7 Signs Your Current Lab Is Costing You Patients
Lab problems rarely show up on the lab invoice. They show up on your schedule, your reviews, and your case acceptance. Here is what to watch for.
1. Remakes are creeping up
An occasional remake is normal. A pattern of remakes is a workflow problem. When the same kinds of issues keep coming back, it usually means the designer is not reading the case the way the doctor is.
2. You cannot reach a designer
If every question routes through a coordinator or a portal, your design conversations are slower and lossier than they need to be. Direct access is not a perk. It is the workflow.
3. Turnaround is unpredictable
Reliable timelines let you schedule confidently. When ten-day promises turn into fifteen, every downstream appointment slips with it.
4. Revisions cost extra
Reasonable iteration should be part of the design fee. When every change comes with a line item, doctors stop asking for the changes the case actually needs.
5. The lab will not say no to a bad case
A real partner tells you when a case will not work — before chair time is committed. A vendor takes the file and hopes.
6. Patient-facing quality is inconsistent
Premium finals are what patients see and what they review. Inconsistent quality is a marketing problem, not just a clinical one.
7. You dread sending cases out
The clearest sign of all. When the lab relationship feels like friction, it is. Doctors who switch to a designer-direct partner often describe the change in one word: relief.