What is a Wallet Biopsy?

Today I want to talk to you about making assumptions about your patients. One of the things I learned as a Treatment Coordinator, was that it was really hurtful to the patient if I brought my own assumptions about them into the conversation about treatment that was needed.

I think it's human nature to make assumptions about patients such as:

• Whether you think they are a good patient or bad patient

• If they can afford the treatment or not

• Whether the patient would even be interested in quality dentistry

What I used to call this when I learned to be more aware of my assumptions, was a wallet biopsy. I say this as a joke, but patients would come in and I would make assumptions based on whether I thought they could afford treatment or not based on their looks, what they said over the phone, whether they had insurance or any other factors that could cause me to make assumptions.

What I learned was that:

• Even though I would still present the treatment plan to them as Treatment Coordinator, and give them all of the information, my assumptions bringing those limiting beliefs into the conversation was actually hurting the patient in terms of the opportunity for them to say yes.

If you bring limiting beliefs into conversations, it doesn't give the patient the best opportunity to say yes to quality dentistry. If you go into conversations with the intention that patients want the dentistry and want to get healthy, you will present it differently even if you are saying the same words. Don't fall into the trap of performing wallet biopsies on your patients. Promote health and let them know what they need to be healthy and let the patient decide for themselves if they want to move forward with treatment.