to get to know and trust the providers. People will only buy from people they trust.
Comprehensive Examination A comprehensive examination gives the provider a wealth of information. This information is the basis for a detailed treatment plan. The more detailed and thorough the exam the more detailed and thorough the treatment planning can be. In this examination, the provider may take up to eighteen pieces of information, to include pictures, shades, models, etc. This will help the patient visualize at the consultation.
Treatment Planning Meeting
To better educate every person in the practice; before a comprehensive treatment plan is presented to a patient, it is discussed and explained to every practice member at a weekly meeting.
Increased Production
In April this year (2012), I began working in a practice that was doing quite well with two dentists and one hygienist. The practice was being run reactively and so there were no treatment plans being developed or presented. There was often confusion at the desk about the about of time needed and the services and fees.
After one month of introducing treatment plans, the practice increased its production by fifty thousand dollars. After five months by $132,000.
Practice Organization and Development
A treatment plan is very important to the smooth running of the practice. It also allows for higher production as the appointment books can be organized better. When the patient has a treatment plan, everyone in the practice knows what is to happen at each appointment and where the patient is as far as completing their treatment. This makes organizing with labs and couriers so much easier.
A treatment plan will allow patients will know the fees ahead of their appointment. This also allows for a pre-payment to secure the appointment time. A patient that has paid is a patient that will show.
A treatment plan will also diminish patient conflicts. It will prevent patients coming out from the treatment room to the front desk and questioning the fees and asking for better explanation of the appointments and treatment.
With a treatment plan, if a patient calls to cancel their appointment, the front desk person is able to save the appointment with more knowledge about what treatments the patient is scheduled.
Another importance of treatment planning is that the patient who understands their treatment is more likely to show for their appointments and be happy with their work and more likely to tell their friends.
Have a look to online courses in Dentistry