Moments of Magic, Part Seven: The Interactive Codiagnosis
In my lecture series, “Lost that Lovin’ Feeling? Success Is All About Relationships,” I talk about how my practice implemented relationship-based systems that are simply powerful and powerfully simple to enhance our success.
In a previous “Daily Grind” post, I discussed the Pareto Principle, whereby it is my contention that 20% of our practice success is due to our clinical knowledge and skills and 80% is from everything else. I like to talk about that 80%.
Knowing that “mindset + systems + consistency = success,” I talk about how inexpensive systems done consistently and with the right attitude can transform our business for long-term success. One of those systems, if done consistently, is what I call “Moments of Magic,” which are 10 or more moments that change how our patients respond to us and become raving fans who pay their bills, show up for their appointments, schedule their next appointments, and refer their family members and friends (what I refer to as pay, stay, repeat and refer).
In this blog series, I will outline each one of those Moments of Magic. The seventh one is the “interactive codiagnosis.”
Our new patient has heard about us, checked out our website and social media, and liked us enough to pick up the phone and call. They were thanked for calling, scheduled and surprised with an office tour upon arrival. We utilized the Golden 10, whereby we got to know eight to 10 things about them that changed the relationship from a professional one to a personal one.
Now, the rubber hits the road. Now we get to determine what needs to be done to get the patient healthy, keep them healthy and envision what their future healthcare looks like (including optional things like whitening, orthodontics, cosmetic procedures, crowns and bridges, implants, and more).
This is our opportunity to involve the patient in our gathering of information. We book a whole hour for this first visit. We not only do appropriate radiographs digitally (bitewing as well as panoramic radiographs), but we also take photographs using the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s cosmetic analysis series of at least 12 photos, as well as posture (front and side) photos and intraoral back of throat (tongue position, scalloped tongue, Mallampati measurement). We use an iTero scanner to create a 3D digital model. When completing the forensic charting, we teach the patient about how we name or number teeth as well as what restorations are on their teeth and what they are made out of, and we also provide full six-point periodontal measurements on every tooth, reading the numbers out loud.
We present all the digital photos, radiographs and iTero scans on a TV so that we can look at the information we gathered with the patient right there. We explain what we look for and what we see, and they are deeply involved in all of this information.
Once this is completed, we don’t have to educate the patient further. They see what we see. Now, we can just talk about treatment options and let them choose the path that fits their life. We focus on the immediate issues (sources of infection like caries and periodontal disease), and everything else is optional. But with the codiagnosis being so profound, most patients choose to do the optional treatments now, leading to increased treatment acceptance, paying their bills and scheduling their next visits.
Do this right, and you have a long-term committed patient who believes that you have their best interests at heart. It’s all about trust, and this kind of codiagnosis cements that trust with a nearly unbreakable bond.
Since this concludes the first visit, the next Moment of Magic is about what happens after they leave the practice with another “wow.” I’ll discuss that in the next blog.
In a previous “Daily Grind” post, I discussed the Pareto Principle, whereby it is my contention that 20% of our practice success is due to our clinical knowledge and skills and 80% is from everything else. I like to talk about that 80%.
Knowing that “mindset + systems + consistency = success,” I talk about how inexpensive systems done consistently and with the right attitude can transform our business for long-term success. One of those systems, if done consistently, is what I call “Moments of Magic,” which are 10 or more moments that change how our patients respond to us and become raving fans who pay their bills, show up for their appointments, schedule their next appointments, and refer their family members and friends (what I refer to as pay, stay, repeat and refer).
In this blog series, I will outline each one of those Moments of Magic. The seventh one is the “interactive codiagnosis.”
Our new patient has heard about us, checked out our website and social media, and liked us enough to pick up the phone and call. They were thanked for calling, scheduled and surprised with an office tour upon arrival. We utilized the Golden 10, whereby we got to know eight to 10 things about them that changed the relationship from a professional one to a personal one.
Now, the rubber hits the road. Now we get to determine what needs to be done to get the patient healthy, keep them healthy and envision what their future healthcare looks like (including optional things like whitening, orthodontics, cosmetic procedures, crowns and bridges, implants, and more).
This is our opportunity to involve the patient in our gathering of information. We book a whole hour for this first visit. We not only do appropriate radiographs digitally (bitewing as well as panoramic radiographs), but we also take photographs using the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s cosmetic analysis series of at least 12 photos, as well as posture (front and side) photos and intraoral back of throat (tongue position, scalloped tongue, Mallampati measurement). We use an iTero scanner to create a 3D digital model. When completing the forensic charting, we teach the patient about how we name or number teeth as well as what restorations are on their teeth and what they are made out of, and we also provide full six-point periodontal measurements on every tooth, reading the numbers out loud.
We present all the digital photos, radiographs and iTero scans on a TV so that we can look at the information we gathered with the patient right there. We explain what we look for and what we see, and they are deeply involved in all of this information.
Once this is completed, we don’t have to educate the patient further. They see what we see. Now, we can just talk about treatment options and let them choose the path that fits their life. We focus on the immediate issues (sources of infection like caries and periodontal disease), and everything else is optional. But with the codiagnosis being so profound, most patients choose to do the optional treatments now, leading to increased treatment acceptance, paying their bills and scheduling their next visits.
Do this right, and you have a long-term committed patient who believes that you have their best interests at heart. It’s all about trust, and this kind of codiagnosis cements that trust with a nearly unbreakable bond.
Since this concludes the first visit, the next Moment of Magic is about what happens after they leave the practice with another “wow.” I’ll discuss that in the next blog.
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