Do you start every month with an empty schedule? Is your team scrambling to fill your chairs? There's a better way to keep your practice full! In this episode of Metric Mondays, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to break down pre-appointment percentage and the missed opportunities when you don't schedule your patients’ next visits. To learn how to pre-appoint patients and keep them tethered to your practice, listen to Episode 913 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About Miranda:

• Send Miranda an email: [email protected] 
• Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental
• Send Courtney an email to learn more about ACT: [email protected] 

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 913: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos
• Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 18th, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-18-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205460116659
• Register for ACT’s To The Top Study Club (July 25, 2025): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climb-with-us-register-for-july-25-2025-ttt-study-club-tickets-1205497959849

Main Takeaways:

• Keep your pre-appointment percentage above 65% to reduce patient attrition.
• Set the expectation that every patient leaves with their next visit scheduled.
• Scheduling your patients’ next appointment is the default. It’s not optional!
• When patients cancel, reschedule the appointment in that moment.
• Tie patients’ appointments to their health goals to build value.
• Have a system to work your unscheduled patient list.

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

0:37 Pre-appointment percentage, explained.

4:53 How this metric impacts your practice.

9:48 Favorite phrases for scheduling patients.

11:52 Countermeasures.

15:16 ACT’s BPA.

Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:

Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.

Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.