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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / September 2005Missed appointment's policy?
Greetings: So, what is better? Thanks SP  SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply > Greetings: So, what is better? > > Thanks > SP When the dentist can't see you at the appt time, they should pay you whatever they would have charged you for the appt. Robert Morien <PhD_failure@nousefulinfo.com> wrote: > > Greetings: So, what is better? > > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > When the dentist can't see you at the appt time, they should pay you > whatever they would have charged you for the appt. If your dentist is regularly overbooking to insure against no-shows, then I am in one hundred percent agreement with you. It should be a two way street with few exceptions. This is EXACTLY what I mean. Except, over here, it is ALWAYS in the other sense. Many of my patients take us for the conrner store: they ignore their appointment times, and then saunter in when a piece of tooth breaks off and I'm expected to completely destroy the schedule for them. I'm tellin' em this: Let's say you spent 200$ renting a boat so that you could teach me how to fish. I asked you for that, and I told you I'd pay 250$ for your trouble. Then, the morning of the big day, I phone you and say that I have a big cold and so can't show up ( or fill in any of the 1200 other excuses that the patient comes up with). I think you'd say: 'That's fine, mon ami, but you asked me for this appointment and I'm out 200$ because of your _cold_. The least you could do is reimbourse me my investment on your behalf'. If instead, at the outset, you'd said to me: 'That's fine, mon ami, we can go out on the water early Saturday morn, and I can show you where to go and how to cast, but I'd like you to either rent the boat down there at the pier or give me the 200$ it'll cost and I'll take care of it. Then we'll settle on a price for my own services when it's decided exactly what we'll be doing...' I think you'd be more motivated to show up, nose running or not. For my no-shows (who are not necessarily my welfare cases) I'm going to see about instoring some semblance of that system. There has to be some penalty for acting like a pure and unadulterated bum. Just because they're mostly retired, doesn't give them the right to drag me throught the sh*t. <...the Pipe deflates and cools off a bit....> SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply > I think you'd say: 'That's fine, mon ami, but you asked me for this > appointment and I'm out 200$ because of your _cold_. The least you could > do is reimbourse me my investment on your behalf'. Odd choice of examples SP. Do you *really* want a patient to show up with a cold? When I happen to be sick on a day that I have a dental appointment, I call them up and and give them the option: I can show up or they can reschedule me. They always seem to appreciate the call, and always want to reschedule. > For my no-shows (who are not necessarily my welfare cases) I'm going to > see about instoring some semblance of that system. There has to be some > penalty for acting like a pure and unadulterated bum. Just because > they're mostly retired, doesn't give them the right to drag me throught > the sh*t. Agreed, patients should show up. That said, what are you doing about reminders? It is a bit much to expect (especially when it means $ to you) that a patient will always automatically show up at for an appointment made 6 months ago. My dentist does not bother with postcards and is apparently not yet automated enough for reminder e-mails, but does give me a phone call the day before which once or twice has prevented my forgetting a routine appointment. In my case that call would be wasted because I work for a living and they always call my home during working hours, but caller ID is a wonderful thing. The place where I rent airplanes automatically sends me an instant e-mail when I make an appointment and a "reminder" e-mail the day before. That system work great for me (and therefore is profitable for them). In SP's case, I realize that he is probably talking about patients that do not "do" e-mail, but this hopefully this will turn into a general conversation. > <...the Pipe deflates and cools off a bit....> Good idea! Have a beer...kick back... Vaughn > SP Usually, they tell us they need lo drive the kid to her dance class, or they got tickets to the ball game. If you remind them that they Signed a form agreeing to pay $40 per half hour for missed appointments, they suddenly can easily make their Appt. >> I think you'd say: 'That's fine, mon ami, but you asked me for this >> appointment and I'm out 200$ because of your _cold_. The least you could [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > >> SP .. Stephen USA I am writing on a Tablet-PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my handwriting. > The place where I rent airplanes automatically sends me an instant e-mail > when I make an appointment and a "reminder" e-mail the day before. That > system work great for me (and therefore is profitable for them). In SP's > case, I realize that he is probably talking about patients that do not > "do" e-mail, but this hopefully this will turn into a general > conversation. We confirm their appointments 48 hours in advance by phone and we ask them to give us that much time as well if they must dessist. It gives us time to phone someone else. Very often, they'll say they were never called. I show them the dossier pocket with the entry telling the date and hour that they were called. It shuts them up but good. Those who cannot find the responsibility to remember that much are also confirmed the morning