Whether a dental practice is NHS, private or mixed, diagnosing treatment in which patients will need to pay for is a daily occurrence. Discussing financial matters with patients needs to be done in a discreet, professional manner and patient confidentiality must be adhered to at all times.

Many dental practices have different ways of discussing treatment and finance:

In the surgery

Some Dentists prefer to discuss treatment plans and fees themselves and do not require the help of a Nurse, Receptionist or Treatment Coordinator. At the end of the examination appointment, the Dentist will sit the patient up and explain their findings to the patient. Once the patient has fully understood, the Dentist will then inform the patient of the fees involved and ask them if they would like to proceed with treatment. The patient will then generally be escorted to reception where the receptionist usually confirms treatment with the patient and arranges payment.

At reception

Some Dentists will simply discuss and explain a diagnosis in the treatment room and leave all finance to be discussed at reception. This may be due to the Dentist either feeling uncomfortable talking about money or simply preferring to discuss dentistry only in the treatment room. If a practice works this way then the receptionist will usually discuss treatment plans and payment options at the desk once a patient has left the treatment room. The only concern with this method is patient confidentiality. It can be hard to discuss such private matters at reception.

With a Treatment Coordinator

More and more practices are starting to implement a Treatment Coordinator (TCO) and a TCO is considered the best person to discuss private matters with patients as it is part of their job to facilitate treatment and arrange payments. TCO’s will generally have a personal office which is used for talking to patients so confidentiality is not an issue.

What exactly is a Treatment Coordinator?

A TCO is a dedicated person who specialises in dealing with patients on a one to one level with regards to their dental care. Having a TCO makes the whole patient journey run a lot more smoothly and also frees up more time for the rest of the team.

What are the main duties of a TCO?

• Speaking to potential new patients over the phone, via email or face to face and answering any queries.
• Booking new patient consultations.
• Guiding new patients through the initial consultation process.
• Discussing treatment plans and fees with existing and new patients.
• Presenting large cosmetic cases to patients.
• Offering free consultations for potential new patients who are wanting to find out more about the practice and what you have to offer.
• Keeping up to date with outstanding treatment and overdue appointments.

Offering free consultations with a TCO is great for people just wanting to get a feel for your practice or wanting to find out more about certain aspects of dentistry before they commit to a chargeable appointment. The beauty of this appointment is that you can provide a service to potential patients without having to take up any of the Dentist’s time.

If after the free consultation, the patient decides to book an appointment with the Dentist, then you know that they are coming back with a good idea of the treatments and services you offer and also your fees and membership options. Chances are, treatment acceptance will be much higher with the patient already being knowledgable about your practice.

It is up to the individual practice how long the free consultation is however twenty to thirty minutes is about average.

Do you need any qualifications to be a TCO?

No particular qualifications are required to perform this role however experience in dental nursing is a major advantage as it makes explaining treatment and diagnosis’ a lot easier. Most TCO’s are already Dental Nurses, Dental Receptionists or Practice Managers. Certain qualities however are needed in order to perform the role well, such as:

• Patience
• Empathy
• Great listening and communication skills
• Warmth and friendliness
• Professional manner
• Confidence
• Adaptability

The ‘New Patient Journey’

Most people find a visit to the Dentist quite a nerve-racking experience, particularly if it is a new practice, so having a dedicated member of the team look after you from start to finish is a really nice touch. This member of the team being the TCO of course.

Pre-Consultation

Ideally, the TCO should take the initial new patient phone call or reply to their email. This way, the TCO can ensure that all potential new patients receive the same service and information every time. If the patient wishes to book an appointment, either a free or chargable consultation, this can be booked by the TCO and all patient details can be taken then. Most dental practices will have their own welcome pack to send to new patients. It is up to the individual dental practice what goes in the welcome pack however the usual documents are a personalised welcome letter, appointment card, receipt of payment should the patient have paid for the appointment on booking, medical history form and membership information.

If during the phone call or email conversation, the person does not want to book any type of appointment at that stage, it is advisable to ask for an address or email address anyway so that you can send them some information on the practice should they change their mind. By storing their details, you can also send them details of marketing campaigns and special offers in the future.

Consultation

When the patient arrives for their appointment, they must be made to feel welcome. The TCO should be prepared for the arrival of the patient and be ready to greet them. Little touches like offering them a drink will impress the patient and help them relax. In order to make them more familiar with the practice, the TCO should show the patient round and point out where particular rooms are, e.g. the bathroom. If you want to seriously impress your patients (and the CQC!) you can show them your dedicated sterilisation room, providing you have one, to reassure them that you work to the highest standard with regards to decontamination.

Prior to seeing the Dentist, the TCO should have some time with the patient to discuss their medical and dental history and find out what their main concerns are. This should be a confidential discussion, preferably in the office of the TCO. If suitably trained, the TCO could even take photographs of the patient to save the Dentist a job. Once the TCO is confident that he/she has all the information they need, the patient should be escorted back into reception and asked to take a seat while the treatment room is being prepared for them.

Once the Dentist is ready for the patient, the TCO will escort the patient to the treatment room and introduce them to the Dentist and the Dental Nurse. The TCO will also ideally brief the Dentist about the patient’s medical and dental history and explain the findings of the pre-consultation. Some TCO’s will assist the Dentist if they are Dental Nurses.

Post Consultation

At the end of the consultation, should the patient require any dental treatment, the Dentist will draw up a treatment plan to present to the patient. Some patients will only require minimal, straightforward treatment and if this is the case, the treatment can be discussed there and then along with the fees and the necessary appointments can be booked. If the patient is in need of more complex treatment however and is set to be a tricky case, it may not be wise to discuss treatment and fees there and then. The Dentist will often want some more time to assess the radiographs, consider the options and come up with a suitable treatment plan for the patient, sometimes more than one.

For these trickier cases, there should be an option to invite the patient back for a treatment presentation. The patient needs to be made aware that the Dentist has had to take extra time to carefully consider their options.

Treatment presentations should ideally have the Dentist and the TCO involved so the Dentist can explain the findings of the consultation and treatment options and then leave the TCO to discuss fees, payment options and membership. Prior to the presentation, the TCO should have the treatment plan(s) ready and any demonstration models, before and after pictures and testimonials prepared.

Once the patient has been fully informed about their diagnosis, treatment options and potential investment, appointments can be made there and then and treatment can commence if that is what the patient wants. With large case presentations, it is not uncommon for patients to want to go home and think about their options as dental treatment can often be lengthy, expensive and a big commitment, particularly if a patient is considering implants or orthodontics. If this is the case, the TCO will reassure the patient to contact if they have any questions or need any more information. If the TCO does not hear from the patient after a week, they will give a courtesy call to see if the patient has come to a decision. If a decision still has not been made then the TCO will monitor the patient until they have decided either way.