What do I do if a patient hasn’t filled out the forms before a free consult?
You make a judgment call based on your time, and you make it out loud. If it’s a low-cost or free visit and your schedule still has room, go ahead and see them, but say it plainly. Normally we’d have to reschedule you for this, we’re just fortunate we have the time today. I need you to complete these items first, then we’ll get you back to the doctor. That sentence does real work. It tells them the standard, it shows them grace, and it puts the obligation back on them. If you’re running tight and the packet already made clear the forms had to be done ahead of time, then reschedule. You set that guardrail, so honor it. The mistake is winging it case by case. Decide the rule, write it on the checklist, and let the packet do the warning for you.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.