The treatment coordinator follows up, and GoHighLevel makes sure of it by creating a task the moment the patient says they will call back, assigned to the coordinator and due in two days. The bottom line: most patients who say they will call back do not, so the practice should assume it must reach out, and record why the patient hesitated so the call can address it.
Why patients hesitate
The ADA Health Policy Institute reports that 17 percent of working age adults did not get needed dental care because of cost in 2022, and an ADA paper notes that dental care presents more financial barriers than other health services. Vendors list the usual reasons for declining a plan as cost, lack of perceived urgency, fear or anxiety, and poor understanding of what was recommended, and one reports that cost is the leading reason. Its figure that 70 to 80 percent of patients who decline for cost would proceed with an affordable monthly plan is a vendor claim, so the practice should test it. The figures on average case acceptance, from 34 to 65 percent across sources, show that a large share of diagnosed treatment is left unscheduled.
What the task captures
| Field | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason given | Cost, wants to think, needs spouse or family input, afraid, wants a second opinion, insurance question, other |
| Treatment value | Amount of the plan |
| Next contact | 48 hours, with a second at 2 weeks and a third at 6 weeks |
| Offer | Phased plan, payment plan, or financing, if the practice has them |
DentalBase, a vendor, suggests following up at 48 hours, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks. That cadence is a reasonable starting point to adapt, not a standard.
Build it in GoHighLevel
GoHighLevel's actions list includes creating internal tasks and assigning a contact to a user.
GoHighLevel's help portal says accounts are not HIPAA compliant by default, and that HIPAA Compliance is a paid upgrade, $297 a month as an account wide add on, that must be enabled for the agency and then configured for the sub accounts that need it. Third party guides add that the add on provides a business associate agreement, encryption, audit logging, and multi factor authentication, that the practice also needs its own agreement with the agency, and that GoHighLevel itself recommends avoiding protected health information in SMS and email even with the add on. Whether the AI features are covered by the agreement is a question to put to HighLevel in writing before any patient data reaches them.
- At checkout, the front desk adds the tag Will call back, and selects the reason from a dropdown field.
- Build a workflow that starts on the tag, assigns the contact to the treatment coordinator, and creates a task due in 48 hours with the reason and plan value.
- Send the patient a generic text after the visit: your practice's team will follow up about your plan, and here is how to reach us.
- Add tasks for 2 weeks and 6 weeks, each conditional on no booking.
- When the patient books, remove the tag and close the tasks.
- Review the reasons monthly with the dentist, and adjust how plans are presented.
Worked example
For example, if 40 patients a month say they will call back and the coordinator reaches 30 of them, then even a 20 percent conversion is 6 accepted plans a month (30 times 0.2). At an illustrative plan value of $1,200, that is $7,200 a month (6 times 1,200), a number to replace with the practice's own.
Mistakes to avoid
- Waiting for the patient to call. Most will not.
- Not recording the reason. The call needs it.
- Pressure. Offer options, not urgency tactics.
- Naming the treatment in the text. Keep it generic.
How this was handled before
A patient said they would think about it, and the coordinator wrote a note. Without a task and a date, the note was rarely read again. A dated task assigns the follow up to a person.
What to measure after launch
Track patients who said they would call back, tasks completed on time, plans accepted after contact, and reasons given. Review the reasons monthly with the dentist.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Have the dentist approve the follow up approach and any financing offer, and check that third party financing involves no remuneration that would change the HIPAA marketing analysis. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Why do patients decline dental treatment?
Vendors list cost, lack of urgency, fear, and poor understanding. The ADA reports 17 percent of working age adults skipped needed care for cost in 2022.
When should the coordinator follow up?
A vendor suggests 48 hours, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks.
Can GoHighLevel assign the task?
Its actions list includes creating tasks and assigning a contact to a user.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.