General dentists and specialists must work together and communicate with each other to successfully treat their patients’ oral health. Even though some general dentists want to do every treatment for their patients, specialists, such as orthodontists and endodontists, perform procedures that general dentists cannot provide for their patients. Referrals to specialists benefit patients because they undergo a specific treatment necessary for their oral health. Specialists benefit because they gain more business from these patients. Referrals help patients undergo treatments from dentists with certain skill sets, and also many dentists earn more income from these referrals.
Referrals between dentists & specialists
Dentists and specialists need to develop their working relationships to ensure they can refer patients to each other for their practice’s financial success. Dentists could find potential referrals from training institutes’ study clubs, provider lists from their local hospital credentialing offices, managed care organizations, and Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon friends. Dentists could convince people, such as specialists and medical doctors, and their employees to refer patients to their practice by conveying what the unique services they could give to their community. Specialists can provide the referring dentist with more information about them through brochures and their websites, convincing them to refer patients to them.
Dentists & specialists working together
Dentists and specialists should also develop working relationships with their employees by scheduling events that bring them together at a restaurant or the dentist’s office to foster camaraderie and trust. When working together, dentists and specialists must regularly communicate with each other about the patient’s case. For instance, dentists should send the specialist letters, clinical photographs, radiographs, feedback, etc., while specialists should talk to them about their concerns regarding the dentists’ treatment plan. Dentists and specialists should also show appreciation to each other to further solidify their relationship. For instance, esthetic restorative dentists should show photographs of successful procedures that specialists performed for the dentists’ treatment plans. Then, the specialists can show them to others so that they can attract more patients. Specialists should praise the referring dentists’ high-quality work on crowns and veneers to their patients. By doing so, when these patients inform their dentist about the specialist’s compliment, they will keep referring patients to the specialist.
Referrals aid patients in obtaining necessary procedures for their teeth, while the referred dentists gain more income from these patients. Dentists must collaborate to help patients and earn more revenue. eAssist also collaborates with dentists and specialists by assisting them with their billing needs. Schedule a consultation to find out more.
