Dental Practice SOP
A fully-written sample SOP + printable training checklist. The full product generates custom SOPs tailored to your business.
SOP · New Patient Intake
New Patient Intake — Riverside Family Dental
Ensure every new patient at Riverside Family Dental has a smooth, complete, and consistent first experience — from the first phone call to sitting in the chair — so no paperwork, insurance detail, or medical history is missed and the patient feels cared for from the start.
Applies To
Front desk coordinators, treatment coordinator, and the assigned hygienist
Frequency
Every time a new patient books their first appointment
Procedure
Capture new-patient details on the first call
In the practice-management software, create the patient record while on the phone. Collect full name, date of birth, phone, email, insurance carrier + member ID, and the reason for the visit. Confirm spelling of the name and read the email back to avoid reminder-delivery failures.
Owner: Front desk coordinator
Send the digital intake packet immediately
Before ending the call, trigger the automated intake forms (medical history, HIPAA acknowledgment, financial policy) by text and email. Tell the patient it takes about 8 minutes and asks them to complete it at least 24 hours before their visit.
Owner: Front desk coordinator
Verify insurance before the appointment
At least 2 business days before the visit, verify eligibility, coverage percentages, remaining annual maximum, and any waiting periods. Record the breakdown in the patient record so the treatment coordinator can give accurate estimates chairside.
Owner: Insurance / treatment coordinator
Confirm the appointment and flag incomplete forms
The day before, confirm by the patient’s preferred channel. Check that intake forms are complete; if not, call to help them finish so nothing holds up check-in. Note any medical alerts (medications, allergies, cardiac/diabetic flags) for the clinical team.
Owner: Front desk coordinator
Warm handoff at check-in
Greet the patient by name, confirm forms and insurance are on file, collect any copay, and walk them to the operatory. Verbally hand off to the hygienist with the visit reason and any medical alerts — do not rely on the chart alone.
Owner: Front desk coordinator → hygienist
Close the loop after the visit
Before the patient leaves, book their next appointment, confirm contact preferences, and hand off any treatment plan to the treatment coordinator for follow-up. Log the completed intake in the weekly new-patient scorecard.
Owner: Treatment coordinator
Quality Checkpoints
- Insurance is verified and documented at least 2 business days before every new-patient visit.
- Intake forms are 100% complete before the patient is seated — no clipboard scramble in the waiting room.
- Every medical alert (allergy, medication, cardiac/diabetic flag) is verbally confirmed to the clinical team, not just left in the chart.
- The patient leaves with their next appointment already booked.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Sending intake forms "later" and forgetting — the patient arrives with nothing filled out and the schedule backs up.
- Verifying insurance the morning of the visit, leaving no time to fix a coverage surprise before treatment estimates.
- Silent handoff: the front desk drops the patient at the operatory without telling the hygienist why they came in.
- Letting a new patient walk out without their next visit scheduled — the single biggest driver of patient drop-off.
Review This SOP When
Review this SOP whenever you change practice-management software, add a new insurance carrier, or onboard a new front-desk coordinator.
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