Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

A10 INDUSTRY NEWS Dental Tribune U.S. Edition | February 2013 Study reveals how automated patient appointment reminders affect dental practice no-show rates and production The Internet age has dramatically altered communication patterns. Face- to-face interchanges continue to give way to digital message exchanges. Channels for these digital communications have rapidly morphed and expanded over the past years toward a faster, more interactive means of exchange. This is the reality that faces dental prac- tices:Interactionwithcurrentandprospec- tive patients will predominately take place online. In order to maintain a productive level of engagement, dental practices have to identify effective ways to leverage these new channels of communications. Patient engagement not only drives re- tention, but new patient acquisition — two cornerstones of a profitable practice. Re- searchhasconsistentlyshownpatientswel- come the adoption of digital interchanges. A national research study by Sesame Com- munications documented that 97 percent of dental patients would rather click than call their dental practice. The same study found that 79.5 percent of dental patients prefer SMS text and email reminders over phone calls from the practice. Automatation reduces no-shows Sesame Communications pioneered the first automated appointment reminder system for dentistry in 1999. Automated patient reminders enable practices to confirm scheduled appointments via email, text messages or automated voice reminders. Sophisticated patient portals let patients define their preferred method of contact. This service not only provides great convenience and benefit to patients, it can dramatically improve efficiencies for the practice. study measuring the impact of automated patient appointment reminders on prac- tice production. The study analyzed five years of performance data and tracked the detailed confirmation and patient at- tendance rates on 1,604,184 appointments across 64 dental practices. Study shows how to reduce no-shows The study tracked no-show rate changes, both pre- and post-implementation, of automated appointment reminders. The study found that dental practice no-shows were reduced by 22.95 percent. The financial implication of schedule compliance is significant. This research documented$31,456.88inincrementalpro- ductionfordentalpracticesduetoschedule compliance — revenue that would other- wisebelost.Thebenefitsofpracticeproduc- tion improvements continued throughout the 36-month post-activation period. The data clearly demonstrates a positive productivity impact when integrating au- tomated patient appointment reminders into the practice. First-year fees for this service should be recovered within the first six months post-activation. Additionally, time previously used by the administra- tive team on confirmations can now be leveraged to build relations with patients, market the practice and activate patients. Conclusion Automated appointment reminders dra- matically reduce practice no-shows and positively impact production. They are the method of communication that patients prefer. They improve efficiency and profit- ability. And, finally, 90 percent of dental professionals agree that automating re- minders gives them peace of mind that all patients are being consistently contacted prior to appointments. By Diana P. Friedman, MA, MBA, and Tim Williams, BA, MS A recent Sesame Communications study analyzed five years of patient-attendance rates based on 1,604,184 appointments across 64 dental practices. The study found that no-shows were reduced by 22.95 percent following implementation of automated appointment reminders. Chart/Provided by Sesame Communications ChiCago BooTh No. 4239 Increased production is at the epicenter of a practice’s financial performance, im- pacting cost structure, revenue flow, and ultimately, profitability. Appointment no- shows have a devastating impact on prac- tice financial performance. In a 2012 na- tional research study, 32 percent of dentists said their top need was to reduce no-shows in the practice. Automated reminders have the potential to cost-effectively and effi- ciently address this need. Research shows that today almost 60 percent of practices have some form of au- tomated appointment reminder solution. However,untilrecentlytherehasbeenvery limited research to document the impact these solutions have on no-show rates and practice production. With advanced sys- tems costing $300 per month on average, the return on investment justification for this investment has, to date, been a chal- lenge. Sesame Communications recently an- nounced the results of a breakthrough DiAnA P. FRiEDMAn, MA., MBA, is president and chief executive offi- cer of Sesame Communi- cations. She has a 20- year success track record in leading dental innova- tion and marketing. Throughout her career she has served as a rec- ognized practice man- agement consultant, author and speaker. She holds an MA in sociology and an MBA from Arizona State University. TiM J. WilliAMS, MS, BA, is vice president of product strategy at Ses- ame Communications. As a former business owner he understands the challenges dental and orthodontic practice face in today’s market- place. He holds an MS in applied information management and a BA in psychology from Stanford University. Show-rate percentages, before and after implementing automated appointment reminders tially edentulous and two were fully eden- tulous. A total of 12 fixtures were placed on sound residual anatomical bone and eight were placed on atrophic ridges (Misch clas- sification SA3). The diameter of the fixtures in areas were sinus was lifted were 5 mm, and the length varied from 8.5 to 10 mm. This technique is indicated when treating patients with maxillary ridges with classi- fication SA3 following Misch protocols for patients with 5 to 8 mm or Mongalo clas- sification #B for ridges with 4 to 7 mm of anatomical residual ridges. Patient No. 1 is a 55-year-old female miss- ing posterior dentition. This case was se- lected to illustrate the technique, because it resembles cases that are commonly en- countered in general-practitioner offices. The first step was to fabricate an all-acrylic partial with gutta-percha markers to be usedasscanningprosthesis;theideaistoal- ways keep in mind that surgeries should be guided with final prosthetics in mind (Fig. 1). The images from CBCT were converted into 3-D working models, and surgical plans (Fig. 2) were used to design and order CAD surgical guides (Fig. 3). Anterior implants not needing sinus lift were placed with the guide following flapless proven protocols (Fig. 4), and the guide was used to drill on the posterior site were lift was necessary by allowing the drills to be short 1 mm to the sinus floor (Fig. 5). The floor of the sinus was imploded using non-cuttingenddrills(CAS)(Fig.6).Threecc of saline was used to create hydraulic pres- sure and elevate the membrane (Fig. 7). One gram of non-ceramic synthetic bioactive crystals (Ossteogen by Implandent) was packed per implant site and fixtures were inserted at 20-30 Newtoms (Fig. 8). All patients were scanned postopera- tively to verify 360 degrees of bone spread surrounding the implant and to ascertain that sinus membrane was not perforated. Three-dimensional images revealed no per- foration and excellent distribution of the synthetic bioactive material surrounding the implants placed. Six months were allowed for bone re- modeling and ossoeintegration. While this prospective study represents a very small number of cases to come to any kind of sci- entific conclusions, we are excited with the prospect of being able to introduce a tech- nique that might reduce the percentage of perforations as a consequence of intracrest- al sinus lifts. Editor's note: Part 1 ran in Dental Tribune U.S., Vol. 7, No. 11, November 2012. Part 3, the “ SINUS, page A8 conclusion, will illustrate computer-guided sinus-floor lift on fully edentulous cases. Fig. 7 Fig. 8 ViRgil MongAlo, DMD, is clinical director of comput- er-guided surgical implant training at Georgia Health Sciences University, Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He is chairman of Mongalo Implant Institute, where dentists come to Mexico or the Dominican Republic for seven days of intensive surgical training under board-certified oral/maxillofacial implant surgeons. He can be reached at (786) 249-4510 or info@liveimplants.com.