Drop-offs happen.
Even if you run a tight ship… even if outcomes are strong… even if you’ve trained your team well…
People still drift.
They hit 70% better, and justify to themselves that they feel “good enough”.
They get busy.
They tell themselves, “I’ll just stay consistent with my home program”
And suddenly you’ve got gaps in the schedule that didn’t need to be there.
This episode is about what to do when that happens.
Not theory. Not fluff.
A simple, repeatable follow-up process that gets people back on the schedule at a high level—using the right cadence, the right channels, and the right messaging.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How frequently to follow up (and how many total attempts) to maximize reactivations
- Which channels work best (text vs email vs voicemail vs phone call) and how to combine them
- Who should own the follow-up: admin vs clinician—and when to switch gears
- The exact wording that gets replies by tying progress to goals, urgency, and “don’t lose momentum” framing
The Real Problem Isn’t the Drop-Off
It’s what happens next.
Most practices do one of two things:
They follow up with a text and a phone call… maybe an email too and then stop.
Or they follow up randomly… with generic messages… and hope the patient comes back when they’re “ready.”
Neither works consistently.
Because the patient who drops off is usually not fully decided to never come back.
They’re on the fence.
And fence-sitters don’t respond to “just checking in.”
They respond to momentum, specificity, emotion (their goal + their “why”), scarcity (I’ve only got two spots open this week), and a clear next step.
That’s what this follow-up needs to create.
Admin vs Clinician: Who Should Reach Out?
Here’s what I see in my own clinic:
If someone is truly “rescueable” (they’re drifting, procrastinating, uncertain, but still engageable)… your odds go way up when the outreach comes from the treating clinician.
Because the clinician is the one they trust.
The clinician is the one they’re emotionally invested in.
The clinician is the one connected to their goals.
That doesn’t mean the clinician has to personally do everything.
But when a patient is on the fence, the outreach needs to feel like it’s coming from the person who knows them best.
And when that happens, the reply rate spikes.
The Script That Changes Everything
Most follow-ups sound like this:
“Hey! Just checking in to see if you want to get back on the schedule.”
That’s weak… and easy to ignore…
My approach is different:
It reconnects the patient to what they already told you matters.
It reminds them they’re close.
It prevents regression.
It creates urgency and scarcity based on real schedule constraints.
And it makes the next step easy.
That combination creates action—without sounding pushy.
The Cadence: Multi-Channel, Repeated (Not One-and-Done)
If you only follow up once, you’re basically asking the patient to be more disciplined than most humans are.
The process here isn’t complicated.
It’s multi-channel.
It’s 2 outreaches close together (via text, phone, and email)… then another one 1 week later. Then a final outreach (again, text phone email) maybe a month later. (*and we ensure they’re email and phone numbers go into our broadcast emails and personal quarterly check-ins)
It’s repeated enough times to rescue the patient before they fully disengage.
And it’s done in a way that feels professional, not desperate.
Your Free Resource: How I Got 10 Patients in 48 Hours to Fill Unexpected Gaps in the Schedule
When drop-offs happen and you can’t get them back, it doesn’t just hurt outcomes—it leaves schedule gaps and creates profit leaks.
So I’ve got a free resource for you: “How I Got 10 Patients in 48 Hours to Fill Unexpected Gaps in the Schedule.”
It includes the exact outreach assets we used—text scripts, email scripts, and the Facebook ad—so the next time gaps show up out of nowhere, you’re not scrambling. You’re executing.
Thanks so much for checking out this week’s podcast… hope you enjoy the resource!
The Final Word
No practice can eliminate drop-offs completely.
So you just need a system that makes reactivating them predictable.
Because every rescued drop-off is a better outcome, a fuller schedule, and a revenue boost you didn’t have to “market harder” for.
— Jarod
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HERE ARE SOME MORE EPISODES ON ON PATIENT RETENTION, DROP-OFFS & FOLLOW-UP SYSTEMS:
How to Stop Patients from Dropping Off After the Eval
Learn the exact scripts and expectation-setting strategies that dramatically reduce early drop-offs and increase full plan-of-care commitment from visit one.
How to Simplify Your Systems and Keep Patients From Dropping Off
Discover the operational tweaks and communication systems that prevent patients from quietly disappearing at 70–80% better.
How to Follow Up With Dropped-Off Patients Without Being Pushy
A simple but powerful follow-up strategy to reactivate previous patients and fill your schedule quickly.
MORE RESOURCES TO STRENGTHEN PATIENT RETENTION & REACTIVATION:
Cash-Based Practice Freedom e-Course 2.0
This course gives you every step, script, process, and resource I’ve used (and coached 1000+ practice owners through) to build highly profitable, insurance-free practices. It’s all laid out for you in a perfect step-by-step blueprint …Check out the Course here.
Cash-Based Practice Marketing Intensive
Learn how to keep your phone ringing and your inbox flooded with qualified out-of-network leads using my R.O.I. Marketing Method and the power of AI. This training walks you step-by-step through proven marketing systems that bring patients straight from social media to your schedule. Check out the Masterclass here.
Cash-Based Practice Mastermind
If you want to double your profit per patient and build the practice of your dreams—without relying on greedy insurance companies—this Mastermind coaching program gets you there with: weekly live coaching, a supportive community, and a vault of done-for-you resources and masterclasses to accelerate your growth and avoid costly mistakes. Check out the Mastermind here.
