Why Patients Feel Awkward And What You Can Do About It

Your office is such a familiar and comfortable place for you and your team that it can be easy to lose sight of something important: many patients feel exposed and vulnerable when discussing their dental needs in a public setting.

That’s why I think you need to determine whether you are addressing insurance questions, collection issues, treatment plans, or appointment concerns at the front desk. For you and your team, it all seems like routine business. Still, many patients find it uncomfortable to discuss personal financial matters or private treatment concerns in a public setting where others can overhear.

And if a place makes them feel uncomfortable, their instincts are to find a way out — and that often means saying “yes” or “I’ll think about” just so they can quickly end the conversation. Then they end up cancelling or not showing up later.

This is why I think more practices need to make it a habit to make better use of a private consultation area – a place where team members can conduct new patient interviews, discuss fees and financial arrangements, set up treatment schedules and where you can present treatment plans in an environment where patients can feel free to talk without self-consciousness.

Take more of these conversations into a private setting, and you’ll find that patients respond more openly. Not only that, but you and your team will find it easier and more natural to provide focused, distraction-free, one-on-one attention to the patient. And that is always a good thing.