As a medical facility in Australia, reducing patient no-shows is an important goal. No-shows can occur for a variety of reasons, such as forgetting an appointment or simply not prioritising their health. Consequently, reducing patient no-shows is critical to maintaining efficient operations and providing quality care to patients.
When patients don't turn up to an appointment, it can have a significant impact on the healthcare facility. It wastes resources, disrupts workflow, and there is also a financial cost associated with no-shows. But how do you prevent them?
Deploy an Effective Automated System
With patient management systems, for example, automated appointment reminders can be sent via email, text, or call to ensure that patients are aware of upcoming appointments and minimise the chances of them forgetting. Additionally, these systems can also help to reduce no-shows and cancellations by providing an online portal for patients to manage their appointments.
Sometimes, a simple reminder is all that people need to be more mindful of their commitments. Automated appointment reminders can save staff time and energy, allowing them to focus on other tasks that will help improve the patient experience. Furthermore, they can also help to reduce the costs associated with no-shows as a result of improved show rates.
Make Cancellation and Rescheduling Easier
Often, patients may need to cancel or reschedule their appointments due to unforeseen circumstances or schedule conflicts. To reduce the chances of no-shows, it’s a great idea to make the cancellation and rescheduling process easier. By implementing self-service features, such as an online patient portal, or offering more flexible appointment times, patients will be more likely to show up for their appointments and less likely to miss them.
Request Pre-Payment
Furthermore, you can reduce no-shows by seeking pre-payment for appointments in advance. Not only does this make it easier to track payments and receivables, but it also encourages patients to show up for their appointments, due to an already-paid financial obligation. Even if you don't charge the full amount, you could charge a small booking fee that then comes off their bill after they attend the appointment.
Offer Teleappointments
In addition, so-called 'teleappointments' are growing in popularity due to their convenience and accessibility. Offering patients the opportunity to book and attend appointments online, via telephone, or even through video conferencing can help to reduce the number of no-shows for your clinic. It's usually simpler and more convenient for the patient to book a virtual appointment than it is for them to physically go into the clinic, and this can encourage more people to show up for their appointment, and you don't waste resources when nobody turns up.
Learn from Feedback
When patients do miss their appointments, it's important to take the time to ask them why they did so. Was there an issue with your booking process? Was it difficult to find the address of your clinic or did they have trouble getting there on time? Taking their feedback into account can help you to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that your appointment slots are filled in 2023.
Stay Engaged with Patients
On top of that, staying engaged with your patients can also encourage them to arrive for their appointments. Regularly sending out appointment reminders and follow-up messages can help to ensure that your patients are aware of their upcoming visits and make it easier for them to keep track of the date and time.
When patients are invested in their health and well-being, they’re more likely to follow through on their appointments.
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