The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

HOW TO COUNT ACTIVE PATIENTS—AND WHY BOTHER?

One of the most important numbers in the management of a dental practice is the number of active patients. Question: if you were asked how many active patients you see in your practice, could you answer correctly, or within 100 patients, or even within 300? Just think—an accurate active patient count is the basis for calculation of the effectiveness of the Recare System and the Recare System is the life blood, the very heart, of a viable practice. In fact, typically 50% to 85% of the treatment delivered and 30% to 35% of office production in a general or pediatric practice comes via the Recare System.

Active patients are NOT simply the number of charts in the file cabinets or the number of names in the computer. An active patient in a general practice is one who has been seen for recare or treatment within the past 18 to 24 months, not counting single visit emergencies who never enroll in the practice. An active patient in a pediatric dental practice has been seen for recare or treatment within the past 12 to 18 months, again, not counting emergency patients who never return for other care.

The process of counting the number of active patients in your practice must start with a chart purge, either manually or electronically. Each patient record must be reviewed for:

1. (Overdue recare visit
2. Undelivered or incomplete diagnosed treatment
3. Delivered but unchecked dental appliances, or
4. Post-ops on emergency or surgical cases

Patients in these categories should be contacted for re-scheduling. A telephone call provides an opportunity for a staff-to-patient personal conversation, producing the best results for reappointment. A text message is next most effective, followed by email contact.

Once an accurate patient count is completed, the effectiveness of the Recare System can be determined following the model below. Be sure to note the Effects on Production figures at the end of the model—SURPRISE!

Given, for example, 2,000 active patients on a six-month recare schedule:

• The Goal for Monthly Recare Patients in a 100% effective system would be about 333 appointments per month.

If your actual average is only 120 appointments per month, then:

• Your Recare System is only 36% effective.

BUT, if you set your minimum goal to be 80% of your active patients instead (1,600 patients out of 2,000):

• The number of recare appointments increases to 267 per month.

AND, if the average fee charged for each recare appointment is $150:

• The Effects on Production of adding 147 monthly appointments would be an additional $22,050 per month, which equates to a $264,600 annual increase in production!

WOW! The potential increase in production plus more frequent and consistent care for patients proves the value of maintaining an active patient count. A dentist must know just how many active patients are enrolled in his or her practice. The decision to determine how many active patients you have in your practice may necessitate a chart purge, and, if necessary, hiring another hygienist and adding another hygiene chair, but are well worth the time, effort, and investment!