of their appointment. They feel is is a sport: make the Pipe wait and beg for his appointments and money. They are now told "Three strikes and you're out. That means no more appointments. You call us the day you think you have some time and we see if we can work you in." They get all uppity, but I'm starting to tell them straight out: the profit margin is so thin even in the best of times that if the patients don't take their appointments seriously and don't arrange their finances to be able to do a good chunk of the work they need to have done, I may as well close the door and go try my luck in stocks and bonds. BTW: how is the flying going? I assume you went back to single engine planes, or did you find a way to keep gliding? Thanks for your thoughts SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply > BTW: how is the flying going? I assume you went back to single engine > planes, or did you find a way to keep gliding? I am very lucky to live about 120 seconds from a very nice airport. I have given up gliders for now and scratch my aviation itch with little rented Cezznas. I try to fly once a week if it is only three times "around the patch". If we ever get another glider operation around here so I can fly regularly, I will be right back to gliders. Vaughn > Thanks for your thoughts > > SP > > BTW: how is the flying going? I assume you went back to single engine > > planes, or did you find a way to keep gliding? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Vaughn Three times around the patch is enough to keep you current. I bet there are also times when you're up there on a KAVOK day and all of a sudden you see some weather comin' in from the seaside. So a scheduled 45min ride becomes fifteen at best. Like my Dad always said: you gotta stay within the capabilities of your machine and yourself. Would be nice if your airport could buy a glider for tourists or whatnot. Cheers SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply > Three times around the patch is enough to keep you current. I bet there > are also times when you're up there on a KAVOK day and all of a sudden > you see some weather comin' in from the seaside. So a scheduled 45min > ride becomes fifteen at best. Like my Dad always said: you gotta stay > within the capabilities of your machine and yourself. Almost exactly that happened last Labor Day; only a 60-minute flight turned into a 90-minute flight because I had to fly away and wait for a wall of h2o to sweep over the airport before I could return. (The whole time, I had multiple alternate airports available.) You know the most frightning equipment failure to a rental pilot? A runaway Hobbs meter! Vaughn >You know the most frightning >equipment failure to a rental pilot? A runaway Hobbs meter! > >Vaughn As in Calvin & Hobbes ? -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > >You know the most frightning > >equipment failure to a rental pilot? A runaway Hobbs meter! > > > >Vaughn > > As in Calvin & Hobbes ? No, as in Hobb$. The "Hobbs" meter in an airplane serves the same function as the meter in a taxicab. Vaughn >> On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 16:00:17 GMT, "Vaughn Simon" ><vaughnsimonHATESSPAM@att.net> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >Vaughn What does it measure ? Time, fuel use, GPS coordinates ? Something else ? -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > What does it measure ? Time, fuel use, GPS coordinates ? > Something else ? It is a simple non-resetable timer that measures engine run time only. Really not a very good idea, because airplanes are normally rented "wet" (fuel included) and that gives the pilot financial incentive to firewall the throttle to get where you are going in the least amount of time...burns a lot more fuel and not particularly good for the engine. Vaughn > > Three times around the patch is enough to keep you current. I bet there > > are also times when you're up there on a KAVOK day and all of a sudden [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Vaughn So, turn the engine off and glide a little... ;-) I think the old debate about whether the Hobbs meter or the Tachometer should be used to measure time when renting will never die out... Kind-a like finding 350mV in yer mouth... or fluoride in yer beer.... or NTI's in yer shorts... Or.... 'Thing is, I think there are no more outfits who use the Tach. I really think you're stuck with the Hobbs... Cheers SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply >> BTW: how is the flying going? I assume you went back to single engine >> planes, or did you find a way to keep gliding? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Vaughn Sail plane. >> Thanks for your thoughts >> >> SP -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > > If we ever get another glider operation around here so I can fly > >regularly, I will be right back to gliders. > > Sail plane. Same thing. Vaughn >> On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 20:27:28 GMT, "Vaughn" ><vaughnsimonHATESSPAM@att.fake.net> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Vaughn I know, was being a hard a** <g> -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > Odd choice of examples SP. Do you *really* want a patient to show up > with a cold? When I happen to be sick on a day that I have a dental > appointment, I call them up and and give them the option: I can show up > or they can reschedule me. They always seem to appreciate the call, and > always want to reschedule. > We are too _poor_ for that. I tell them to take an antihistamine and an antiinflammatory and get in here. When they show up (if they _do_), they are never really running at the nose or whatever. And you can _tell_, can't you? Someone who