1036: Metric Mondays: If Patients Aren't Saying Yes, What Should I Look at First - Carlie Einarson

When patients don’t say yes to treatment, it’s easy to assume the problem is fees, timing, or motivation—but the first place to look is your data. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with ACT coach Carlie Einarson to break down two key performance indicators that reveal where case acceptance is actually breaking down: diagnostic percentage and case acceptance percentage.

You’ll learn how to define and track these metrics, what “low” numbers typically indicate inside your systems, and the first practical steps to improve diagnosis, presentation, and scheduling outcomes. Listen to Episode 1036 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Key performance indicators are “indicators” because they point to which systems are working and which are not.
• Diagnostic percentage measures what percentage of patients are diagnosed with new treatment.
• Case acceptance percentage measures what percentage of patients with treatment presented schedule something before leaving that day.
• A low diagnostic percentage can indicate missed or inconsistent diagnosis, unclear philosophy, or “watching” treatment instead of recommending it.
• A low case acceptance percentage often reflects rushed conversations and unclear explanations rather than patients simply refusing because of cost or time.
• Improving both metrics starts with writing down and aligning the practice’s standard of care and treatment philosophy across the entire team.
• Pulling two to four weeks of diagnostic and case acceptance data helps identify whether the breakdown is happening in diagnosis or in communication and scheduling.

Snippets:

00:00 What to look at first when patients aren’t saying yes.

02:06 Why KPIs are called “indicators” and what they reveal.

03:06 Diagnostic percentage defined with a simple example.

03:42 Case acceptance percentage defined as scheduling before leaving.

04:10 What low diagnostic and case acceptance numbers usually mean.

06:07 What it looks like when diagnosis and case acceptance are strong.

07:25 Why diagnosis is a priority and why “winging it” fails.

09:18 The first steps: write down your standard of care and pull recent data.

10:12 What to review with your team to strengthen diagnosis systems.

11:20 What to fix when diagnosis is strong but case acceptance is low.

12:05 Raising the standard of care and bringing the team with you.

12:41 The value of periodic comprehensive sit-downs for patients.

13:12 Holding doctors accountable with daily tracking.

15:18 The two metrics to start with when patients aren’t saying yes.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!

Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.

In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Best Practices Association (BPA) resources and guides:
• https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/

Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa

Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/

Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/

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