For Dental Office Managers ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a Claude AI assistant that already knows your practice — your dentist's name, the insurance plans you accept, your communication style, and your most common tasks. Instead of re-explaining your practice every time you need a letter drafted, your assistant will produce accurate, on-brand output from the first message.
What you'll need
Go to claude.ai and create an account (free takes 2 minutes). On the left sidebar, look for the Upgrade button or navigate to your account settings. Subscribe to Claude Pro ($20/month). You'll see the interface update with more features, including a Projects section in the left sidebar.
What you should see: The left sidebar shows "Projects" above your chat history.
Troubleshooting: If you don't see Projects, your account may be on a free plan. Confirm your Pro subscription is active under Settings > Billing.
Click New Project in the Projects section. Name it something like "Dental Office — [Your Practice Name]." This project will hold all your practice context and every conversation you have within it starts with that context already loaded.
What you should see: A project page with a text area for "Project Instructions" and a space for uploaded files.
In the Project Instructions box, write a detailed description of your practice. Use this template as a starting point and fill in your actual details:
You are the AI assistant for [Practice Name], a [size, e.g. 3-dentist] private dental practice in [city, state].
PRACTICE OVERVIEW:
- Lead dentist: Dr. [Last Name]
- Other providers: [names and specialties]
- Practice focus: [e.g. family dentistry, cosmetic, pediatric]
- Number of staff: approximately [X]
- PMS software: [Dentrix / Eaglesoft / Open Dental]
INSURANCE:
We accept the following plans: [list your top 5–10 plans]
Our in-network networks: [e.g. Delta Dental Premier, Cigna DPPO, MetLife]
COMMUNICATION STYLE:
- Patient-facing communications: warm, friendly, clear (avoid jargon)
- Insurance/payer communications: formal, professional, direct
- Staff communications: clear, supportive, concise
COMMON TASKS YOU HELP WITH:
- Drafting insurance appeal letters
- Writing pre-authorization letters
- Responding to patient billing questions
- Social media posts for our Facebook and Instagram pages
- HR documents (job postings, performance reviews)
- Patient recall messages
When drafting any patient communication, always sign off as "[Office Manager Name]" and include our phone number [XXX-XXX-XXXX] in relevant communications.
Click Save when done.
What you should see: The instructions save and appear at the top of the Project page.
Troubleshooting: If you're unsure what to include, start simple — add more detail over time as you discover what the AI needs to be more accurate.
Click New Chat within your project. Type a real task you'd normally spend 20+ minutes on:
"Write a pre-authorization letter for a crown (D2740) on tooth #19. The patient is a 52-year-old woman. The tooth has been broken with exposed dentin and the decay has reached the pulp — a crown is needed to prevent extraction."
What you should see: The AI writes a formal pre-authorization letter that already uses your practice name, Dr.'s name, and the communication style you defined. It will be dramatically better than starting from a blank page.
If the output is missing something (e.g., it doesn't include your NPI number, or the letter format doesn't match what a specific insurer expects), update your Project Instructions to include that detail. The more you refine the instructions over the first 2 weeks, the faster and more accurate the tool becomes.
Use these in your Claude Project whenever you need them:
Insurance Pre-Authorization: "Write a pre-authorization letter for [CDT code and procedure name] on tooth #[XX]. Patient is [age, gender]. Clinical indication: [brief reason]. Insurer: [name]."
Patient Balance Call Script: "Write a phone script for calling [patient scenario] about a $[amount] balance. The balance is because [reason]. Tone: calm, empathetic, solution-focused."
Job Posting: "Write a job posting for a [role] at our practice. Key duties: [list]. Benefits: [list]. Required experience: [describe]. Make it warm and specific."
Monthly Recap for Dentist: "Here are this month's numbers: Production: $[X], Collections: $[X], New patients: [X], AR 90+ days: $[X]. Write a one-paragraph executive summary for our monthly meeting."
Staff Policy Document: "Write an SOP for [process name] at our dental practice. Audience: front desk staff with no prior training. Include Purpose, Scope, Responsible Party, Steps, and Notes."