Keeping no shows and cancels at 10% or less comes down to having having a scheduler who takes 100% responsibility for ensuring your schedule is full which includes not being too dependent on automatic reminders.

An engaged dental team can start to predict which patients will cancel or not show up for their dental appointments. . Your  scheduling coordinator should be able to identify these patients so that the dental team can confirm their appointments directly. The practice cannot just send a postcard or text message and assume these people will show up. Many dentists find that these types of patients often cancel and no show:1. Those who have previously broken an appointment—Feel free to dismiss these patients. Or you can put them on a short list after the third no show or cancellation, or put them...

Your practice will be rushed, hectic and stressed without a schedule that is well designed. The purpose of blocking scheduling  is to decrease stress, keep production on an even keel from one day to the next while maintaining or increasing production. These are the steps for implementing with guidelines:   Time Study Over two to three weeks get accurate times of every procedure.  All staff can help. Create an index card for each patient that comes in. Note the following on the card:  The time the patient arrivedThe time the patient is seatedThe time the procedure beginsThe time the procedure ends At the end of...

1. Make sure all patients have an appointment when leaving, except those on your "no fly" list.  2. Keep short/ASAP/Will-Call lists. 3. Offer targeted discounts to schedule hard-to-fill time slots, such as in a pedo practice.  4. All NPs should be scheduled within a week, two weeks max. 5. Only allow well-trained employee(s) to schedule patients, especially NPs.  6. Keep a well organized morning huddle.  7. Have phone answered within three rings during business hours.   Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental Consultants, Senior Consultant, got bitten hard by the business and marketing bug during long summer days working at his dad's Madison Avenue...