Follow the appointment beyond the booking
How recare follow-up supports completed dental visits
A full calendar is useful only when the scheduled care happens. Track each step and resolve the barrier where patients drop out.
Recare outreach can help patients return, but a booked appointment is not completed treatment. Some visits are rescheduled, some patients need another clinical discussion and some treatment plans span several appointments. Measure the outcome you actually mean.
01 / Define the denominator
Use one group of patients and follow it through
100 attempted
40 reached
20 booked
15 attended
Reach rate: 40%. Booking rate among reached patients: 50%. Attendance among booked patients: 75%. Attendance across the original cohort: 15%.
These figures are invented to demonstrate the calculations, not reported service results. The same data can produce different percentages because the denominators differ. A report saying “50% conversion” without defining the starting group is incomplete.
Count unique patients for patient-level measures. If one patient receives three calls and books two visits, do not treat those as three patients reached or two patients returned.
02 / Improve the right stage
Find the step that needs help
| Where the patient stops | What to investigate |
|---|---|
| Not reached | Contact accuracy, preferred channel, timing and permitted outreach. More attempts are not a substitute for a working number. |
| Reached, not booked | Availability, unanswered questions, unresolved concerns or a request to consider options. Record the actual reason. |
| Booked, not attended | Appointment understanding, rescheduling needs and the practice’s reminder process. Review cancellations and future dates separately. |
| Attended, plan not complete | Whether more visits are planned, clinical recommendations changed or the patient chose not to proceed. The treating team determines the next clinical step. |
Recare staff can arrange an office conversation and help with scheduling. They should not make clinical claims or pressure a patient into treatment to improve a conversion number.
03 / Keep financial claims proportionate
Do not multiply every booking by an assumed patient value
Scheduled production, completed production and collected cash are different amounts. A future appointment can change, and completed treatment may still have payments pending.
Illustrative financial reading
If 15 attended visits generate $3,000 in actual adjusted production, that averages $200 per attended visit in this example. It does not establish $3,000 of incremental profit, and it should not be multiplied by all 100 patients attempted.
To evaluate service value, consider actual collections over a suitable period, relevant incremental costs, the service fee and how many visits would likely have happened without extra outreach.
A lifetime patient-value assumption may be useful in a separate business model, but label its time horizon and assumptions. It should not appear as cash already generated by this month’s calling work.
04 / Keep future visits visible
Build a report that stays useful after the month ends
Suggested outcome fields
- Cohort
- Patients selected during the defined outreach period.
- Contact outcome
- Reached, not reached, declined, office question or callback.
- Booking
- Appointment date and type, linked to the patient record.
- Attendance
- Attended, canceled, rescheduled or still in the future.
- Care outcome
- Relevant completed services, if appropriate to the report and scope.
Allow time for appointments to occur. At month end, distinguish a visit booked for next month from a missed appointment. Revisit the same cohort later instead of losing track when the reporting month changes.
Practice software distinguishes several appointment lists; use the appropriate status and record rather than relying solely on a caller’s spreadsheet.
For the overall process, read what recare calls include. If follow-up is inconsistent, the follow-up process guide helps locate the operational gap.
Practical questions
Details worth clarifying
Does an attended appointment mean a treatment plan is complete?
No. A visit may be an examination, part of a longer plan or a discussion that changes the plan. Use the clinical record and define the specific completion measure.
What is a good recare conversion rate?
There is no useful universal number without a defined population, contact method and outcome. Compare similar cohorts and track improvement in the stage you are trying to change.
Get practical help
Track the result beyond the phone call
Agree reporting that connects outreach, office questions, scheduled appointments and later attendance.