Handoff Checklist

The Best Dental Team
Hand-off
Jump to page 13 for the Checklists >>>
What if a patient’s willingness to say “yes” to treatment, become
a lifetime patient, and refer others to the practice boils down to 15
minutes in your office? What would you do in those critical minutes?
What would you say? Well, as you’re likely aware, this is already
happening in your practice.
What is a Hand-off?
Patients decide to trust you and create a relationship with your practice
in only a few minutes. Do you know when it happens? The hand-off.
We aren’t just talking about an introduction to the other team, but what
specifically happens when you pass the “baton of responsibility” to
the next team member. The hand-off is when you establish trust and
reduce patient anxieties.
Why are hand-offs critical?
Informed consent isn’t just a paper that gets signed before treatment;
it’s a dental provider’s due diligence. What if consent created high
dental IQ patients who understood all phases of treatment and possible
outcomes? Achieving this level of consent requires repetition to solidify
concepts and lead to deeper understanding. High-level consent can be
accomplished in the hand-off.
When the hand-off is done correctly the patient should leave feeling
heard, safe, and knowing:
\ What treatment was done today
\ What needs to be done next
\ What will be expected from all parties when completing treatment
\ How much time and money will it take
\ Will it hurt?
The Perfect Handoff Checklist | 2

What to do first?
Before diving into each necessary hand-off, it’s essential to

understand some basics that apply to all communication with your
patients.
1. Problems should not be solved with patients in the heat of the

moment. Instead, take the time before appointments to discuss
workflow and best practices. Each practice is different and having a
plan for how you handle hand-offs will make them successful.
2. Notes. They are not just for legal reasons. Make notes about
patients’ personalities, likes, dislikes, and significant events. Take
an interest in their lives and write them down. It doesn’t need to
be a journal but something to jog the memory. Patients want to
be remembered. Remembering the little things goes a long way in
building rapport with a patient.
3. Automate and streamline the hand-off. Having processes will

make interactions consistent, less time-consuming, and more
effective. We recommend using a virtual communication tool (like
Modento), but having a route slip that gets passed along with the
patient can also work.
4. Take the patient’s personality into consideration. Don’t veer too

far off from the planned way of executing hand-offs but consider
the patient’s personality when passing the responsibility to the next
person. Things to consider would be:
\ Does the patient like to be highly informed?
\ Does the patient like to talk a lot?
\ Does the patient want their appointment to be fast?
\ Does the patient have a lot of fear surrounding dental

procedures?
\ What is most important to the patient: preventative or fixing

things when it hurts?

5. Lastly, act it out. Get the whole team on the same page by creating
scenarios and acting them out together. Encourage the team to
troubleshoot and use their language to develop customized hand-offs
that support the whole team.
You’ll notice a running theme throughout the checklists below – the

clinical team. Hygienists and assistants have a significant impact on the
success of hand-offs in the practice. Our suggestion is to designate one
clinical team member to be “in charge” of hand-offs in your practice.
That person will train team members, follow up, and hold team members
accountable for falling behind.
Let’s get into what that looks like for each critical step in the
appointment.
Before the Appointment: Front Office Team to Clinical Team
The transition between the front and back office is critical to creating a
good impression on the patient. This hand-off will set the tone for the
remainder of the appointment. Dental practice & patient rapport starts
before the patient sits in the dental chair. Missteps will require future
team members to overcome an emotional “wall” from the patient.
Patient Documents are FULLY completed. Ensure all documents are

completed with enough time for the clinical team to review them before
the appointment time.
\ E.g. New patient forms, updated medical history, restorative consent
Set expectations for the clinical team. This can be done via route slip
paper, vocally, or virtually through intra-office chat features like Team
Chat or LiveOps®. The items to be disclosed to the clinical team before
their interaction with the patient include:
\ Prior issues or questions from the patient up to this point.
» E.g. Difficulty with billing, trouble with treatment
\ Red flags from the front office team
» E.g. Previous conflict, trouble with payment

\ Name Changes and Pronunciations
» Typing or writing phonically can help
Pace the Clinical Team. As a team, set a time after the set
appointment time that you will follow up with the clinical team and
notify the patient of the delay. It is best to be on time, but plan how
and when to keep the patient and team in the loop if there is a delay.
» E.g. If the patient hasn’t been brought back 15-minutes after

the appointment time, the receptionist will ask the dental assistant
about the anticipated wait time and notify the patient. If the wait is
longer than 30 minutes, the patient will be given a gift card for the
inconvenience.
The principle here is to establish and enforce consistent operating

procedures.
Patient Identification. The front office team is responsible for

ensuring the clinical team calls the right patient. If there is more than
one patient with the same first or last name at a time, an identifier
needs to be given to the team to bring back the correct patient.
During the Appointment: Clinical Team to Dentist
When an assistant or
hygienist passes the baton
to the dentist, there is a
powerful opportunity to
build trust and increase
case acceptance. Many
expectations need
to be set before the
appointment to do this
effectively:
\ A good understanding of the diagnostic philosophy of the dentist.
» Example: Conservative or aggressive diagnosing, when an onlay

is done as opposed to large filling.
\ The language and script that will initiate the hand-off.

