Why patients reject you...
Dr Fern White
Principal Dentist @ Beacon Cove Dental, Melbourne Keynote Speaker, Coach and Mentor for Dental Women ????
The number 1 reason why patients will reject your plan is not because of cost. And it’s not because of time.?
It’s actually because they don’t trust you enough.
They have not seen enough value in what you are offering to trust that that is what they need.
Of course, there will be moments that they cannot afford something.
But if they trust you to do the work, they will find a way to do it if they prioritise their health.
So if you’ve got something like an abscess, and your patient understands the ramifications of that. If you’ve taken the time to teach them that and really connect with them, that will establish trust.
In my consult room, I sit face to face with my patients and connect with them. We have a cup of tea, and we sit together so that I can educate them.
I show them everything that’s going on in their mouth with all the technology we have. Then, they pick and choose what they are comfortable with.
It’s not to push them. It’s not about selling them.
Our job, as healthcare practitioners, is really to establish so much trust and connection with our patients that we would only recommend something that we would have in our own mouth.
It’s actually negligent of us to not do that! To not offer them that crown because we’ve made assumptions that they can’t afford it.
The key here is to spend so much time building rapport - trust and connection!
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I really believe you can connect heart to heart with them as a person! Rather than standing over them in the dental chair.
Sit in a safe environment like a consult room away from the strange smells and tools.
Sit next to them and be so present that you can actually remember their eye colour!
I can see a direct correlation between the amount and quality of the time spent with the patient, establishing rapport, informing them, educating them, and their acceptance of your treatment plan down the track.
That is really our responsibility as health professionals - to do what is right for our patients by actually spending time and imparting all of our knowledge to them in ways they can understand!
Love,
Fern
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