Because billing is per new patient who attends, what counts as a "new patient" is important. The short answer: it's a patient who hasn't attended your practice within the last three years and hasn't filled out a new patient form during their previous attendance.
How we identify a new patient
We mark a booking as new patient at the time it's made, based on the patient information we capture in the booking flow (name, date of birth, mobile, email). If the same patient has booked or attended at your practice through Fixed Price Dental before, we won't flag them as new.
Patients you only know via your PMS — for example, a long-standing patient who happens to book through the marketplace for the first time — may be flagged as new at the booking moment because we don't have the data to know otherwise.
What to do if a "new patient" isn't actually new
If a booking is showing as billable new patient but you know the patient has attended your practice before (e.g. they're in your PMS with a long history), you can request a billing adjustment with the reason Patient had attended this practice previously.
The adjustment form will ask:
- Was the patient's previous attendance at this practice within the last 3 years?
- Did the patient fill out a new patient form during that previous attendance?
If they attended within 3 years and filled out a new patient form, the patient isn't new for billing purposes and the adjustment is approved.
See Mark a patient as FTA, DNA or not a new patient (and other reasons to dispute a charge) for the full process.
What "attended" means
A patient has attended when they show up to the appointment. If they don't show up, the booking is a no-show — not billable. If they cancel before, the booking is cancelled — not billable.
Tips & things to watch for
- The badge New Patient appears on the booking details dialog (under the patient's name) when a booking is flagged as a billable new patient.
- "New patient" status is set at the time of booking — re-running matching later doesn't move bookings between billable and non-billable. If you discover after the fact that a patient wasn't new, request an adjustment.
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