Sharing pertinent information with all parties involved and present
Communication is essential in any healthy relationship. Giving effective hand-offs to your teammates aids in guiding and setting expectations. As a result, you are ultimately building trust with your patients. This is why they’re also known as Trust Transfers. We like to think of hand-offs as forming a triangle of trust with your patients.
Do you ever look up from what you’re doing to see a patient waiting for help at your desk? During a busy day at the office, you may not recognize this patient or what they require. By instituting a strict hand-off procedure, team members can help each other avoid this while also strengthening relationships with their patients.
The goal of a solid hand-off is to provide accurate information in a timely manner to assist the next team member in dealing with the patient’s needs.
Most Common Types of Hand-Offs
- Front Office → Front Office
- Front Office → Clinical Team
- Front Office → Doctor
- Clinical Team → Front Office
- Clinical Team → Clinical Team
- Clinical Team → Doctor
Always give hand-offs to the doctor or other team members in front of the patient. As a result, the triangle of trust is formed. Include the patient in your eye contact, and before ending/walking away, ask the patient if you missed anything, or if they or a team member have any questions.
Every hand-off should have the following:
Need, Summary, Time, and Cost.
- Patient’s name
- Something personal
- Don’t skip this, it gives the next team member something to speak to when building rapport with the patient.
- What was done today or what is to be done today (their “WHY”)
- What you need from the recipient of the hand-off
- Timeline
- Budget, cost of treatment
Verbiage Examples:
Front Office to Front Office:
- “Hey Kelly, I have a patient on the phone. Her name is Elaine and she would like to schedule an appointment for a cleaning; she has a concern on the lower right with biting sensitivity. She found us on Google and her insurance is Delta Dental. Can you please get her scheduled?”
Clinical to Front Office:
- “Alright, Kelly we just finished up with Elaine’s appointment. Everything went as planned (this could be a verbal cue that you checked the procedures attached to the appointment and confirmed they are all correct). We did find what was causing her discomfort on the lower right; she has a cracked tooth. Dr. Moore recommends a crown to help save the tooth. I did go over the cost, our in-office savings plan, and CareCredit payment options. . She would like to go ahead and sign up to save that 20%, use CareCredit for her out-of-pocket portion, and then get scheduled as soon as she can. Can you go ahead and find a time that works for her and the doctor? Elaine, did I miss anything? No? Good. Kelly, do you have any questions for me? No? Great. Elaine, it was so good meeting you and we are looking forward to seeing you again soon!“
Hygiene to Doctor:
- “Alright, Elaine, Doctor is joining us now. Doctor, Elaine just got back from her 3-week vacation to Europe! (Give the patient and doctor something relatable to talk about. Let them small-talk for a brief moment.) Okay, guys, we do have to talk about teeth today too. Today we completed X-rays, perio charting, and a routine cleaning for Elaine. Her gums are slightly inflamed so we discussed some great home-care tips. I did notice a substantial crack on #30; we are thinking it could be a combination of an old mercury filling and her grinding that caused this. We did discuss the possibility of a crown as a fix. Can you take a look and let us know if we are on the right track? And of course, if you see anything else, Elaine would appreciate knowing. Her dental health is extremely important to her. Did I miss anything, Elaine?“
Clinical to Doctor:
- “We have Dr. Moore joining us here, Elaine. Dr. Moore, you remember Elaine, she was just in last week for her initial visit and we found she has a cracked tooth. She is here to get it fixed with a crown on #30. The hygienist has already numbed her and I have taken the needed impressions, so she is ready to go! I have everything ready here and we will get her scheduled for her crown seat when we are all finished.“
Clinical to Front Office:
- “Hey Kelly, Elaine is all finished with her crown prep. Everything went as planned and we reviewed post-op instructions. I have her lab case entered into the computer with an estimated date to get her crown back from the lab. Can you get her scheduled after that date?”
- Giving a non-specific date in front of the patients works in our favor so we can make it fit our schedule.
- Patient Name:
- Something Personal: How did they hear about the office? Trips? Where do they work?:
- Need “Why”: What is bringing them in today? What are their goals?
- Options: What have you discussed with the patient to help them reach their goals?
- Cost / Budget:
- Barriers:
- Time
- Cost
- Lack of Urgency
- Trust
- Fear
- Confirm with Patient
- What do you need from your fellow team member?
