With today's hectic world it's hard to keep track of everything we have to do. Work demands endless hours of our time and tiresome commutes only add to the stress as you head into and leave the office. There are emails to answer, after school activities to attend to and social media accounts that need your attention. It's no wonder, with all that is going on, that we tend to lose track of our appointments and find it difficult to keep our commitments.
Missed appointments are a direct hit to a healthcare practice's bottom line and it's estimated that this issue costs the economy some $100 billion each year. Healthcare providers have been looking for ways to keep in touch with their patients and break through all the clutter and noise of an overwhelming life. Some doctors started implementing no-show fees to try and get patients' attention but that just engenders animosity and creates a collections nightmare.
Increasingly healthcare organizations are turning to healthcare reminder systems to help them increase their customer touch points and improve their communications. These solutions have been proven to increase revenues and help get patients to show up for their appointments on time.
Help Patients Keep Their Appointments
Organizations and practices that set up healthcare reminder systems find that these communication systems greatly reduce appointment no-shows. When you use the software you can set up a message sequence that works for your specific practice. The messages then go out to patient's at the assigned times (i.e. 24 hours before an appointment) and the patient receives the reminder and can confirm the appointment. The timely delivery of the message and the customer interaction in return results in more kept appointments and higher practice revenue.
Customize Reminders to Fit Your Practice
By layering communications over different channels, you can help assure that patients are aware of and keep their appointments. The best systems allow you to send reminders via text messages, mobile app, phone calls or emails. Messages are tailored to each patient's appointment details and will contain your office phone number or caller id when they reach the patient. You can even select the best time of day to deliver the messages so you improve response rates.
Generating Additional Practice Revenue
By implementing a healthcare reminder system, you will have instant and timely information regarding appointments that need to be changed to fit a patients schedule. In the past, these appointments might go unfilled resulting in lost revenue opportunities. With the healthcare reminder communications software you will have visibility of exactly which appointment times are still open so you can go about scheduling new patients into those times. Patients will be happier because they get a chance to get in to see their favorite doctor sooner, and your practice will prosper and grow with the additional appointment revenues.
Healthcare reminder systems help organizations and practices improve their efficiency and eliminate costly appointment no-shows. Patient engagement and communication is also greatly enhanced resulting in higher rates of patient satisfaction.