Declined treatment
When a patient, after the consultation and treatment plan, does not go ahead with treatment at the clinic, either by saying no or by going silent. Reception needs to tell a final no apart from a postponed decision.
≈ treatment refusal · treatment refusals · declined treatments · refused treatment
A refusal or a postponed decision
In clinic reports, 'declined' often covers everything: the patient said no, the patient said they would think about it, the patient stopped answering. These are different situations. A clear no with a clear reason is information. Silence after a consultation usually means unfinished work at the front desk.
Real refusals do happen: the patient chose another clinic, decided not to go ahead for now, or cannot afford it. But until the clinic asks why, it does not know which case it is dealing with.
How to track it
The refusal rate is the number of patients closed as 'declined' in a period, divided by the number of treatment plans issued in the same period. The reasons matter more than the figure. In the CRM, every refusal should carry a reason picked from a short list: price, chose another clinic, postponed, fear, timing or schedule did not suit, no response.
Common mistakes.
- Marking everyone who missed the first call as declined.
- Not asking for the reason because it feels awkward.
- Closing the patient for good instead of agreeing when it is fine to pick the conversation up again.
- Never reviewing refusals with the doctors, even though the reasons can differ from one doctor to another.
What to do: split 'declined' and 'postponed' into separate statuses, ask for the reason calmly and without pressure, and set a next-contact date for everyone who postponed. Review refusal reasons regularly with doctors and reception. The loss calculator will show you what these losses cost the clinic.