Pre-educate
Armed with diagnosing philosophies, team members can educate

patients on potential treatment needs before the doctor enters the
exam room, thus reducing doctor time.
Dentist and Team Member Sidebar
Take “5” for 5 (Meet for five minutes and discuss these five topics)
\ Primary Concern of Patient
\ What has been completed
\ Findings of the clinical team
\ Primary concern from the clinical team

\ Personal information to pass along
The Hand-off between Team Member and Dentist
\ Introduce or reintroduce the patient to the dentist.
\ Reframe aloud and in front of the patient everything that has gone
on until now.
» Work completed
» Concerns from patient
» Concerns from the team member
» What oral education has been completed
» Ask the patient if anything was missed
Speaking aloud in front of the patient will ensure that the patient
feels heard and help clear up any miscommunication, reducing
mistakes and increasing case acceptance. It helps everyone in the
room feel included in the conversation. This is a great way to deepen
patient trust.
Example Script:
Hygienist to Doctor: “Okay, Dr. Brown, we are done with a prophy on

Gary in Room 5. There was inflammation on the upper right, and it is
suspicious on number 3. Gary hasn’t been having any pain in that area
but noticed more bleeding. We spoke about potentially needing to
redo that crown and what that will entail. Also, Gary just got a new job
for the State in accounting.”
Doctor to Patient: “Hi Gary, it’s good to see you. Katie has told me
you got a new job with the State; congratulations! (Gary’s response).
Well, let’s get to it. Katie, would you mind getting me up to speed.”
Hygienist to Patient and Doctor: “Sure, Dr. Brown. We did a cleaning

today. Gary is doing a great job on his oral health, and he doesn’t have
any concerns. I noticed there was inflammation on the upper right.
We talked about there being a potential problem with the crown. Gary
hasn’t been having any pain in that area but noticed more bleeding.
Gary, did I miss anything?”
Speaking aloud in front
Giving the patient the opportunity of the patient will ensure
to confirm your conversation is that the patient feels heard
so important here. It shows you and help clear up any
were listening and helps build the miscommunication, reducing
connection between the patient and mistakes and increasing case
doctor. acceptance.
After the Appointment: Clinical Team to Front Office Team
Establish rules for when to hand off to the front office team.
When will a treatment coordinator or scheduler be in the treatment

room for the exam? Examples might be:
\ When more than $500 of treatment is being planned.
\ When more than two teeth need restorations.
\ When sedation for treatment is being planned.
Having the team member in charge of scheduling and financing in the

room for larger cases can reduce miscommunication.
Also, when can the clinical team schedule the treatment without
involving the front office team? This saves the patient time and
reduces the bottleneck at the front desk. Examples might be:

\ When the procedure being scheduled is no-charge.
\ Simple fillings and extraction, where insurance coverage is high.
\ A deep cleaning appointment.
Clinical and Front Office Teams Sidebar
A sidebar can be done vocally, virtually, or on paper but should be

done before the patient is handed off to the front office team. This
gives the front office time to gather the necessary paperwork and
make sure they can devote enough time to the patient in front of them.
Items to discuss include:
\ Change in treatment or fee during the appointment
\ Next appointment to schedule (including recare)
\ Any specialist recommendations
\ Prescription needs
\ Post-op instructions
End of Appointment Hand-off
Before releasing the patient from the treatment room, the clinical team
should explain where the patient will go next, who will be there, and
what will be discussed.
At the front desk, the clinical team will

introduce the patient to the front office
team member by name. Restate what
treatment was completed, what needs
to be scheduled in the future, how
much time needs to be scheduled, and
in what time frame the patient should
come back.
The clinical team member asks the

patient and the front desk team
member if there are any questions
before leaving.

