Building & Growing Patient Relationships

Do you really know about who you are working on?  

Do you feel like you are working on strangers? 

Are you pushing treatment to people who don’t hold health as a high value?

Do you know what your patients do for a living? Or who in your practice is related to them? 

Those are the social determinants of really knowing someone. I hear time and again from doctors that they have a relationship-based practice:

“We know their pets names and where they go on vacation.” 

I think to myself, “That's nice to know, but is that why your patients are coming to you?” When I ask a few questions, it comes to light that the important information has been missed in lieu of superficial information. Patients are not at your practice because of how much you know about them. 

They want you to know them! This means knowing the patients’ motivations for care, why are they at your office in the first place? Why do they come and see the hygienist on whatever interval they are on? 

Is it because the insurance company told them to do so? Is it because the hygienist told them to be there? Or is it because they don’t want to end up with the same dental issues that their parents may have had.

Or maybe, it is to catch issues at the earliest stages. Or better yet, to prevent disease and maintain the health they have.

Is that type of information documented in the patient's chart where everyone can see it?

What are the obstacles to care? What do patients struggle with?

Too often, doctors think the patient is there for them to look for problems. That can be one level of care, but there is another level of care available. One that transcends traditional problem-focused individual tooth care. One that goes beyond insurance-level care. One that has patients pursuing health and choosing higher levels of health.

It all begins with a relationship. To have relationships with patients, it is first necessary to spend time with one another. 

Having control of uninterrupted time in your practice is essential for your patients, whether new or not, to build and grow a relationship with them. 

This is the outcome of working with The Schuster Center, the original professional development school for dentists.

Yes, we help dentists lower their overhead. Yes, we help dentists increase case acceptance. Yes, we help dentists increase profitability. Yes, we help get control over time so that relationships can be formed. And yes, we help you organize your team around a shared mission! 

All of this leads to the ability of the doctor to enjoy higher levels of care, higher profitability, higher appreciation for how you care for patients, and equally allows you to connect with people again — and have a deep appreciation for the trust people put in you!