NEST DENTAL · ST LEONARDS
How Nest Dental increased patient rebooking from 55% to 87%
It started with a piece of paper—and a clearer handover between the dental chair and the reception desk.
- Starting rebooking rate
- 55%
- Rebooking rate after 10 months
- 87%
- Improvement
- 32percentage points
At Nest Dental, a written handover, a clearer team routine and regular follow-through helped lift rebooking from 55% to 87% over 10 months.
The practice
Nest Dental is a dental practice in St Leonards, Sydney, owned by Damian Kernahan.
For Damian, the practice is where customer experience thinking meets the daily realities of running a dental business. It means looking closely at what patients experience, how the team works together and where a small change could make a meaningful difference.
The challenge: a recommendation that didn’t always become an appointment
The clinician would tell a patient when they wanted to see them again. The patient would then walk out to reception alone.
Sometimes the receptionist overheard the recommendation and tried to arrange the appointment. But the handover relied on what someone happened to hear.
Forty-five per cent of patients weren’t rebooking.
The team then had to chase those patients over the next six to eight months to get them booked back in.
A future appointment connects the care discussed today with what happens next. When that appointment isn’t arranged, the practice has another follow-up task—and the patient has another decision to come back to later.
The change: carry the recommendation all the way to reception
Nest introduced a simple paper handover.
Before the patient left the surgery, the clinician wrote down three things:
- When they wanted to see the patient again.
- How long the appointment needed to be.
- What the appointment was for.
The clinician then accompanied the patient to reception and handed the note to the receptionist in front of them.
Crucially, the clinician stayed with the patient until the receptionist had booked the appointment. Only then did they return to complete their notes.
The receptionist had a clear instruction. The patient heard the same message from both people. And the next step was dealt with while everyone was together.
- Next appointment:
- Appointment length:
- Appointment purpose:
Follow through when a patient leaves without booking
For patients who didn’t book before leaving, Nest introduced a next-morning email with a booking link.
That gave the patient another opportunity to arrange their next visit.
Make the routine stick
Introducing the slip was only part of the work.
Nest reports on rebooking monthly and regularly reminds clinicians and reception staff how the handover should work—and why it matters.
The process is specific enough to teach, repeat and review. Everyone knows what their part looks like.
The result: 32 percentage points higher
Over 10 months, Nest’s rebooking rate increased from 55% to 87%.
This is Nest Dental’s historical result, reported by owner Damian Kernahan, not a promised outcome for another practice. Rebooking measures an appointment being arranged; it does not establish attendance or additional revenue.
What this means for your practice
The opportunity at Nest was in the handover between two people already caring for the same patient.
Your practice’s first priority may be different.
Practice Growth Intelligence brings together patient feedback, team insight and practice numbers to identify where to focus. Million Dollar Practice then helps your team implement one priority at a time through a 60-day sprint.
Before you buy more, make more of what you’ve already got.