is really in the throes of a bad cold will reveal that in his/her voice. I won't penalize them for that for one time, but if they reschedule for 2 weeks later and they are still that way, then I don't believe I should be forced to show sympathy. What I'm after is those who are 'doing us a favor' by deciding one time in three to show up (and often decide that they only want to do half of what we'd agreed upon to do in that particular session; I have to find a way to squash that as well). There ya go. SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply > Robert Morien <PhD_failure@nousefulinfo.com> wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > tooth breaks off and I'm expected to completely destroy the schedule > for them. I have never (at least in my memory) gone to a doctor/dentist/whatever appt and seen the doctor/dentist/whatever at the appt'd time. Never. I recognise that you can't treat anyone in the alloted time all the time. I recognise that emergencies show up with a higher priority (I want to believe that if I show up unannounced with a cracked tooth, they aren't going to make me wait around all day). I also recognise that people like my roommate can never make appts on time. So, if it were me, I'd make exceptions (ie, plan for the potentially late patient by overbooking their slot and let them wait [my roomie pays cash so I assume that's worth some slack]) and just dump those patients that are constantly blowing off appts. The day a doctor/dentist/whatever charges me for missed appts is the day I find another one. Or start billing them. My time is worth just as much as the boat captain's. Of course if the issue is amalgam.... > Greetings: So, what is better? > >Thanks >SP You may email my office address to remind me. I will send along the form my patients sign regarding this. .. Stephen USA I am writing on a Tablet-PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my handwriting. > > Greetings: So, what is better? > > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > I am writing on a Tablet-PC,so forgive me if the PC misreads my handwriting. Thanks, DrS.... I have an email almost ready to go as it is. SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply > Greetings: So, what is better? > > Thanks > SP I'm pretty permissive. In New York traffic, anyone can get hung up. OTOH, most folks at this point have cell phones, and I appreciate a call. What I try NOT to do is take time from a late patient out of the following patients. What this does is I usually get less done. My brother, being more of a hardass, usually sends them packing if they are significantly late. If someone cancels for cause, it depends. Every dog gets one bite, as they say. I will even excuse someone who blows off an appointment--once. If a new patient blows off an appointment, I don't even bother calling them back to reappoint. If they call back, I tell them I'm giving them one more chance. If I'm in the middle of treatment, it's a tougher situation. Right now I have a mother and daughter who are long-term patients and are both in the middle of extensive treatment plans. They've never been particularly reliable, but in the past month they have blown off two appointments each totalling about 3 hours of my time. They are nice folks and obviously have other problems causing this, so I may have to get into just what the problems are, and whether they can be worked around. If we can't come to a satisfactory solution, I may have to terminate them as patients, with all the caveats about liability and emergency treatment applying. I never charge patients for missed appointments. I like to treat patients like grownups. If I find I cannot, I tell them to please find another dentist. Steve Signature{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Arial;}} {\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1507;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs20 Remove "nospam" to reply\par } > I never charge patients for missed appointments. I like to treat > patients like grownups. If I find I cannot, I tell them to please find > another dentist. > > Steve I remember there was an article in the Canadian Dental Association journal way back entitled: 'How to fire a patient'. I never read it. Maybe I should go back as see if it is available online. Thanks for your input SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply >> I never charge patients for missed appointments. I like to treat >> patients like grownups. If I find I cannot, I tell them to please find [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >SP 1 cup gasoline 1 strike anywhere match. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > >> I never charge patients for missed appointments. I like to treat > >> patients like grownups. If I find I cannot, I tell them to please find [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Take out the G'RBAGE > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com .... and...? SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply >> >I remember there was an article in the Canadian Dental Association >> >journal way back entitled: 'How to fire a patient'. I never read it. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >SP Fire the patient. -- W_B Take out the G'RBAGE wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com > >> >I remember there was an article in the Canadian Dental Association > >> >journal way back entitled: 'How to fire a patient'. I never read it. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Take out the G'RBAGE > wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com Oh.... that just goes to show how dense I can be.... SP SignatureTake out the TRASH to reply |
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