Making the Right First Impression Your Patients Will Notice

Doctors and their staff often over look the fact that patients are evaluating them and the practice from the moment they walk in your office. Patients are very aware of the environment they are in and notice everything from the appearance of the carpet in the waiting room to the personal conversations that the staff are having.

There are a few key things to be on the watch out for that greatly impact a patient's perception of your practice that has nothing to do with "quality dentistry"

The Reception Area

Dentists and their staff do a lot of non-verbal communication which impacts on the patient perception of the dentist and dentistry. Have you ever walked into your office as if you were a patient rather than entering in the private entrance just before patients arrive?

Take a few minutes and walk into your reception area as if you were coming as a patient.

Is your reception desk neat and free of clutter? Is there a clear place for your patient to talk to the receptionist? Is there a clear place to write down the next appointment? Is there a clear place to write a check? A cluttered reception area conveys a cluttered office and a cluttered mind. Will the patient think that the doctor's mind is so cluttered that the doctor won't remember what they had discussed?

Look around the reception area and see what your patient sees when they sit down. Are the magazines neatly put away? Are the magazines and educational material easily available to the patients?

Someone on your staff should be straightening the reception room or at least checking to make sure that the room is neat a few times a day. It only takes a few minutes, but it communicates to the patients that you run a neat and orderly office.

Sit down in one of the chairs in your waiting area and look around. What do you see? Is there dust on the windowsills? Are there tissues under the chairs? Are there toys or books on the floor where someone can slip on them? Do the walls need repainting or new wallpaper? Are the chairs in good condition? Is the flooring in good condition?

The waiting area is the first area that the patient actually has a good look at and is the first area of communication from the office. A sloppy reception area can convey a sloppy doctor.

The Operatory

Many of the same concepts that impact the reception area are important for the operatory as well. Clutter and disorganized work areas do not convey the right image in a medical setting. Only have out what you need to work with that patient. There is no need to have every possible brochure out in view for all patients. Your operatory should not look like the supply cabinet for gloves, cotton rolls, etc.

Sit in the patient seat and look up. The patient sees the ceiling during most of the visit. What do you think they are focusing on while they are laid back in the chair? Make sure that all lighting is clean and free of insects. Does the operatory light sparkle? Make sure the ceiling has no webs or dust hanging from the lights and corners.

Body language

Body language is also important when you are talking to the patient. Talking with your hands folded in front of you puts a barrier between you and the patient. When you shake hands with patients, do not wear your plastic gloves. Shake hands with both hands. Some patients like to be touched and some don't.

When speaking with a patient in the operatory, sit where the patient can see you comfortably and look them in the eye. Avoid the tendency to write in the chart while talking about their treatment. Patients feel more comfortable with someone who looks them in the eye.

The walls do have ears

Although the patient may have instruments, suction, and other items in their mouth and can't talk, it doesn't mean they don't hear everything that is said. Hearing range is not only the operatory. Staff also can be heard if they are in a close hallway. If the patient is wearing earphones to listen to music or television they may have quietly turned it off.

They are the tense conversations between you and your staff that you thought the patient wouldn't notice, the casual discussions about so-and-so held in the hall out of the room but not out of earshot, the exasperated sighs and rolling eyes when such-and-such walks out without paying their bill again, the latest office/patient "news" exchanged between team members.

As rare as you may believe these situations are in your practice, they are far more common than you realize and the patients don't forget them. If it occurred the day they were in, as far as they are concerned, it's modus operandi in your shop. Without even realizing it, doctors and staff routinely discuss other patients' care and engage in personal gossip about patients and staff. They will argue about specific treatment, tell stories about the families of patients and staff, and share opinions on everything from politics, to sex, to religion all right in front of the patient.

Monitor your conversations and discussions. Always assume the patient can hear every word that is exchanged and follow some basic rules for professional communication.

"Conversation" points to remember

Never have a disagreement in front of a patient. It makes the patient nervous and undermines confidence in the doctor and the staff.

If one doctor or a member of the staff needs to discuss treatment with another doctor or another staff member, have the discussion in another room so the patient can't hear you.

Try not to disrupt the doctor while he is with a patient. The patient should feel like he/she is the most important person in the doctor's life at that time.

Doctors and staff should always be aware that the patient can see and/or hear you at all times as long as you are in the operatory or nearby hallway.

Always show respect for your team members and other patients whether they are present or not.

Perception is reality

Always remember the patient is evaluating the practice in many ways. The dentist and staff may be the most skilled clinicians in the world, but that is only a portion of the patient's experience. The patient will not likely tell their friends about the great margin on that crown, but they will be sure to mention the dirty operatory lamp or messy waiting area. Always focus on the little things and the patients will reward you with loyalty.

Ken Smith is Vice President of Peak Performers, Inc in Wixom Michigan. Ken has over 25 years of experience in the health care industry, including directing the operations of a large group of dental practices. Ken's expertise is in the ”business of dentistry” and has helped many doctors and their teams get the maximum from their careers and practices.You can contact Ken at 888-477-7325 or at www.peakdental.com