By: Pankey Gram
The topic originally appeared on PankeyGram.org. Pankey gave up their permission to share with our igniteDDS readers.
Treatment planning is a tricky and exhilarating stage in patient care, serving as the bridge between diagnosis and treatment. It’s where you outline the path to restoring your patient’s oral health and where patient trust is won or lost.
To ensure a smooth and effective process, several steps are essential:
- Guage the Patient’s Readiness: Before the appointment, it’s crucial to gauge the patient’s readiness to discuss comprehensive treatment. Your dental team, who often sense the patient’s emotional state, can provide valuable insights.
- Solidify Financial Arrangements: Additionally, solidifying financial arrangements beforehand, especially for phased treatments, can prevent any surprises that might derail the conversation.
- Review Essential Details: When the appointment arrives, the key focus should be on reviewing essential details from the initial clinical examination. Patients tend to forget much of what they’ve been told, so a clear and concise discussion is vital.
Effective Treatment Planning Communication
1. Highlight the Healthy Areas
Start by highlighting the patient’s healthy areas, focusing on well-functioning TM joints and strong bone support, as seen on x-rays and diagnostic models. This approach reassures the patient and sets a positive tone before addressing concerns.
2. Tactfully Address the Problem Areas
Move tactfully onto the problem areas, such as active disease, occlusal issues, or periodontal disease. Then cover the consequences of delayed or cancelled treatment. Patients who are on the fence will be motivated by fearing loss of their oral health. Confirm that they understand their problem and open it up to questions. Don’t linger too long here though.
3. Present the Treatment Plan
Next, present the best treatment plan for the patient without confusing them about other options. You can ensure a much smoother process going forward if you develop credibility by using a diagnostic model wax-up and helping them visualize the positive effects of treatment.
Once the patient fully understands their situation, go through the steps of your plan including timing, phases, specialists, and more. You can then clarify priorities and objectives while involving the patient in the decision-making process. They need to feel control over the problem and the solution.
4. Verbal Commitment to Treatment Plan
After investing all this effort into helping the patient emotionally commit to treatment, get verbal commitment to your treatment plan. A patient who trusts you is a patient who will choose treatment. Coercing them is the exact opposite of what you want.
5. Show Gratitude
Finally, express gratitude for their trust, discuss the fees, and agree on the cost before handing the patient to your financial coordinator.
Key Takeaways
By following these strategies, you can enhance your treatment planning process and increase patient acceptance rates. To further refine your approach and learn advanced techniques in patient communication and treatment planning, consider exploring the comprehensive courses offered by The Pankey Institute. Visit their website to take the next step in advancing your clinical skills.