Example Script:
Hygienist to Patient: “Okay, Gary, we are all done. I will walk you up
to speak with Dr. Brown’s treatment coordinator, Kathy. She will help
you get scheduled for that crown on the upper right and go over your
financial obligation and options for payment if needed. I will let her
know we are ready for her. Sit tight here, and I will come back to get
you.”
Hygienist to Treatment Coordinator: “Alright, Kathy, we are all

done with Gary’s cleaning in Room 5. The completed codes in the
chart are correct for today’s treatment. Upon Dr. Brown’s exam, he
noticed that number 3 has decay under the crown, and it will need
to be removed and prepared for a new one. A root canal is planned
just in case the decay goes into the pulp. This was discussed with
Gary during the exam. I have already scheduled his next cleaning and
today’s services look like they are covered by insurance. Dr. Brown
would like to see Gary in no later than three months.”
Hygienist to Patient and Treatment Coordinator: “Gary, this is

Kathy. She will help you get scheduled for your next appointment.
Kathy, we did the cleaning and exam on Gary today. Dr. Brown has
diagnosed decay under a crown on the upper right, and treatment
is planned to do a crown. If there is a decay in the nerve, Dr. Brown
plans to do a root canal. Dr. Brown would like to see him in no later
than three months, and Gary can usually come Monday mornings.
Do you have any questions? What about you, Gary? Do you have any
questions before I leave?”
How can Dental Intelligence make

this easier?
Technology can make hand-offs SO much more manageable.
Gone are the days of information falling through the cracks. Dental
Intelligence’s product suite, you can rest assured communication
across dental team members will improve and case acceptance will
increase. So, let’s get into it.

Treatment Team %
It’s hard to know if the carefully crafted hand-off you’ve created

is working. The good news? You don’t need to interpret success
rate by feelings anymore. Instead, use data to help track the
team’s success. Dental Intelligence’s Treatment Team % feature
in our Provider Pulse dashboard allows a practice to see data on
diagnosing %, case acceptance, and $ of treatment acceptance
between dentists and team members. You can dial down and see
what happens when the doctor presents treatment independently
compared to when they present treatment with each hygienist. This
data can elevate the whole team and help guide the practice to
creating the best hand-off.
Morning Huddle
Getting the whole team on the same page isn’t easy, but it’s so
worth the effort. The di. Morning Huddle takes the hard work out
of preparing for a morning meeting so the whole team can focus on
what is important: the patients. This includes reviewing things like:
\ Outstanding balances
\ Unscheduled treatment
\ Openings in the schedule
\ Opportunities for team members to help
Mobile App
The di. Mobile app makes space for all team members to check
into their schedule and review essential data and notes anytime
and anywhere. The first hurdle in a great hand-off is having the
information needed, and the mobile app does this effortlessly.
Many teams have also used this as a tool to prepare them for their
morning huddle.
LiveOps®
Modento’s LiveOps® can take the clunky verbal transition of

a hand-off and streamline it all online. LiveOps® lets all team

members know where the patient is in the process of treatment,
and notes can be shared with team members to help minimize
excessive communication during the hand-off.
Treatment Plans
Gone are the days of handing a paper full of dental jargon to the
patient for them to take home after a dental exam. Modento’s
treatment plans allow the clinician to customize language that
makes sense to the patient. No more PFM on #3, but instead reads
crown on the first molar on the upper right. Treatment plans can
be sent to the patient’s phone or tablet to review with patient in-
office, and they’ll get a signed copy emailed to them so they don’t
have to keep track of a paper.
Forms and Consents
Modento’s digital forms reduce friction for patient paperwork

by automatically detecting what forms a patient is due for and
sending them via text or email ahead of their appointment.
Patients can complete their paperwork from their phone or
computer whenever it’s convenient for them, and our smart forms
add or remove questions based on previous responses, so your
patients only answer what’s relevant to them. This reduces time
spent filling out forms and makes them more manageable for the
clinical team to read through.
The best part is, as soon as a patient hits “Submit,” their patient
record is updated in your practice management software in real
time with no extra clicks, scanning, or data entry. This is huge for
a great hand-off, reducing the time getting the correct information
into the hands of the people that need it.
Payments
Single pay requests allow you to accept payment from anywhere

with an internet connection. This makes receiving payment for any
treatment much easier. Just process the payment while the patient
is in the chair and reduce the patient’s need to stop upfront.

Want to learn more about
any of the tools mentioned in
this ebook? Schedule a demo
here to see how the right tech
stack can make treatment
conversations 100x easier.
What do practices think

of DI?

