Reactivation of Inactive Patients

How Do You Get Them Back?

Reactivation of Inactive Patients

The reactivation of patients or clients whom have discontinued care can be a major source of increased activity and income. Although they aren’t “new patients/clients” per se, the reactivation of these persons can produce a significant increase in activity for you. If you were to calculate the “value” of each patient or client visit and multiply that by the number of patients or clients you have not seen for 6 months or more, you would begin to get the idea that you are losing significant amounts of income by allowing these patients to slip through the cracks. By simply concentrating on reactivating those persons who have visited you in the past, you can increase office visits and income notably.

People drop out of treatment for many reasons. It is possible that a person decided to discontinue care due to financial difficulties. By contacting them, you might find that their situation has improved, and they may be quite willing to re-establish their visits with you. It is also possible that a patient/client may have stopped coming for services because they didn’t have a full understanding of the importance of regular visits. This is a matter that could be cleared up through communication and education. Lastly, don’t rule out the idea that your former patient/client may have some sort of upset with your office, which again could be simply handled with communication. The important things to be aware of are that communication, a caring attitude, and good follow-up can encourage people to come back to the practice.

Set aside some time to go through your inactive files and find those patients/clients whom you have not seen for at least six months. Look through the chart to determine what services they might be in need of. Compose a letter which addresses the specific service indicated.

Keep a log of letters sent out and, through the use of a reminder file, target a follow-up phone call to the client/patient within one week of sending out the letter.

When placing a phone call, make sure that you are specifically familiar with whom you are calling. Have it clearly in mind exactly what it is you are calling for. Keep a record of your phone calls which would include:

• the date and time of the call
• whom you spoke with
• the reason for the call
• the results of the call

SAMPLE PHONE CALL SCRIPT

“Hello, is this Mrs. Jones? Mrs. Jones, this is Becky from Dr. Smith’s office. How are you? Are you free to talk for a few moments?”

At this point, having reviewed their file, you should know enough to engage them in some sort of conversation. This is an indication to them that you are addressing them as an individual, not just a name.

“Dr. Smith has been reviewing your file and discovered that we haven’t seen you for 7 months. He asked me to give you a call about this.”

Ask how the patient is doing regarding either general condition or the condition for which they had been seeing the doctor. Remember, let the patient/client talk. This is how ou are going to find an entry point into what the barrier has been. Ensure that you answer any questions or handle any confusions which may arise during the conversation.

“I understand what you are talking about. Have I answered your questions to your satisfaction?”

(If the patient/client’s questions have been answered, continue…) “May I arrange for an appointment with Dr. Smith? I have an available appointment at the beginning of the week and the latter part of the week. Which would be most convenient for you?”

Be considerate of the client/patient’s time and commitments but be definite in your actions and statements concerning getting the person scheduled. Don’t be in a hurry. Take the time to really talk with this person if that is what is needed.

During the phone conversation, the important things to focus on are:

1. Establish good communication and rapport at the onset of the call.
2. Convey a caring attitude for the patient/client.
3. Convey the importance of the patient coming in.
4. Be very willing to work with the patient/client to overcome any barriers which might be present.

If this person is still unwilling to come in, and you don’t really understand why, the chart should be passed to the doctor (with notes on this phone call). The doctor will then determine what course of action, if any, should be taken. He/she may decide to call the client/patient or send off a nice letter. The important thing to remember is that without knowing about this type of problem, the doctor’s hands are tied in resolving the situation