Ask Laura
From insurance to reactivating patients, we know obstacles pop-up, whatever you need we’ll help you find the answer.
How to Request Online Reviews?
ANSWER: Great question! First, let me say CONGRATULATIONS! I am glad you realize how important online reviews are to the practice. People are looking online for help with making decisions about everything from restaurants to healthcare providers. So, it only makes...
How are you handling rescheduling patients due to the pandemic/shut down?
QUESTION: How are you handling rescheduling patients due to the pandemic/shut down? ANSWER: Take a breath. This has been an unusual and stressful time for everyone and we need to create a strategy that will decrease the stress for the team while helping our...
How to schedule new patients when the schedule is booked out for months
QUESTION: My front desk team is having a hard time scheduling new patients right now because we are booked out so far. What can they say to these patients? ANSWER: Typically, we like to get new patients in as soon as possible. This is because we want to let them...
I have never filed a medical claim, what steps do I need to take?
QUESTION: I have filed a claim with Delta Dental for an impacted wisdom tooth and they denied it because they want myself, the dentist, to file a claim with medical first. I have never filed a medical claim and I am not what necessary steps need to be taken. Please...
How to help your team keep control of phone calls
QUESTION: My front desk team is spending too much time on the phone with patients. They get involved in long conversations that do not go anywhere. How do I teach them to cut back on the "chit chat" and get people scheduled! ANSWER: Great question! We all want...
How to implement office systems into your practice
QUESTION: I have systems in my office but no one is using them properly? How do I get my team on the same page? ANSWER: Great question! The intention of office systems and protocols is to create efficiency, consistency and flow in the office. What I have found...
We Just Hired A New Unexperienced Employee How Do We Train?
Question: I have just hired a new team member. She is young, this is her first "real" job and I am concerned that her lack of experience is reflected in how she communicates with people. What can I do to help her speak more professionally? Answer: You have taken...
How to outsource A/R and or use a collections agency
QUESTION: Laura mentioned outsourcing A/R and using a collections agency if needed. She talked about interviewing the companies. What would we ask and what’s important to know? ANSWER:I recommend outsourcing things like Insurance Verification and Accounts...
How many breaks is too many for employees?
ANSWER: I have two ways to go about answering this question for you. First part is a management answer and then the second is a legal answer. If you are questioning how many times your team members are getting up to go use the restroom or take breaks, then do you...
How do you handle dental patients that refuse to wear masks?
ANSWER: You are not alone. The pandemic has created a need for changes in protocols and has also created a space for people to question whether or not they feel the rules apply to them. Good communication with your patients is your best defense against the rule...
What to do with your PPE Payments
PPE payments have become the latest problem for all Insurance Coordinators in the dental field. Many offices have decided to not charge PPE but you now are getting a bulk payment for PPE and you are unsure what to do with it. What to do with these payments are...
We expect to have an empty fall hygiene schedule – What do we do?
ANSWER: You are already ahead of the game because you are being proactive and not waiting for things to fall apart. How we handle the phone is crucial. Are we allowing everyone to cancel? Or is the team making every effort to get them in so we can take care of...
We are wanting to offer some payment plans for our patients.
QUESTION: We are wanting to offer some payment plans for our patients. I am looking more for an agreement that we can have the patient sign. How can we best track these in-house specifically....we are splitting payment up between 2+ payments and we want to have...
The Clinical team is coming to the front office, what should they be doing?
What is everyone doing with clinical staff coming up to the front area? We have extra computers for them to work on and they have lab slips up here. Answer: I believe right now, there should be a clearly defined clinical and non-clinical area. Everything clinical...
How can I create more structure and systems in the front office?
Question: There was and is a lack of management and direction in the front office. So I am looking to help them create more structure and be more systematic. How can this be done? Answer: Our team members today are very different than in the past. They are very...
How do I prevent patients from walking in?
Q: *How to avoid patients walking into the office vs them calling/texting the office to let you know that they have arrived? A: Make sure when you confirm their appointment you go over the new protocols. It should also be added to any communications - texts,...
How many patients do we need to stay healthy and profitable?
Q: How many patients does Front Office Rocks recommend for a healthy 1 doctor & 3 hygienist practice? We currently have 3314 active patients who have been in our office in the past year and a half. The staff has been killing themselves for 2 years so we are...
When should we hire back or replace team members?
Q: When should offices replace team members that have left because of child care, or other obligations, due to the effects of COVID 19 even though production/profits are down? A: Add team members as needed.... just like when a practice grows. There is no...
How Do You Handle Patients with COVID Contact?
Q: We had a patient (nurse ) get very upset . We asked the COVID-19 screening questions when she came in and she answered that she saw a COVID-19 patient yesterday. We told her we couldn’t see her for the prophy until after 14 days or if she tests negative. She...
Pre-Covid Schedule and 6 Months Out
Question: We have added about 4-5 hours per week, per hygienist to fit in urgent patients who missed an appointment while we were closed. I'm wondering if you would recommend that we schedule in 6 months with our pre- COVID 19 schedule, or plan on keeping this...
What should my team do during downtime?
Question: What should I have staff do during this down time? The office is slow staff has done a lot of cleanup of supplies and rooms already. Answer: If your team has opportunities (I don't like using the word down time) available during the day and you feel all...
How to still manage and monitor employees away from the office?
Question: "I'm an office manager. I want to see if Laura has a suggestion or a way to keep track of staff when the office manager is not on site? How to still manage and monitor away from the office?" Answer: If you have proper systems in place you should be able...
New Patients During the Pandemic
I understand that right now we are all trying to survive and we are just in the moment trying to push through. We are hoping for things to get back to normal soon! You don't want to change the way we would handle our patients and the care that we provide for them....
How do I collect membership plan fees and keep my books organized?
Question: We have an in-house membership discount plan for patients without insurance where the patient pays $400 per year to get 2 cleanings, exams, etc. and 10% off dental work. We need to create a fee schedule for this plan so our books aren't all out of whack....
When calling a patient to confirm their appointment, what should I be saying?
Question:When calling a patient to confirm their appointment, what should I be saying? Answer from Coach Missy: Even before the pandemic, we had specific skills we used when confirming appointments -the type of appointment scheduled, repeating the date and time at...
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