“The filters you guys created made it so much easier on our team
to engage with our patients. We didn’t have to spend time thinking
about who to call – DI did that work for us. It also made for better
conversations with our patients. We had more insights about who
we were calling and what we would say to them when we called.
We knew when they had last come in, what they had done, and
what wasn’t done, etc. This changed the outcomes of our calls as
well. It also helped them to plan for the amount of time treatment
would take, how to best use PPE, and several other benefits.”
Dr. Hardik Chodavadia – Enamel Dentistry

“In the first few weeks of being a customer of Dental Intelligence
and before we had even been fully trained, we were able to use
the Patient Finder to schedule more than $15,000 just in Hygiene
Recare alone! We were so stoked to see how we could find the
patients we wanted to schedule so quickly!”
Scott Beard - Newton Dental Associates

The Perfectist Start Here
Handoff Serie
Checks
l Before diving into each necessary hand-off, it's
essential to understand some basics that apply to
all communication with your patients.
What if a patient's willingness to say “yes” to
Prepare for Problems
treatment, become a lifetime patient, and
refer others to the practice was boiled down • Before seeing patients, take the time to
to 15-minutes in your office? What would you discuss workflow and best practices. Each
do? What would you say? Well, this is already practice is different and having a plan for
happening in your practice. how you execute hand-offs will make them
successful.
What is a Hand-off? Notes
Patients decide to trust you and create a
relationship with your practice in only a few • They are not just for legal reasons: make
minutes. Do you know when it happens? The notes about patients' personalities, likes,
hand-off. We’re not just talking about an dislikes, and significant events — something
introduction to the other team but a passing to jog the memory. Remember the little
of the "baton of responsibility" to the next things to build rapport.
team member. The hand-off should leave the Patient's Personality
patient feeling heard, safe, and fully informed
when done correctly. Let's get into it. • Before passing the "baton," consider
questions like:
» Does the patient like to be highly
How can Dental Intelligence help? informed?
Technology can make hand-offs SO much more » Does the patient like to talk a lot?
manageable. Gone are the days of information
falling through the cracks. With Dental » Does the patient want their appointment
Intelligence products, you can rest assured that to be fast?
communication across dental team members
will improve and case acceptance will increase. » Does the patient have a lot of fear
surrounding dental procedures?
• Use data to measure the success of hand-offs » What is most important to the patient:
• Get on the same page easily with a Morning preventative or fixing things when it hurts?
Huddle
Act It Out
• Streamline transitions by using LiveOps® by
Modento. • Create scenarios and act them out together
for practice.
• Customize Treatment Plans to get higher
case acceptance Sidebars
• Reduce patient and practice time with online • These can be done via route slip paper,
Forms and Consents vocally, or virtually through an in-app chat
• Get paid in any room in the practice feature but must be done before the next
person takes over responsibility.
Schedule a demo today to find out how Dental

Intelligence can make your hand-offs better.
Before the Appointment Checklist:
Front Office Team to Clinical Team
This hand-off will set the tone for the remainder of the appointment. Missteps will require
future team members to overcome an emotional "wall" from the patient.
Patient Documents are FULLY completed:

• All documents are completed with enough time for the clinical team to review them
before the appointment time
Set Expectations for the Patient:
• What will happen next?

• How long will the wait be?
• Who will be bringing them back?
Front Office to Clinical Team Sidebar:
• The items to be disclosed to the clinical team before their interaction with the patient is:
» Prior issues or questions from patient till this point

» Red flags from the front office team
» Name changes and pronunciations
Pace the Clinical Team:
• As a team, set a time after the set appointment time that you will follow up with the
clinical team and notify the patient of the delay
» 15-minutes after the appointment time, the receptionist will ask the
dental assistant about the anticipated wait time and notify the patient. If the
wait is longer than 30 minutes, the patient will be given a gift card for the
inconvenience
Patient Identification:
• Ensure the clinical team calls the right patient. If there is more than one patient with the
same first or last name at a time, an identifier needs to be given to the team to bring
back the right patient
During The Appointment Checklist:
Clinical Team to Dentist
The passing of responsibility from the assistant or hygienist to the dentist has the power to
induce trust and increase case acceptance.
Diagnosing Philosophy:
• A good understanding of the diagnosing philosophy of the dentist

» E.g.: Conservative or aggressive diagnosing, when an onlay is done as
opposed to large filling
• The language and script that is to be done to initiate the hand-off
Pre-educate:
• Armed with diagnosing philosophies, the team members can educate patients on
potential treatment needs before the doctor enters the exam room—reducing doctor
time

