Dentist to dentist and other dental pros...?

We are considering closing the practice to emergencies. In other words, if you are not a patient of record, you can not call with a toothache and expect to be seen "today."





It seems cold to consider this, but it is also inconsiderate to my regular patients who have waited some weeks for their appointment time to let someone upset the whole applecart because they didn't take proper care of themself.





Have any of you done this and what is your experience or advice?





I don't imagine I'll be choosing a "best" answer, as I am just looking for as many opinions as I can find, so this will probably just go to the vote of the masses. Maybe one will emerge as a winner though...

Dentist to dentist and other dental pros...?
Not a dentist but a long time patient of a Doctor who decided this very thing. He sent out a letter to all his customers advising them of the new practice, and that further he will not accept insurance ( the customer will have to submit for reimbursement ) or any new patients that were not on his current list. After talking to other family and friends who use this doctor we all agreed that it wasn't really a problem. It turns out that his practice did better due the reduction in costs. I love my doctor and agree 100% with his new rules. Scheduling has been way better too! I Imagine you will lose some business but in the end it might be better for you, your practice, staff and customers. Hope everything works out for you. I think it will be fine.
Reply:Your idea is a great one, especially if your office is established and the recall system keeps patients coming back regularly. The dentist I worked for (before moving away) was very new and welcomed emergencies in order to help get the numbers up. This made him very happy!





I'm sure it would be nice to stop writing a lot of prescriptions for people who want a temporary fix from an antibiotic and not a root canal or extraction. Once you have established patients, it's good to keep them happy. I'm assuming you are planning to continue seeing new patients for cleanings. What about if an established patient has a family member (i.e.spouse, child) who has never seen you but has an emergency? Do you see them and then schedule a cleaning for them? I think I would :)





I also liked what the other guy said about sending out a letter to your patients, however it would probably be easier to just post a sheet up in the waiting room.





Interesting question for yahoo answers :)
Reply:There is an emergency clinic at the dental hospital and there is the emergeny non-registered patients number, so i think its completely fair! I worked in a dentist for three years, i'm qualified and i think its disgusting how people can just come in and demand treatment. If they go regularly then their teeth wouldn't be in as bad shape anyway!





Don't feel guilty because people can't spare 15 minutes for an exam - it's their own fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply:I am a dental assistant and a few of the offices I worked at had this problem. Trt having the patient answer several quiestions like: Are they in pain, Are they bleeding, Can they chew, Do they have a fever, Is it sensitve to hot and cold. Make sure it sounds like a genuine toothache. Most importantly tell them they can come but there WILL be a wait. In other words if they have to wait till you close they have to wait. Take care of your patients in the schedule and make sure you and your staff get a lunch. If the person really wants to be seen they WILL wait. Otherwise let them go somewhere else at least you are kind enough to offer to see them. They have to realize that you put your sched. patients first. I mean if they had an appt and they had to wait because of a toothache they wouldnt like it.





That's just something we used to do in an office I worked at. If they complain it's their own fault.