Reactivating Recall Patients
Contact #1: Email/Postcard 20-30 days before the appointment is due.
Contact #2: Call on Due date
Contact #3: Call 2 weeks later
Contact #4: Call 45 days later
Contact #5: Call 45 days later
Contact #6: Call 45 days later
Contact #7+: Call 6 months later
After 2 years of no interaction, inactivate
* successful contact only counted if you left message or talked. If you just called, don’t trigger next contact.
*Phone calls only after due date, no emailing.
1. Click on the image of the notepad.
2. Click “Recall”
3. Here you have many options. For reminders 2-6+, we make a personal phone call. Most default options are a good place to start. If multiple hygienists are working the list, each take a different months of recall due dates at a time.
4. Working the list:
- Click once to highlight the first name on the list. If the patient is part of a family, multiple names turn red.
- Click “Go to Family”. Take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the families recall status, click on the “Recall” section to see old recall notes. Check what type of insurance they have, are cleanings covered at 80% or 100%?
- Now, on the account page click on the “Select Patient” box on the right hand side click “Entire Family”.
Now you can see past comm. logs, notes, and the account for the whole family. See if the family has a balance and look under “Family Financial Notes” for notes about “Get to know you items.” you can recall if family was just in the office or If there have been 2 weeks since calling them. - Now call the family. First try the home number and then the cell number. Try to schedule entire family using “Sched Family” button on recall screen (watch Perio patients carefully as they will be out of sync with family.)
- If you get an adult and they TMSkNi you, make a note, and then copy that note and click “disable recall until date” and enter 45 days or another appropriate amount of time. This will keep them off of the list until then. Click “Okay” and a “Communication Item” window will come up to verify your note. When you click “Okay”, this note will be entered into the office chart as a comm. log item. If you click “Cancel” on a comm. log note then the note and patient will stay on the recall list. Once you are done go to the other family members and paste the same note and copy similar processes.
- If you are able leave a message with an adult or machine, make the note and click “Okay”. Then in the “Communication Item” screen, confirm your note and click “Okay” to enter comm. log and remove patient from the recall list for the default of 20 days. (For reminders 4-6 you may want to manually disable recall for 45 days or so.)
- If you can’t leave a message, or want to leave a note but keep them on the recall list, enter a note like “11/06/2011- No answer on both numbers, RB” (this time put a date in your note), click “OK”, then when the “Communication Item” Screen comes up, click “Cancel”. The patient and note will remain on the recall list. Copy the note and process to other family members if appropriate.
- We don’t want patients removed from the list or to increase the tally of recall tries until we have made some sort of contact. If phone numbers do not work, you can try email. However, if contact is made by email, message, etc… then we want the recall tries tally to increment, and then have the patient removed from list for the automatic 14 days so we don’t bother them.
- After 6 successful contacts, temporarily disable recall for 6 months.
- If a patient moves or requests it, go to the patient’s account and deactivate the family. This will remove them from the recall list
- If a recall due date is blank, know it is because the patient may never have had a comprehensive exam with us.
- Recall calls should only be made from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- If someone has been referred to a periodontist, let’s still try to see them every six months to make sure there are progressing.
Phone Calls: – I learned to never give my name when calling recall because then they ask for you when they call back. I just say “This is Little Chompers Pediatric Dentistry” and have never had any problems.
Sample Dialogs
- Typical Message “Hi, this is Little Chompers Pediatric Dentistry. We are calling to remind (parent name) that (people due) are due for a cleaning and exam and we were wondering if you would like to schedule. (If true: It looks like your insurance covers these at 100% twice a year so it would be a free appointment). We have hours from 7 to 7 and now even have Saturday hours. Please give us a call to schedule or if you have any questions. Our number is 801-465-4490. Thank You!”
- If they answer:
- Me: “Hi is this (name)?”
- Pt: “Yes.”
- Me: “Hi, this is Little Chompers Pediatric Dentistry. How are you?
- Pt: “Fine, how are you”
- Me. Great! Thank You. I am just calling to remind you that we had you (and other family members) due to get your teeth cleaned and we’re wondering if you would like to schedule an appointment?”
What Patients will say:
- “I’m not home so I need to look at my calendar and call you back” or “I need to talk to my wife and call you back”
Me: “Oh that would be great. Our hours are _____ and we would love to get you in. Do you need our number?”
- “I don’t have insurance anymore”
Me: Oh I see. Well, we do offer a membership plan that is a great deal and a lot of people without insurance love it. Would you like me to mail or e-mail you more information about our membership plan?”
*If they ask how much cleanings are, tell them about the one time free exam x-rays and cleaning for $75
- “We switched to a different dentist”
“Oh I’m sorry to hear that. Would you like me to take note of why you switched? If anything changes we would love to have you back in.”
- “No I don’t want to schedule (no other info given)
“OK. Would you like another reminder call in a few months?”
If they say they want to schedule a recall, ask them if they would like to see the doctors for any remaining tx after.