• How long will the wait be?
• Who will they be seeing?
Dentist and Team Member Sidebar:
• Take "5" for 5

» Primary concern of patient
» What has been completed
» Findings of the clinical team
» Primary concern from the clinical team
» Personal information to pass along
The Hand-off between Team Member and Dentist:

• Introduce or reintroduce the patient to the dentist
• Reframe aloud and in front of the patient everything that has gone on until now
» Work completed
» Concerns from patient
» Concerns from the team member
» What oral education has completed
• Ask the patient if anything was missed
After the Appointment Checklist:
Clinical Team to Front Office Team
Establish rules for when to hand-off to the front office team:
• When will a treatment coordinator or scheduler be in the treatment room for the exam?
Examples might be:
» When more than $500 of treatment is being planned

» When more than two teeth need restorations
» When sedation for treatment is being planned
• When can the clinical team schedule the treatment without involving the front office
team? Examples might be:
» When the procedure is scheduled is no charge
» Simple fillings and extraction, where insurance coverage is high
» A deep cleaning appointment

• Where will they be going?
• What will they be discussing?
• Who will they be meeting?
Clinical and Front Offices Teams Sidebar:

• Items to be discussed before the patient is brought to the front are:
» Change in treatment or fee during the appointment
» Next appointment to schedule (including recare)
» Any specialist recommendations
» Prescription needs
» Post-op instructions
End of Appointment Hand-off:

• Introduce the patient by name to the front office
• Restate aloud to both patient and front office team member
» What needs to be scheduled in the future?
» How much time needs to be scheduled?
» What time frame the patient should come back
Clarify Questions Before Leaving:

• The clinical team member asks the patient and the front desk team member if there are
any questions before leaving

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The Best Dental Team

Why are hand-offs critical?

\ What treatment was done today

\ What needs to be done next

\ What will be expected from all parties when completing treatment

\ How much time and money will it take

The Perfect Handoff Checklist | 2

Before diving into each necessary hand-off, it’s essential to

1. Problems should not be solved with patients in the heat of the

3. Automate and streamline the hand-off. Having processes will

4. Take the patient’s personality into consideration. Don’t veer too

\ Does the patient like to be highly informed?

\ Does the patient like to talk a lot?

\ Does the patient want their appointment to be fast?

\ Does the patient have a lot of fear surrounding dental

\ What is most important to the patient: preventative or fixing

The Perfect Handoff Checklist | 3

You’ll notice a running theme throughout the checklists below – the

Before the Appointment: Front Office Team to Clinical Team

Patient Documents are FULLY completed. Ensure all documents are

\ E.g. New patient forms, updated medical history, restorative consent

\ Prior issues or questions from the patient up to this point.

» E.g. Difficulty with billing, trouble with treatment

\ Red flags from the front office team

» E.g. Previous conflict, trouble with payment

The Perfect Handoff Checklist | 4

» Typing or writing phonically can help

» E.g. If the patient hasn’t been brought back 15-minutes after

The principle here is to establish and enforce consistent operating

Patient Identification. The front office team is responsible for

During the Appointment: Clinical Team to Dentist

\ A good understanding of the diagnostic philosophy of the dentist.

» Example: Conservative or aggressive diagnosing, when an onlay

\ The language and script that will initiate the hand-off.

The Perfect Handoff Checklist | 5

Armed with diagnosing philosophies, team members can educate

Dentist and Team Member Sidebar

\ Primary Concern of Patient

\ What has been completed

\ Findings of the clinical team

\ Primary concern from the clinical team

The Hand-off between Team Member and Dentist

\ Introduce or reintroduce the patient to the dentist.

» Concerns from patient

» Concerns from the team member

» What oral education has been completed

» Ask the patient if anything was missed

Hygienist to Doctor: “Okay, Dr. Brown, we are done with a prophy on

The Perfect Handoff Checklist | 6

Hygienist to Patient and Doctor: “Sure, Dr. Brown. We did a cleaning

After the Appointment: Clinical Team to Front Office Team

When will a treatment coordinator or scheduler be in the treatment

\ When more than $500 of treatment is being planned.

\ When more than two teeth need restorations.

\ When sedation for treatment is being planned.

Having the team member in charge of scheduling and financing in the

The Perfect Handoff Checklist | 7

\ Simple fillings and extraction, where insurance coverage is high.

\ A deep cleaning appointment.

Clinical and Front Office Teams Sidebar

A sidebar can be done vocally, virtually, or on paper but should be

\ Change in treatment or fee during the appointment

\ Next appointment to schedule (including recare)