I have been talking about automation way before the employee shortages and what many have called “The Great Resignation.” Automation gives you a virtual team member who is trained to perform certain tasks and can be customized to reach out to your dental patients at your discretion. When you think of automation, don’t think cookie cutter. Most of the time, you can customize the language, logo and timing of your automation. I know the Dentrix Patient Engage system has a ton of customization and personalization that you can build into your communication with patients.
Many of my offices are using Patient Engage so I have become very familiar with the workflow and features of how it integrates with Dentrix. I would expect all automated patient communication solutions to perform these basic functions which will make your life so much easier and give you some of that precious time back.
- Send patients a check in for their appointments so they can confirm, two-way text if they want and fill out an expired health history form. Giving your patients the freedom to perform these basic tasks from the comfort of their own mobile devices shows you are keeping up with technology and you value their time. Having the technology to allow the patient to update their health history, demographics, and insurance information prior to walking in also shows you value your teams time as well.
- Giving your patients the freedom to schedule appointments for their family from the comfort of their own computer or mobile device is a convenience that cannot be overlooked. In a study by the ADA, it was found that more than 30% of patients are communicating with their provider after hours. I love the BOOK NOW feature in the Dentrix Online Booking feature so patients can schedule an appointment instantly.
- Having a Patient Portal is quickly becoming a necessity and I have heard soon it could become mandatory. I know I could not help manage my special needs daughter’s healthcare without her providers having an accessible patient portal. It allows your patients who have family, caregivers, or guardians to help manage appointments and message the office. This is a must have in my opinion.
The above bullet points are just a small sampling of what an automated patient communication system should offer. The most important thing is that it fully integrates with your Dentrix software and saves your team time, not wastes it. It also must be easy and convenient for your patients.
If you have questions, let’s talk. I would love to help answer questions you might have about implementing an automated communication system in your practice, or if you have questions about switching the one you currently have.
