Dental offices lose new patients after hours and when the front desk is busy. A text back within a minute that offers open times keeps them, if it stays to scheduling and runs through a platform that signs a business associate agreement. We build the first contact, the website and the marketing, and patient records stay in your practice software.
What slips away in a dental office
- New-patient calls after hours. People call when they are off work, which is when you are closed.
- Calls during check-in and checkout. The front desk has a patient at the counter and the phone ringing at once.
- Web and Facebook requests. They sit until someone checks in the morning, and the person may have booked elsewhere.
- Insurance questions. "Do you take my plan?" stalls a booking when nobody answers it.
- Reviews. Happy patients rarely volunteer one, and every reply has to protect privacy.
What does HIPAA mean for texting new patients?
It means keeping texts to scheduling, using a vendor that signs a business associate agreement and sharing as little as the task needs. HHS treats appointment reminders as part of treatment, so they do not need a separate authorization. HHS also says a vendor that handles patient information for you is a business associate, and the practice needs written assurances in a contract before sharing it.
Texas adds its own law. Health and Safety Code chapter 181 covers more businesses than HIPAA does, requires staff training within 90 days of hire and generally needs a separate authorization before health information is shared electronically, with exceptions for treatment, payment and operations.
We are not a law firm, and we do not claim any compliance certification. Your healthcare attorney or compliance advisor decides what is allowed in your office. We build around those rules and keep clinical details out of texts.
What we would build first
A new-patient text-back that stays to scheduling
When a call is missed, a text goes out within a minute from the platform your practice uses for patient messages. It says it is automated, offers new-patient openings and asks the person not to text health details. Anything urgent goes to your on-call line. Compare live, AI and text-back options in dental answering service.
Booking that lands in your schedule
The chosen time goes into your schedule through the tools that already connect to your practice software, so nobody types it twice. The front desk confirms insurance by phone.
A lead board that keeps health details out
A simple view of new-patient requests: where they came from, when they reached out and whether they booked. No clinical notes, no reasons for the visit. That is enough to see which ads and listings bring patients.
Reviews, asked for and answered with care
Ask happy patients for a review after the visit. Reply without confirming anyone is a patient or mentioning their care. In 2019 a Dallas dental practice paid $10,000 to settle HHS findings over social media disclosures of patients' health information. Read how to get more Google reviews for the asking side.
Marketing that fits dental offices
- Google Business Profile. The right categories, hours, insurance notes, real photos of the office and team, and careful review replies. See the profile checklist.
- A website with a clear new-patient path. Services in plain words, the plans you accept, what a first visit includes and a way to request a time in a minute.
- Meta ads about the practice, not the patient. Meta does not allow ads that assert or imply a viewer's health condition (personal attributes policy). Write about your office, your hours and new-patient openings. See our Meta ads page.
How it works day to day
- A new patient calls after hours and the call rings out.
- Within a minute they get a text through your patient messaging platform.
- They ask for a new-patient visit.
- The assistant offers two real openings. They pick one.
- The appointment lands in your schedule, and the front desk sees the thread.
- Insurance questions, urgent problems and anything clinical go to a person.
Who this fits
It fits independent practices where the front desk handles the phone, the counter and insurance at once. It is a poor fit if your patient communication platform already texts back missed calls and books new patients the way you want.
How pricing works
- First call: free, 15 to 30 minutes.
- Pricing: We set the price on the free call, once we know what you need. A website and new-patient path is a common start.
- What you get: builds you own, plus hosting, upkeep, updates and support. A small build can be live in a day or two, a bigger one in a week or two. Google Business Profile and content with Meta ads are available too. If we run Meta ads, ad spend is paid to Meta directly and is separate from our service fee.
The flat price is in writing before any work starts.
What this is not
It is not a compliance service, clinical triage or a replacement for your practice software. We do not touch patient records. It is a clearer way for new patients to reach you, and a way to stop losing them to a missed call.
Start with a free call
Book a free call. We will look at how new patients reach you today and what to fix first, with your privacy rules in front. See how the pieces fit on the AI & Software page.