The patient said yes. Ten minutes later she said no
Three versions of the same conversation
A clinic coordinator once told me about something she has never forgotten. A patient had just left the treatment room, and the dentist came out smiling. "That one's in the bag," he said. "She was completely on board with the plan. We just need to find her a time." The coordinator booked the patient in. Ten minutes later the phone rang. The patient wanted to cancel the appointment she had just made.
The coordinator wasn't surprised. She had been standing at the front desk and heard a completely different conversation from the one the dentist thought he had had.
Same patient.
Same consultation.
Two staff members who walked away with two different impressions.
And a patient who walked out the door with a third.
We think we had one conversation
Nobody is lying in those situations. We just notice different things.
The dentist remembers the clinical logic: why the treatment is needed, and what happens if the patient waits. The coordinator remembers something else. The hesitation when the price came up. The slightly uncertain voice. The eyes that drifted toward the door. The patient often remembers less of the clinical part than we imagine. What she does remember is exactly how she felt. And she remembers the number.
We think we had one good treatment conversation. In reality there were three different experiences of it.
I took a nod as a yes
It's a mistake I have made countless times myself. When the patient nodded while I explained the treatment, I thought: perfect, she's with me.
Today I know a nod can just as easily mean something else:
"I don't quite follow..."
"This got more expensive than I expected."
or simply: "I'd like to get out of this chair now."
Back when I was a young and fairly inexperienced dentist, I explained things thoroughly. The patient nodded. I went out and told the coordinator it was a straightforward one. And later the cancellation came. For a long time I thought patients changed their minds. But maybe they had never said yes in the first place.
The most important part gets lost between the chair and the front desk
In most clinics the handover happens almost automatically. The dentist gives a short account of the treatment plan, and the coordinator takes over. But what gets passed on is almost always facts. The sense of the patient stays behind in the treatment room.
Nobody says "she seems unsure", "she's completely on board" or "she went quiet when we talked money". And that information often decides how the next conversation should open. And whether the patient comes back at all.
Nobody taught us to do it differently
That isn't really so strange. Dentists and hygienists are trained to diagnose and to deliver good treatment. Coordinators are trained in the appointment book, finances and administration (if they get any real training for the role they are expected to fill at all). But nobody teaches the team to build a bridge between the two, so the results end up left to chance. Often with a nod toward talent or some special human quality.
Three small changes can make a big difference
It takes neither a new IT system nor more staff. Only a shared decision.
Share how the patient felt, not only the treatment plan. One sentence is usually enough: "she's ready", "she seemed unsure about the money", "she needs a little more time". Then the coordinator knows where the conversation should start.
Give the patient something to take home. A simple overview of the plan, the price and the next step. Especially if the plan goes beyond a single tooth, the price with itemized services is rarely enough. It has to be something that still makes sense at the kitchen table later that evening, when she tells her husband what you recommended.
Ask what the patient took away, if they didn't say yes right there. At the follow-up or the next visit, one question reveals a lot: "What did you think about what we talked about last time?" The answer tells you quickly whether the clinic and the patient are still talking about the same treatment.
The most expensive loss is usually invisible
Many treatment proposals never become treatment. Sometimes (rarely) it's money, most often it's a question of priorities. But a share of them is lost somewhere else entirely: in the distance between what the dentist meant to say, what the coordinator picked up, and what the patient carried home.
The clinical quality is usually there.
It's the shared understanding that slips.
Because when the patient says yes in the chair and no at the dinner table at home, there is one question worth asking yourself: did she ever say yes? Or was it just us who thought she did?
Get more thoughts, and maybe the odd provocation, about 2 to 4 times a month when I post something new. It's easy and it doesn't cost you a thing. Follow the link below and sign up to the blog.
Thank you for reading
Warm regards
Jesper Hatt
Dentist, adviser and advocate for clinics where security, community and balance are a natural part of everyday life.
T: +41 78 268 0078
"At Hatt Consulting we know how demanding it can be to make both the clinic and the life outside it work. Many clinic owners don't actually dream of working more, but of creating more calm, more headroom and more balance in the everyday.
We help you and your team find small, practical ways to make the days easier. That can be through personal sparring, shared training in the clinic or simple tools online.
Our aim is that you can feel secure in the role of owner and leader and still have the energy to be present, with patients, with your team and at home.
Would you like to hear how we can support you and your clinic? Write to us at Mail@HattConsulting.com and together we will find the solution that gives you the most calm and headroom.
