than I thought it would. So far, it
appears that it is winning. We
are in the process of reallocating
some of the radio and TV spend
to Adwords, and we’ll see how
that pans out. It is unsure to
me, but my guess at this point
is that the radio and TV creates
more awareness, and this in turn
drives many patients to the web,
where they then pick up the
phone and call or actually click
through to create a call back re-
quest. Stay tuned for more info,
but know that we are at least
What I’ve Learned
1. Dental sleep medicine pa-
tients are very heavily front
end loaded. We have to do an
unbelievable amount of work
up front and the more of this
we do the more likely we are
to treat a patient.
2. Radio and TV advertising
will generate calls for you.
3. Google and Facebook Ad-
Words will generate calls for
you.
4. No matter how much you
prepare yourself, you will still
be under-prepared for what
comes.
5. It is difficult to accurately
track exactly where a media
lead comes from.
6. Media generated leads are
difficult patients to get to
show up.
7. We must treat diagnosed and
undiagnosed patients with a
very different approach.
8. We must treat in and out of
network patients with a very
different approach.
trying to figure out what works
best so we can help you be more
successful.
A New Patient call template, one
for diagnosed, and one for undi-
agnosed, is a valuable tool, and
one you should consider using.
It lives inside DS3, and you can
contact us for more information
at 877-95-SNORE x1.
Dental sleep patients are differ-
ent. You can’t treat them the
same way you would a ‘normal’
dental patient referral. Logis-
tics of gathering the appropriate
information in a timely manner
can be difficult. Not getting all
the information requires a call
back, and 70% of the time those
calls go unanswered, and phone
tag ensues. Email and texting
are options we presently employ,
but one must be cautious not to
transmit sensitive health data.
About 15% of our calls are from
Undiagnosed patients, and even
though they are the least likely
to show up, make sure to have a
protocol in place to help facili-
tate getting these patients sleep
tested. A diagnosed patient re-
quires more work. If the patient
is a D/I (diagnosed, in network),
then we must capture their in-
surance information in order to
do a VOB (Verification of Bene-
fits). Patients want to know what
their out of pocket cost is. We
want to have a discussion about
finances with the patient before
we spend time chasing down the
SS and LOMN. So our NP, D/I pa-
tient protocol mandates that my
staff complete the appropriate
template that I’ve created in DS3
(makes this process MUCH eas-
ier). Be aware that this process
can take 10 minutes to complete.
I’m hoping that you have learned
something that will enable you
to launch a successful adver-
tising campaign of your own.
Remember to be patient; it takes
time; prepare the proper pro-
tocols and rehearse repeatedly
with your staff. Make more den-
tal devices, and save more lives.
DR. RICHARD DRAKE
Dr. Richard Drake has been
exclusively treating snoring
and apnea for 15 years. He
Co-Founded Dental Sleep
Solutions and DS3 Systems
and has a stae of the art
sleep practice in San Anto-
nio, TX.