As a dentist, you’ve seen countless patients over the years. When there are dental issues that are too complex for you and your freelance dental assistants to solve, you know that the best thing to do is refer them to a specialist. You know people who are familiar with specific dental issues and you’re leveraging them to yours and their advantage.
But here’s the problem: once the referral is made, the patient doesn’t follow through. Why is that? We’ll talk about what causes these referrals to somehow fall off the radar and what you can do to make sure your patients actually follow through with it.
Lost referrals are really your fault. But you’ll feel like you’ve let yourself down. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can make referrals and see to it that your patients follow through with it:
Why Do Referrals Fail?
When giving out referrals, all dentists do is fill out a piece of paper. You’ve done this hundreds of times. But calculate the odds that those referrals don’t go farther than your own office doorway.
That’s right, patients may be throwing away those specialist referrals in the trash and not think twice about how it can impact their dental health. Not only is it a waste of paper, but it feels like you’ve wasted your time as well.
Not to mention, the referring office is not aware of your patient. So the connection never happens. If you are dealing with this on a regular basis, it’s probably a good time to make a change.
Modern Technology Is the Solution
In today’s world, automation technology might be exactly what you need to reduce the likelihood of failed referrals. There are software and apps out there that will allow you to email the specialists you refer your patients to. This way, the specialist’s office will do a follow-up call with that dentist’s patient.
One caveat is that your patients may be confused and wondering how they got their contact information. So it’s important to let your patients know that you’ll be making a call to the specialist in question so you get patients a little warmed up and expecting contact from who you referred them to.
Keep in mind, the apps and software used for referrals must be HIPAA compliant. This way, you don’t leak sensitive information to those outside of your practice (or the practice you refer them to).
Final Thoughts
Missed referrals don’t have to be a longstanding issue. But being able to use simple technology and follow a standard procedure for referrals can reduce that to a minimum. So it’s best to find the right kind of app or software that will easily allow you to relay patient information to the referred dental professional without breaching privacy rules and the like.
Meanwhile, you can find the right kind of talent for your office by checking out Stynt. All you have to do is fill out the form or even download the app to get started.
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