Hi I’m Jeff Palmer, founder of the Case Acceptance Academy.
Today I want to talk to you about a Pre Consultation Interview. What I teach my clients how to do and what we do here in our dental office is a pre consultation interview.
A Pre Consultation Interview is an interview that’s done with every new patient before they see the doctor.
Now the purpose of this interview is two fold. Number one, it introduces the treatment coordinator to the patient so they get to build rapport. If you use a treatment coordinator or you use your front desk person to go over finances with a patient and there’s a large out of pocket expense for the patient and the front desk person or the treatment coordinator is meeting that patient for the very first time to talk money, it can be very awkward for the treatment coordinator and for the patient. So the first reason for the pre consultation interview is to build rapport with the patient for the treatment coordinator. And that interview can be done in the consult room, it can be done in the operatory, but ideally it’s done before the doctor sees the patient.
The second reason for the pre consultation interview is to give the doctor information about the state of mind of that patient towards getting ideal dentistry and any obstacle that would get in the patient’s way of getting ideal dentistry such as fear, time or finances.
So the reason why the pre consultation interview is done is for two reasons: number one, to build rapport with the treatment coordinator so that when they’re talking money with the patient there’s already a relationship established, it’s not the first time they’re meeting the patient to say “this is going to be three thousand or five thousand or ten thousand dollars, how would you like to pay for that?” The second reason is so that the doctor is prepared when they’re talking to the patient during the exam and during the case presentation, and they know exactly what the mindset of this patient is, and if there’s going to be any obstacles preventing the patient from getting ideal dentistry.
This Pre Consultation Interview will dramatically speed up the effectiveness and efficiency of your case presentations, and it will also increase your case acceptance.