Monterey Coast Periodontics had a strong Q1 but has seen a loss of referral momentum over the past three months. Both Dr. Wetzel and Dr. Abbas have not been meeting their respective referral targets, with Dr. Abbas's numbers further impacted by his reduced office days. Jayme emphasized the importance of maintaining accurate and complete data entry in Referral Lab to support trend analysis and informed decision-making. Referral entries are currently being managed primarily by Yesenia, Merie, and Kirsten. Merie will conduct a 90-day review to identify any gaps or discrepancies.
Merie raised the question of whether patients returning after two or more years should be entered as new patients in Referral Lab. This is currently a gray area — Jayme will discuss further with Heidy to establish a clear guideline and time period threshold for future entries.
Monthly referral targets have been set based on each provider's scheduled availability: 60 per month for Dr. Wetzel (four days per week) and 30 per month for Dr. Abbas (two days per week). Using the industry benchmark of 85% referral-to-consult conversion, these targets inform the number of new patient consults the practice should be scheduling each month. Further input from Dr. Abbas may be needed to finalize his targets. Scheduling challenges — particularly fitting consults alongside surgeries within template constraints — are being discussed with Alexa and Heidy to improve productivity and scheduling efficiency.
Don has been given a seven-day window to implement the digital referral form on the Monterey Coast Periodontics website. Merie will send the necessary information to Don to initiate the process. Jayme will notify Merie once implementation is complete.
Doctors who currently send referrals via email have been identified as the initial target group for transitioning to the digital form. Jayme will also send form details to Allie to create a flyer with a QR code for Kirsten to use during office visits to promote the new submission process.
Adoption of the digital referral form will be evaluated in August. If uptake is slow, an incentive program — such as a referral drawing for participating doctors — will be considered to encourage digital submissions. This incentive can also serve as a broader engagement tool for the referral network.
Required fields were reviewed and configured. Attachments (X-rays and documents) are now required to ensure complete submissions arrive before patient appointments, reducing delays and follow-up calls. The company provider field has been made optional to accommodate referrals where no specific provider is designated — those patients are scheduled by next availability.
Email notifications for incoming referrals will be sent to the main office email and Merie's email, with the option to add others as needed. Receipt notifications to referring practices will remain active to improve communication and provide confirmation that referrals have been received.
The monthly goal is 18 office visits, which Kirsten is actively executing. Recent lunch events have been held with both Dr. Wetzel and Dr. Abbas to maintain relationship engagement with referring partners.
Jayme suggested increasing the frequency of lunches, dinners, and office visits to build on current momentum. Two annual events are being considered for 2027 to further strengthen referral relationships and boost volume.