6 Ways to Follow Up on Pending Patient Referrals

When a patient needs specialized treatment that a general dentist can’t provide, they need to be referred to a specialist. General dentists usually have a few specialists in the area who they refer patients to on a regular basis. 

Even with established referral pipelines, effective patient referral systems are critical for getting patients the top dental care they need in a timely manner.

In a perfect world, the process is:

1. The General Dentist sees the patient and recommends seeking treatment from a Specialist (e.g. oral surgeons, orthodontists, endodontists). 
2. The General Dentist sends the patient file to the specialist then waits for the Specialist to treat the patient.
3. The Specialist treats the patient and sends a status report back to the General Dentist who files it away.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? If only it was that easy. 

Patients regularly slip through the cracks and don’t get to the specialist far more often than one would expect. It’s bad news for everyone:

• Patients aren’t getting the treatment they need.
• General dentists aren’t enabling patients to get the recommended treatment.
• Specialists are missing out on the opportunity to help a patient and revenue.

How can General dentists ensure that their patients actually make it to the specialist after the initial referral?

Here are 6 ways that general dentist offices can follow up to make sure patient doesn’t get lost in the referrals process:

Call the Specialist’s office

Calling the Specialist's office directly can ensure that referral information is received and understood, but this method has several limitations. Phone calls can be time-consuming, and coordinating schedules between busy offices can be challenging. Additionally, important details might be missed during the call, leading to potential miscommunications.

Despite these drawbacks, a phone call does provide an immediate confirmation of receipt and allows for real-time questions and answers. It can also establish a direct line of communication for future follow-ups. However, the reliance on verbal communication means that without proper documentation, details might be forgotten or misinterpreted later.

Call the patient

Following up with the patient by phone after making a referral can help ensure they understand the next steps, but this method also has significant limitations. Patients may not answer the call or may not fully comprehend the purpose of the call during a brief conversation. Additionally, phone calls can be time-consuming for the office staff and may not always lead to the desired outcome of the patient scheduling their specialist appointment.

While a phone call provides an opportunity to address patient concerns and clarify instructions, it does not guarantee patient compliance. The effectiveness of this method relies heavily on the patient’s willingness to follow through and their ability to remember and act on the information provided.

Email the Specialist’s office manager

Emailing the specialist's office manager allows for detailed and documented communication about patient referrals, but this method also has its limitations. Emails may not be read immediately, leading to delays in the referral process. There is also a risk of emails being overlooked or ending up in spam folders, which can result in the communication being lost entirely.

Despite these risks, email does provide a written record of the referral and any instructions or concerns, which can be referenced later. This method is more efficient than phone calls for non-urgent referrals and allows for the attachment of relevant patient records. However, it still relies on the recipient’s timely response and proper email management.

Text the Specialist’s office manager

Texting the specialist's office manager offers a quick way to alert them about a referral, but it has significant limitations in terms of security and information depth. Text messages are not typically secure and can pose a risk of HIPAA violation if any protected health information is included in the text messages. Additionally, the brevity of text messages may lead to insufficient communication about the referral.

This method is useful for urgent notifications but should be followed up with a more secure and detailed communication channel, such as Sindi. The efficiency of texting depends on the recipient's promptness in checking and responding to messages, which also can vary based on the recipient.

Hand the patient a paper copy and hope they call the specialist

Handing the patient a paper referral places the responsibility on the patient to follow through, which can lead to inefficiencies and patient dropoff. Patients may lose the referral, forget to make the appointment, or misunderstand the importance of the referral. This method provides no confirmation that the referral has been acted upon and leaves the general dentist's office without follow-up information. Additionally, the specialist is completely in the dark, having received zero communications that the patient had been referred to their office.

While paper referrals are straightforward and easy to produce, they do not ensure that the patient will take the necessary steps to see the specialist. To mitigate these risks, it is advisable to combine this method with additional communications directly to the specialist’s office, to encourage patient compliance and ensure continuity of care.

The best way: Use Sindi

If you’re using Sindi for dental patient referrals, you’re on top of your game. Thank you for being a customer! We salute you.  

If you aren’t, Sindi enables dental practices to send and receive patient referrals on one platform in just a few clicks. After sending a referral, Sindi’s Timeline feature allows both practices to chat back and forth in real time, as well as share files up to 125MB.

A simple “Hey, can you follow up with this patient to get him scheduled?” message from the general dentist’s office manager reminds the specialist’s office manager to get the patient scheduled. All communications are logged in the referral for easy status tracking and recordkeeping. 

Sindi is 100% HIPAA compliant ensuring that PHI (protected health information) is secure through the entire patient referral process. This is especially important when follow-up is required and you’re having trouble tracking the patient down.

Ready to sign up for Sindi and make patient referrals easy for your practice?

Sign up for a free trial today.