When COVID-19 hit the US in 2020, all dental practices had to close their doors until further notice. In order to reopen safely, dental practices had to change many of their traditional policies and procedures. Dr. John Nakhla owns Castro Valley Family Dentistry, a busy practice in the Bay Area. As a loyal Legwork customer, Dr. Nakhla relied on Legwork tools to help reopen his practice safely and quickly. “Being able to automate certain tasks through Legwork helped make this easier,” explains Dr. Nakhla.
Legwork solutions made it simpler for Castro Valley Family Dentistry to navigate the new normal and prepare for a safe reopening. With convenient solutions, such as digital patient forms, individualized marketing campaigns, and automated communications, Dr. Nakhla was able to open before many other local practices. His early opening allowed him to provide vital care to not only his own patients but also patients experiencing a dental emergency while their home dental office was still closed.
“If we go into lockdown again, ration your resources, implement protocols, and prepare.” Dr. Nakhla states, “Preparedness is the name of the game.”
Advertise Services with Individualized Marketing Campaigns
Dr. Nakhla realized that many of his competitors still were closed when his office was ready to start seeing patients again. Therefore, the community had a significant need for emergency dental services.
“That month after reopening was the best month we ever had, by a sizable margin. Probably like 25% higher than any other month we’ve had. That’s in large part because we had started an ad campaign for emergency dentistry at a time that all other practices were closed.”
Legwork dental marketing allowed Castro Valley Family Dentistry to advertise their emergency dental services and raise awareness of their reopening to the local community. Through this marketing campaign, the practice was able to keep a full schedule. Castro Valley Family Dentistry had its best month for profits, while its competitors were not bringing in any revenue.
Safely Collect Patient Data with Touchless Intake Forms
Moving every possible step of the patient journey to a digital platform was essential for Dr. Nakhla to reopen his practice safely. From collecting patient info with digital forms to using an iPad to collect payments, digital tools were not only helpful but imperative to limiting exposure risks while patients received vital care.
“About a week into being open, we reactivated our automated communications through Legwork, and not long after that, we implemented Paperless screening forms. It’s set up so that in their text or email appointment reminder, patients are asked to fill out a brief COVID screening form to expedite their check-in.”
With Legwork paperless forms, patients could go straight from their cars to the treatment chair. Patients only needed to be in the office while actively receiving care.
“Instead of needing the staff to ask specific questions every time, we were able to use Paperless forms to collect that information from patients beforehand. That way, key questions are being asked for the staff, and most of the time all they need to do is make sure the answers were recorded.”
Keep Your Patients Informed with Professional Done-For-You Websites
Living during a pandemic was a new experience for everyone. Patients didn’t know what receiving dental care would look like in the new normal. Dr. Nakhla used his Legwork website to showcase a video showing their new safety policies and check-in process. To ensure each patient received these critical instructions, Dr. Nakhla used the message center in his Legwork Software to message each patient a link to the website.
“I wanted to make sure patients knew what to expect, so we recorded a video showing the safety policies and new check-in procedures we had put in place. We put that on our website and then sent the link out via text and email.”
Attract More Patients to Your Practice and Improve the Patient Journey with Legwork
“Legwork continues to innovate and evolve their suite of services, especially the last few years,” says Dr. Nakhla. “I’m excited by the innovations that Legwork has planned, but that’s what I’ve come to expect from this team.”
Legwork combined with the Planet DDS family of solutions is your one-stop shop for attracting and retaining dental patients. Legwork equips dental teams with user-friendly marketing and patient engagement solutions to streamline daily operations and create a better patient experience. After onboarding with Legwork, you will wonder how your practice ever functioned without it.
Click here to book a Legwork demo and learn how Legwork solutions can help you enhance your patients’ experience while saving time and money.
Download the client success story: Castro Valley Family Dentistry