The U.S. healthcare system is a high-pressure environment built on volume. For right or wrong, doctors and clinics are expected to see a certain number of patients every day. Schedules are tight. As a result, patients not showing up for their appointments create problems. Could a medical answering service help?
A medical answering service is one tool for reducing no show rates. Used alongside other tools and strategies, it can contribute to more patients keeping their appointments and arriving on time. A residual benefit is office traffic that keeps flowing throughout the day.
The No Show Problem
A 2016 study looking at no show rates between 1997 and 2008 revealed a mean no show rate of roughly 18 percent at 10 regional hospitals along with a major healthcare center offering everything from primary care specialist treatments.
Some nine years later, the average no show rate is estimated at 5-30% depending on the type of clinic you’re looking at. Each no show costs the clinician an estimated $200 per hour. That is a lot of money to lose when patients don’t show up for their appointments.
How an Answering Service Can Help
Patients miss appointments for a whole host of reasons. Scheduling conflicts arise. Appointments are scheduled and then incidentally forgotten. Whatever the cause, a missed appointment is not a good thing for either doctor or patient. It is in the best interests of both to eliminate no shows as much as possible.
Here at Apello, we believe firmly in the ability of a medical answering service to address missed appointments. Here are some ways an answering service can help reduce no show rates:
1. Appointment Reminders
Medical answering services have the ability to send automated reminders of upcoming appointments via phone, email, or text message. In some cases, automation makes it possible to require patients to confirm their appointments at the time of the reminder.
2. More Flexible Scheduling
Some missed appointments are the direct result of an inability to reschedule. Clinics and doctor’s offices are hard to reach, making it more difficult when rescheduling is necessary. But a medical answering service operates 24/7. This increases scheduling flexibility.
Because phones are always being answered, patients needing to reschedule can do so at their convenience. They can reschedule in the evenings – and on weekends if they need to. The increased flexibility encourages rescheduling over simply not showing up.
3. Scheduling Efficiency
Hand-in-hand with more flexible scheduling is scheduling efficiency. Trained operators are more capable of managing both scheduling and cancellations, thereby leading to a full schedule that minimizes gaps.
4. PMS Integration
A medical answering service with practice management system (PMS) integration capabilities enhance scheduling by contributing to real-time updates and patient management. Combining the two can reduce double bookings and other problems created when relying only on PMS booking.
5. Multilingual Support
Medical answering services offering multilingual support can improve communication among diverse patient sets. Better communication reduces misunderstandings that often lead to no shows and late arrivals.
Consider It for Your Office
We would never say that a medical answering service is your only solution for high no show rates. But it can be a very important tool in reducing rates across the board.
If you would like to know more about how Apello can contribute to better scheduling, more efficient cancellation administration, and improved no show rates, contact us. We specialize in customized answering services designed to meet each client’s unique needs and budget. We can put something together for your medical office, something that works for both you and your patients.
