Difficult Patient #10: The ‘Why’er Problem: You walk into the op, sit down, and start your normal chit chat. You quickly realize this will be no ordinary visit. Every other word coming out of the patient’s mouth is ‘why’. Why do they have to fill out all those forms? Why are they have to take so…
Read MoreStart here first: Working with Patients You Want to Punch in the Face. Difficult Patient Final: The Rejecter Problem: New patient arrives and is handed the stack of in-office forms they refused to complete online. When the paperwork is returned, all that is completed is name and rank. They decide which x-rays are necessary and…
Read MoreRead the whole series by going to the start: Working with Patients You Want to Punch in the Face. Difficult Patient #8: The Guardian Problem: Parents, grandparents or guardians bring kids into the office with a predetermined list of Doctor-Dos-and-Don’ts. They demand exceptional care for the beloved child while refusing to complete all office forms, rejecting…
Read MoreWant more? Read from the beginning of the series at Working with Patients You Want to Punch in the Face. Difficult patients come in all personality styles. Some difficult patients are easy to spot while some are stealthy and quiet. Understanding the different social (communication) styles will help you identify and connect with all patients.…
Read MoreOne of the top stressors for doctors is working with difficult patients and yet doctors take little to no training on how to work with the people they are treating. In this series, I talk about the 10 Difficult Patient types I’ve identified, provide an understanding of root issues, and steps you can take to…
Read MoreYou don’t like to work with patients that don’t pay bills. You tell your front desk not to schedule patients that are shopping around. Patients with piss-poor attitudes stress you out completely and when someone doubts or corrects your recommended treatment, you totally lose faith in what you do. Here’s the reality behind the above…
Read MoreIf you think your work with more difficult patients than not, there is good…GREAT…chance it’s more you than them. Difficult patients- those patients that elicit an emotional reaction from dental teams- can really push buttons. Sometimes the reaction is anger or frustration. Sometimes it’s resentment or guilt. And sometimes the emotional reaction is lethargy, where…
Read MoreWorking with difficult patients is more about your communication and emotional intelligence than it is about anything else.- Jen Butler (it’s a tweetable:) Difficult Patient #4- The Shopper Problem: Patients that go from office to office trying to find the dentist that tells them what they want to hear at the price they want to pay. …
Read MoreFearful Patients Fear and dentistry seem to go hand in hand. Whether the fear comes from childhood experiences or is solely psychological, fear is a real thing that patients often bring with them to their appointments. Here’s what most dentists and their teams fail to remember: people have two biological, automatic reactions when dealing with…
Read MorePatients that come from a place of fight are easier to pinpoint, not easier to work with. The body has a defense mechanism that when put in dangerous, threatening, or fearful situations gets louder, bigger, and more aggressive to ward off what we perceive as a dangerous predator- yes, meaning you. I know what you’re…
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