If you have had a doctor’s appointment recently, it is likely that you received an appointment reminder prior to your visit. It is even more likely that the appointment reminder was automatically sent to you without office staff monitoring the process.
Automated appointment reminders via texts, emails, or phone calls provide many benefits to both practice administrators and patients. Here are just a few:
1. Reduced "No-Shows"
Patients have schedules too, and sometimes doctor’s appointments may be forgotten. It is all too common for patients to forget to cancel their appointment, resulting in a “no-show.” Automated appointment reminders can be sent until a patient confirms or cancels their appointment. This means that it is virtually impossible for patients to forget.
2. Increased Patient Satisfaction
Appointment reminders can be sent via phone call, but many people prefer a quick and easy text or email message. Upon receiving an appointment reminder via text or email, patients are able to confirm or cancel their upcoming appointment with the click of a button. By reaching patients in a way that is most convenient for them and taking the hassle out of rescheduling appointments, patient satisfaction will increase.
3. Time Saved for Administrative Staff
Without automated appointment reminders, administrative staff is tasked with calling patients to confirm appointments and rescheduling if necessary. This process can be very time consuming for staff. Utilizing a system with automated reminders provides office staff with status indicators for the appointment reminders, making the process more efficient.
4. Maximized Revenues
By reducing "no-shows," there is more time in the schedule for doctors to see patients who are available for an appointment. With more time available to staff, they are able to focus on projects that will drive more revenues to the practice. Costs of staff will also decrease if the appointment reminder workflow is automated.
5. Minimal Maintenance Required
After the initial setup of automated messages, sending reminders on existing appointments requires minimal maintenance from office staff. Messages can be customized for a variety of appointments including, but not limited to, recalls, vaccine notifications, lab results, and patient satisfaction surveys. Notes are automatically added to patient records to indicate all actions taken on an appointment including appointment history, confirmations, and cancellations.
6. Improved Patient Health
Automated appointment reminders keep health top of mind for patients. Missing doctor’s visits can cause issues to go undiagnosed or untreated. If patients are regularly seen, sickness and long-term illnesses can be prevented.
With the use of automated appointment reminders, work is reduced for administrative staff and practices can earn more money. Automated reminders also benefit patients by providing a convenient way to confirm or cancel appointments and reschedule to stay consistent with their health.