Week 5 PP - Midterm Review Flashcards
When is the best time to schedule elderly?
in the morning
When is the best time to schedule children under 5?
in the morning
When should Emergencies be scheduled?
during buffer time slots
What questions to ask for emergencies?
- How long has the tooth been bothering you?
- Which tooth is it? Where is the pain?
- How much discomfort are you experiencing—sharp pain or dull ache?
- Constant or “on and off”?
- Sensitive to hot, cold or pressure?
- Have you taken any pain medication? If so, what kind?
- Do you have any facial swelling? Fever?
- Has there been recent treatment or injury in the area?
- An acute emergency must be seen IMMEDIATELY!
Things to consider while scheduling?
Who can perform the procedure? (Dentist, RDH, RDA)
Is the time being utilized well?
*Is the RDH & dentist time booked to full production?
*No open time in primary column (yet not overbooked)
What are Solo RDA Procedures?
- Nutrition counselling
- Desensitization
- Sealants
- Radiographs
- Polish amalgam restorations
- Removal of excess cement with OHI after final cementation of bridge or crowns.
- Suture removal
- Alginate impressions for whitening trays, sports guard or study models
- Tooth whitening instruction
- Provisional crown fabrication or provisional restoration placement
- Part of orthodontic work-up
- Prophy and fluoride (children and teens)
- OHI
Hygiene Procedures
-Scaling
-Root Planning
-Polish
-Fluoride
-OHI
-Nutrition Counseling
-Probing
-Radiographs
-Anesthetic
-Prescriptions - must have a prescriber’s number (only certain drugs can be prescribed by an RDH- list provided by CRDHA)
How to manage appointment book?
- Ideally one person should be responsible for managing the appointment book.
- Sometimes patients do not show up or show up late.
- Sometimes patients just drop in.
- How do we deal with these issues and still maintain control over the schedule?
What to do if Patient is Late?
Maintain your schedule - call at ten minutes past appointment time, explain the treatment requires scheduled amount of time. Record in chart. May need to reschedule.
What to do if Dentist is late?
Inform patients that are waiting, give them the option to reschedule, most people are understanding if for emergency reasons.
What happens if an office is always late?
An office that consistently runs behind cannot be offended when patients begin to arrive late for their appointments
Missed Appointments
- Also known as: failed appointment (F/A), no-show (N/S), appointment not kept (ANK)
- Repeated occurrences often lead to financial penalty or decision to no longer book patient.
- Know your office policy and explain to all patients (24 hour notice? 48 hour notice?)
- Short notice list is a great back-up for late and missed appointments. (People with flexible schedule who can show up ASAP).
What about Drop In appointments?
- Know your office policy. Does the office allow a buffer time for a drop in
- You may have to tactfully inform the patient that the dentist sees patients on an appointment only basis
- In most offices if it is a true emergency they will allow time in the schedule to accommodate
What information is needed to book appointments?
- Patients Name (last name, first name)
- Preferred Phone Number(s)
- Treatment to be completed
- Age of Patient (child only)
- Length of Appointment (units required)
- Premedication/ medical concerns*
- Lab cases
Spelling is important!
What is Dovetailing?
Minor treatment can easily be completed in less than 1 unit of scheduled time.
Dovetailing is: Scheduling a second patient into the schedule during another patient’s scheduled treatment.
