What three check-for-understanding questions should the dentist ask before moving from findings to options?
Does any of this surprise you. Does this make sense to you. What questions do you have about what I have said so far. The three questions get asked after the objective findings have been delivered and before the case options are presented. They are slow questions with generous pauses between them. The first surfaces emotional reactions the patient may not have shared yet. The second tests basic comprehension and gives the patient permission to admit if something did not land. The third actively invites questions rather than waiting for them to be volunteered, which many patients will not do. Together the three produce a clear picture of whether the doctor and the patient are aligned on the case before the options conversation begins. If the answers reveal confusion or surprise, the doctor goes back over the findings with different phrasing or hands the explanation to the financial coordinator for a fresh-voice approach. Only when both the patient and support person are clearly aligned does the presentation move forward to options.
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.
