The Dreaded Transfer Request (Part 1)

By: Dr. Eric Recker

It’s a normal Tuesday, or as normal as they get in our world. You got some dentistry done, maybe a couple of crown preps, some restorative, a load of hygiene checks, a new patient exam or two. You are almost to lunch and feeling reasonably good about yourself. Day is half done. There is a little momentum. Not a bad Tuesday. That and the feeling that there are no more Mondays this week fills your sails. 

You get a message in your treatment room:

Come to the front desk, we need to discuss something with you. 

I don’t know about you, but I hate those messages. I tend to assume the worst. Just spit it out. What is going on? Don’t leave me hanging.

You aren’t quite finished up, so the thought of the bomb that is about to be dropped deflates any momentum you were experiencing and you are only halfway present for the rest of the appointment. 

You finish the procedure and head up to the front desk. They hand you a paper. Your heart sinks.

It is a transfer of records request.

I don’t know about you, but I always hate to see those things. My head spins with what did we do wrong, how could we have done better, and why?

This one hits harder. This is a family you have known for ten plus years. You have invested in their family. You have established a beautiful rapport and always seem to have amazing conversations when they come in. You felt like you had done everything possible to make this family feel like family in your practice. All transfer requests sting, but this one is a punch to the gut. No explanation. Nothing. Just a passive-aggressive goodbye.

My front desk hates to show me these because they know there is unlikely to be any upside. I will probably get upset and it will be obvious. I don’t blame them, but I need to know. Fax, mail, email, or physically dropped off, there just isn’t a good way to receive this information. 

It is easy, however, for us to spiral. 

Here’s a few things to consider as this happens and will continue to happen. I don’t know if you have noticed it, but humans are becoming more and more fickle all the time.

• Consider an exit interview. Call the person. Also consider text or email. Call and leave a voicemail has been most effective for me. See if they are willing to share a reason. Then learn from the reason. This has absolutely put my mind at ease in a few cases. A few other times, we have adjusted systems. Either way, learn and move on.
• Remember that they likely came to you from another office. They may just be ready to move on. There is a chance they just get restless and move on from time to time. 
• People are on their own journeys. Sometimes their journey will just not make sense to you.
• People are fickle when it comes to money. Nuff said. 
• I once had a family leave because the mom’s best friend’s daughter was a hygienist at another practice and was pressuring all her friends to come to that office. The patient came to our office one more time for a re-care appointment and told me this in tears. She was stuck. 
• Check in with your front desk and your team. Sometimes, even though you are super bummed that a patient left, they may be a blessed subtraction. Is this a patient who was your ideal patient, or were they a thorn in everyone’s side? Sometimes a transfer is a good thing. 
• Above all, breathe. Don’t do anything knee-jerk. Take a moment and compose yourself. It will all be ok. 

Next article we will look at a few other considerations for people leaving your practice.

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