{"id":1451,"date":"2019-03-16T18:00:22","date_gmt":"2019-03-16T18:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dentalsupportspecialties.com\/blog\/?p=1451"},"modified":"2019-04-16T18:05:35","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T18:05:35","slug":"how-a-dental-answering-service-can-audit-your-patient-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dentalsupportspecialties.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/16\/how-a-dental-answering-service-can-audit-your-patient-base\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Dental Answering Service Can Audit Your Patient Base"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When you\u2019re running around the office serving patients, the\nlast thing on your mind is taking a look at the data your practice has already\ncollected. However, chart auditing is one of the most commonly overlooked tasks\nin the dental office, and yet it has some of the most potential when it comes\nto maximizing your profits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to keep in mind that dental answering\nservices are not only focused on answering the phone when you\u2019re not available.\nLearn how a thorough chart\nauditing<\/a> and patient reactivation program can help get your current patients\nin the practice more consistently!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Knowing Your Data Means Better Business Decisions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Knowing as much as possible about your patient base makes it\nmuch easier for you to make decisions that would benefit your practice in the\nlong-term. For example, knowing exactly how many active patients you have can\nmake it easier to allocate resources towards marketing, staff, continuing\neducation, PPO plans, and other decisions that influence your practice growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Incomplete Treatments a Problem?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common problems dental practices run into is\npatients who start a treatment plan, but never end up finishing it. Not only\ndoes this affect your practice\u2019s growth, but the patient is at higher risk of\nrunning into more problems that can negatively affect their oral health later.\nWhen you conduct a chart audit, you can better understand which patients are\ntruly inactive, making it easier to reactivate their treatment plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, taking the time to review patients in this way\nhelps you understand many other aspects of their relationship with the\npractice. Are they continuing their preventive treatments or is something left\nincomplete? Have their dental benefits changed and that\u2019s why they stopped visiting?\nAre they still interested in visiting your practice despite this? These are\nquestions to get answered during your chart audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Active Is Your Patient Base?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finding new patients matters, especially when you\u2019re first\nstarting the practice. However, that plays less and less of an important role\nwhen you already have a substantial patient base you need to be catering to. By\ntaking the time to audit your base, you can start rekindling relationships that\nmay have gone by the wayside, especially if they\u2019ve been consistently attending\nroutine appointments in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Dental Support Staff Pick Up the Slack<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dental answering services are meant to act as the first line\nof communication for your practice, but they don\u2019t exclusively perform this\ntask. Additionally, dental support teams can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n