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Patient Engagement by the Numbers by Diana Friedman, MA, MBA

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Over the past decade, advancements in technology have afforded patient engagement within orthodontics to transition into the digital age. Though practices retain some aspects of the traditional methods, such as personal calls and posted materials, the shift in patient preference for digital communications has been profound. An astounding 92 percent of orthodontic patients prefer to go online rather than call the practice for information.1 Practices adopting digital patient engagement solutions are experiencing dramatic improvements in production, collections, patient engagement and new patient flow.

Traditionally, patient engagement was accomplished through personal phone calls and high volumes of direct mail. As the world transitioned to the digital age, patients have increasingly opted to receive communications from service providers in digital form, via email and text. This shift in patient communication patterns and preferences has given practices an opportunity to gain significant operational efficiencies and improved performance.

An examination of three core areas of patient engagement shows the positive impact that your practice can achieve, if the right technologies are deployed.

Automated Appointment Reminders = Increased Production
A recent research study of 518 dental professionals2 found that 51 percent of practices use some form of automated appointment reminders.3 A significant 85.5 percent of doctors in a national survey stated that automated appointment reminders are important to the success of their practice.4

In the same study, 85.3 percent of surveyed orthodontists noted that the main practice benefit of automating appointment reminders was, beyond the overwhelming demand from patients, a reduction in no shows. This positively impacts production5 and safeguards treatment quality and timelines.

Automated Past Due Financial Reminders and Online Bill Pay = Increased Collections
When monthly installments become past due, the practice is placed in the awkward position of having to call and encourage patients to pay their bills, while having to maintain treatment delivery. Sophisticated patient engagement platforms have allowed practices to effectively manage these situations through discreet automated past due balance email reminders.

A research study found that 90.6 percent of Sesame members' orthodontic patients are comfortable with paying their bills online.7 Even better, the combination of past-due appointment reminders and online bill pay helps improve collections dramatically. This study found that when emailing past due balance reminders 50 percent of accounts are paid within the first 48 hours of the email notification being sent.8 When optimized with integrated online bill payment, 60 percent of orthodontists also stated that the practice gets paid faster.9

Patient Qualified Practice Reviews = Increased New Patient Flow
In the traditional orthodontic practice, securing patient reviews required top of mind attention from the team as they approach and ask patients to go online and review the practice. This time-consuming activity often falls short on measurable results.

Leveraging an advanced digital patient-engagement platform means the practice can secure dozens of qualified patient post appointment reviews each month with minimal investment required from the team or patient. A national research study found that, on average, Ortho Sesame was able to secure and effectively syndicate an average of 22 new patient reviews per practice, per month.10 The benefits of these reviews are not only sharing verified patient feedback with the local community, but, just as important, enhancing the online reputation of the practice.

Syndicating patient reviews online is also greatly impacted by the portal where they are published. For instance, a national research study found that publishing reviews to Healthgrades drove, on average, 11 prospective patient inquiries into the practice each month.11

Final Thoughts
Consumers want their care providers to communicate with them in an effective and discreet manner. Furthermore, they want those communications to come to the devices they are using: computers, tablets and smartphones. A state-of-the-art patient engagement platform can achieve these objectives very economically, while saving the practice team time and achieving better production and collection results.

References
  1. Sesame Patient Survey, 2010, Sesame Communications
  2. Sesame Member Survey, 2014, Sesame Communications
  3. Ibid.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Sesame Database Fact, 2010, Sesame Communications
  7. Ibid.
  8. Ibid.
  9. Sesame Member Survey, 2014, Sesame Communications
  10. Sesame Communications Research Brief, 2014, Healthgrades Enhanced Profiles™: Patient Acquisition Performance Metrics
  11. Ibid.


Dr. Diana Friedman is a recognized leader in the dental industry with a 20-year track record of success in leading companies, launching innovative technologies, and fortifying brand positioning for companies in the dental professional and consumer markets. Diana held senior management roles at Sesame Communications, Novalar Pharmaceuticals, Philips Sonicare and Levin Group. She also served as a senior market development consultant to top tier companies within the dental sector.
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October 2025
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