New Patient Welcome Packet: What to Send Before the Consult
By Blake Hickey, founder of Double Jaw Marketing. For practice owners and office managers. Updated October 17, 2026.
Between the day a new patient books and the day they sit down for the consult, there's a gap. A short welcome packet fills it. The patient shows up with the right insurance card, their records and their questions, and your doctor spends the visit on the plan instead of the paperwork.
What goes in the packet
Eight pieces. Most of them your team already knows by heart; the packet just puts them in writing before the visit.
| Piece | What it covers | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The visit | Date, time, address, parking, which door, how long the visit runs | Fewer late arrivals and wrong-office calls |
| 2. Who they'll meet | The doctor and the coordinator, with a photo and one line each | A familiar face at the front desk |
| 3. What to bring | Photo ID, every insurance card, medication list, referral letter and any X-rays or scans | No rescheduling for missing records |
| 4. Forms | A link to finish the health history and consent forms in your portal | Less time on a clipboard in the waiting room |
| 5. What happens | Exam, imaging, the conversation about options, what isn't decided that day | Less worry, better questions |
| 6. Fees and insurance | That they'll get a written estimate, what it includes, who checks insurance | A cost conversation that starts calm |
| 7. Questions to bring | A short list they can write on | Patients who know what to ask |
| 8. Who to call | One name and one number for questions before the visit | Questions get answered instead of becoming no-shows |
For surgical consults, piece 3 matters most. Corrective jaw surgery is often submitted to medical insurance as medically necessary, with documentation like the list in the AAOMS criteria for orthognathic surgery, so ask patients to bring their medical insurance card as well as their dental card.
When to send it
This is the sequence I set up. Your scheduling software or CRM can send all three automatically, triggered only by new consult bookings.
- Right after booking: a confirmation text or email with the date, time, address and the name of the person to call.
- A few days before: the full packet, with the forms link and the sample page below.
- The day before: a short reminder with parking, what to bring and the call-back number.
How to send it safely
Email and text. HHS says HIPAA lets providers communicate with patients electronically with reasonable safeguards, such as checking the email address before sending, confirming the address with the patient and limiting what goes in an unencrypted message. If a patient asks for another way, offer one. Keep the packet general, and send anything with health details, like the medical history form, through your portal.
Keep it about the visit. Using patient information to promote other services can count as marketing under HIPAA, which needs the patient's authorization; the HHS marketing guidance explains where the line is. A welcome packet that sticks to this visit stays clear of it.
Florida ad rules. Fla. Stat. 466.019 defines an advertisement to include pamphlets and circulars used to solicit patients. If the same packet also goes out as a promotional piece, keep it factual: no laudatory statements, no promised results, and any fee shown needs a statement that it's a minimum fee only. If you advertise a free consult, Fla. Stat. 456.062 requires a specific statement about the patient's right to refuse payment for other services within 72 hours. Check the final wording with your counsel; I'm not a lawyer.
Welcome packet checklist
Build it
Check it
Send it
Double Jaw Marketing free resource, doublejawmarketing.com/resources. Not legal advice; check final wording with your counsel.
I'll write, design and set up your welcome packet
If you want this finished without pulling your team off the phones, this is work I do:
- Write the packet with your team, in your practice's voice
- Design it in your brand, with real photos of your doctor and coordinator
- Set it to send automatically for new consult bookings only
- Check the wording against Florida's dental ad rules
Start with a Method Review: a free 15-minute call with Blake by phone or Zoom. You get a written Method Plan with the first fixes in order, yours to keep whether we work together or not.
Marketing help only. Not legal or medical advice. No results are guaranteed.
Common questions
What should be in a new patient welcome packet?
The visit details, who the patient will meet, what to bring, the forms to finish ahead of time, what happens at the visit, how fees and insurance are handled, questions to bring, and who to call.
When should a practice send the welcome packet?
My sequence is a confirmation right after booking, the packet a few days before the visit and a short reminder the day before. Your scheduling software can send all three automatically for new bookings.
Can we email the welcome packet to patients?
Yes. HHS says HIPAA allows providers to communicate with patients by email with reasonable safeguards, such as checking the address and limiting what's in the message. Keep the packet general and send forms with health details through your patient portal.
Should the welcome packet include prices?
It can explain how fees work and that the patient gets a written estimate after the exam. If you list any fee, Florida's 466.019 requires a statement that it's a minimum fee only, and a free consult offer needs the 72-hour statement from 456.062.
Sources
Checked October 17, 2026. Rules and platform limits change, so check the source before you rely on it.
- HHS FAQ 570: Does HIPAA permit health care providers to use e-mail to discuss health issues with patients?
- HHS: HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance on marketing (authorization, 45 CFR 164.508(a)(3))
- Florida Statutes 466.019, Advertising by dentists
- Florida Statutes 456.062, Advertisement of free or discounted services; required statement
- AAOMS: Criteria for Orthognathic Surgery (PDF)
