Scheduling
Implementation Manual and Resources
Understanding Scheduling
During this course, you will be introduced to the basics of scheduling. Before a deeper dive into more complex scheduling issues, it is important to understand the foundation of the office schedule.
The schedule serves as the center of operations for a practice and its accuracy and effectiveness has a direct impact on the doctor and hygiene schedule and monthly financial goals.
This first video series will introduce you to block scheduling and other key factors in managing a productive schedule.
Front Office Rocks recommends that you complete Dental Office Scheduling, Know Your Scheduling Policy, What is Block Scheduling? and Putting Blocks Into Your Schedule first. Then, follow with Effective Scheduling for Doctor and Hygienist to learn the specifics for each type of clinician. Finally, finish the series with Monthly Goal and Scheduling and Using QuickFill Effectively to breakdown and determine the office’s monthly and daily goals, as well as how to use QuickFill to achieve those goals.
How to Get Patients to Schedule
Now that you have a better understanding of the basics of scheduling, it is important to examine how to get your patients on the schedule. In this course, we take a closer look at hand-offs, follow-ups, pre-booking and other various schedule topics, to improve your ability to control the office schedule.
The videos in this series will demonstrate specific patient schedule scenarios and how you can successfully navigate each and achieve a full and productive schedule.
Front Office Rocks recommends that you complete the Importance of Hand-Offs to Scheduler to Get the Patient to Schedule, Getting the Patient to Schedule Their Next Appointment and Getting Patients to Schedule Six Months first. Then, follow with the Importance of Pre-Booking, How to Offer an Appointment and Handling Scheduling Issues. Finally, finish the series with Doctor Schedule vs. Hygiene Schedule to understand the differences between them and how to address the specific scheduling needs of each.
How to Handle Cancellations
Now that you established a strong foundation in scheduling and how to get patients to schedule, you can move on to cancellations.
Cancellations and no-shows are inevitable in dental offices and here we will address how to handle cancellations while maintaining control over the schedule.
This video series will look closely at the ways patients cancel and the steps to take to maintain a full schedule despite cancellations.
Front Office Rocks recommends that you complete How to Handle Cancellations, Cancellation Phone Calls, and Using Confirmation Calls to Fill the Schedule first. Then, follow with Steps to Fill Last Minute Cancellations and Last Minute Hygiene Cancellations and No-Shows to learn the specific actions you can take when you receive last minute cancellations. Finally, finish the series with Dealing with Cancellations for general tips and suggestions to manage all cancellations in your office.
Confirming Appointments
This series begins the second half of Scheduling training.
In order to keep the schedule full and productive, the office must have appointments and it is imperative that those appointments are confirmed. We have addressed cancellations and no-shows and here we will look closely at how to effectively confirm appointments through phone calls, patient responses and next day reviews.
This video series will develop the procedures used in your office to confirm your patients on a regular basis and will provide real examples of how to make sure patients show up for their appointments.
Front Office Rocks recommends that you complete Confirmation Calls and Confirmation Calls with Patient’s Response first. Then, follow with Next Day Review and Next Day Reviewer to learn the steps you can take during the next day review to prepare the entire team for upcoming appointments. Finally, finish the series with Shake the Flakes and Confirming Suggestions and Resources for tips and suggestions to manage the office’s confirmation process and “appointment flakes.”
Productive Scheduling for the Doctor
This course looks closely at the specific needs of the doctor’s schedule, including block scheduling for production, filling openings and outstanding treatments. Up to this point, we have addressed the importance of a productive schedule, but now it is time to learn what circumstances impact the doctor’s schedule and what techniques you can use to keep it filled and productive. This video series will examine best known methods of filling, studying and operating the doctor’s schedule successfully.
Front Office Rocks recommends that you complete Basics of How to Build a Productive Schedule, Block Scheduling for a Productive Doctor, and Time Study first. Then, follow with Filling Openings in the Schedule and Scheduling Outstanding Treatment to learn how to fill appointment gaps that may occur on a daily basis. Finally, finish the series with Red Flags in the Doctor’s Schedule for guidance on what “red flags” to look for and how to avoid them.
Building an Efficient Hygiene Schedule
This is the final series in the Scheduling course and it takes a closer look at the hygiene schedule and its importance to the office’s productivity, how to keep it full and what your role as Hygiene Coordinator requires.
Now that you are well versed in scheduling and the importance of a productive schedule, it is time to learn what steps to take to keep a full hygiene schedule, confirm hygiene appointments and address overdue recare appointments.
This video series examines best known methods of successfully scheduling, confirming and keeping a full hygiene schedule.
Front Office Rocks recommends that you complete Hygiene Scheduling, Overdue Recare Calls, and Duties of a Hygiene Coordinator first. Then, follow with Confirming Hygiene Appointments, Tips to Keep the Hygiene Schedule Full, and the Periodontal Overview to become even more vested in the efficiency of the hygiene schedule and the patient’s overall health.
Available Scheduling Policies
- Appointment Confirmation and Verification Policy
- Doctor Scheduler Checklist
- Doctor Scheduler – 8 Hour Day
- Hygiene Coordinator – 8 Hour Day
- Recare Call Policy
- Block Scheduling Policy
- Next Day Reviewer – Scheduler
- Hygiene Scheduling Guidelines
- Hygiene Scheduler Checklist
- Hygiene Schedule Priority Policy
- Hygiene Start Time Confirmation
- Patients Who Have Not Been In For a Long Period of Time
- Patients Running Late Policy
- Hygienist Lunch Policy
Cross-Training Video Suggestions for Scheduling
Receptionist
- Phone Training
- Excellent Telephone Skills
- Lunches and Phone Coverage
- Getting New Patients Scheduled in 48 Hours
- How to Hand Off Clients
- Asking for Referrals
Treatment Coordinator
- Asking the Patient to Pay
- Being Prepared to Collect a Patient Balance
- Follow Up Treatment Calls
- Following Up on Unscheduled Treatment