Dos and don'ts for practice management: The value of patient satisfaction -- Part 2

How do you achieve superior patient satisfaction? By making absolutely certain patients could not imagine going elsewhere for their dental needs.

Manage expectations. Practices manage expectations by making everything about the patient's treatment plan clear. Do your patients fully understand their treatment plans? Do they know exactly what the treatment entails, what the fees are, and why the work needs to be done? Do patients know the projected outcome? When there is a complete understanding about why, how, and when dental treatment will take place, as well as the realistic expectations of outcomes, then patients are more likely to remain with your practice over the long term.

Don't forget to follow up. Follow-up means several things: returning patients' phone calls, getting them requested information, rescheduling appointments, and effectively tracking incomplete treatment and inactive hygiene patients. Follow-up demonstrates that you and your team are ready to go the extra mile to achieve patient satisfaction.