One of your main priorities is keeping the schedule full, and a key strategy to do so is making sure that you’re diagnosing enough treatment to sustain it. To track this, you want to pay attention to the percentage of patients seen for an exam who receive a diagnosis for treatment: your Diagnostic Percentage.
This is a crucial metric, because it shows if your practice is proactive or reactive when it comes to diagnosing care. A low percentage may sound like your patients are perfectly healthy, but what it often means is that you may be missing, under-diagnosing, or not documenting and presenting treatment. A high percentage, however, typically reflects a well-calibrated team that consistently identifies disease and feels confident presenting it to patients and allowing the patient to decide, instead of watching problems until they become urgent. You’ll see this metric impact both your production and overall patient health, because as your Diagnostic Percentage increases, it means that patients are being recommended more of your treatment that they want and need. As a result, their health will improve.
You can start making an impact on this metric today with a few key steps:
- Establish baselines for “What is healthy?” Once you’ve set this bar, it’s easier to identify when a patient isn’t healthy, so you can start diagnosing the problem.
- Leverage co-discovery and co-diagnosis. Patients are more likely to say yes to treatment when they see what’s going on in their mouths, so make them an active participant.
- Consider using technology to offer a second opinion. Technology like Pearl AI can help in the co-discovery process by providing patients clear images of your findings through the use of their visual overlays.
Ultimately, raising your Diagnostic Percentage isn’t just about improving your practice — it’s about helping your patients receive the care they want and need.
