Each practice I have worked at has had a different method.
1. Send a letter to each patient telling them they were due for their recall and asked them to get in touch to book themselves an appointment. (Quite effective but if patient didn't act on it they were late or lost from the recall system, but it did cut the number of failed or cancelled appointments because the patient had chosen their own slot)
2. Book an appointment anytime and send it to the patient requesting they attend. (The appointment slot might or might not be convenient so you are relying on the patient to let you know. It resulted in a number of failed appointments and lost time)
3. Let the patient book their own appointment in advance so that they can choose a slot they know will be most convenient. Patients are usually very happy with this method. (It does rely on the practice knowing the holiday plans of each dentist at least 6 months in advance as patients get very frustrated if you then need to cancel their appointment because the dentist decides to book time off)
Hope this helps, write about what happens at your practice and discuss options that might improve the effectiveness.
Karen
