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Practice Management News is a free newsletter for SpectraSoft customers and friends, offering insightful articles, handy user tips and troubleshooting advice to help you get more done with SpectraSoft software.
1. Conduct a thorough intake process before the visit
When your client calls to schedule the initial appointment, get as much information as you can over the phone – including contact information, next of kin, insurance coverage, and most important, a phone number and email address. Or use slow times of the day to call scheduled patients and get any information you may be lacking.
If you wait for the patient to arrive, the front desk will be distracted by the needs of other clients in the waiting room, and may not collect the needed data. If your new patient arrives at a hectic moment, important intake items can be overlooked. This can lead to insurance denials, delays in sending reports to referring physicians and other costly miscues.
To enter your clients’ demographic information in AppointmentsPRO, click on Data > Patient > Demographics.
2. Use automated phone calls and emails to prep clients before they arrive
If you expect your clients to do something, remind them. If they need to arrive early...bring paperwork or x-rays...or do anything else before their visit, don’t expect them to remember any of these things simply because you mentioned it when the appointment was scheduled. Pick up the phone or send an email reminding your clients of anyhting they need to do. Since these calls and emails often won’t get made if you rely on an your busy staff, consider an automated phone or email reminder system to ensure these reminders actually make it to your clients.
3. See all new clients during specially blocked times
You can use the Hold Time feature in AppointmentsPRO to set aside certain times exclusively for new patients. (Highlight the block of time you want to set aside, then right-click and choose hold. You can set aside this time each day, week or month.)
This will allow you to get in the habit of completing a thorough intake procedure with every client that arrives during these times. If your new clients come at just any time during the day, you will not be in “intake mode,” and can easily neglect to gather critical information when things get hectic.
4. Conduct an orientation for new clients
If you are in a business that involves recurring appointments, such as physical therapy, conduct a brief orientation with new patients, so that they know how to help themselves to the restroom, drinking water and other office ammenities when they come again. This will free your staff to focus on more important tasks and will go a long way toward improving office efficiency.
5. Stagger lunch breaks
Lunch is one of the most convenient times for working people to see you, so why remove this highly productive time from your window of availability? A single lunch break for the entire office also creates inertia that you must overcome after lunch. Determine a staggered lunch schedule for your staff, and then switch to the weekly or monthly view in AppointmentsPRO to block off each staff member's lunch schedule.
6. Talk about no-shows
Let your clients know that they are expected to fulfill all of their appointments. Your office is busy, your time is valuable and the employees depend on patients arriving for their appointments in order to make a living. Of course you should be polite and respectful, but let them know that your office has certain standards and policies in place to improve the service every client receives. When you communicate this in a kind and sincere manner, most of your patients will not only understand and cooperate, they may even be impressed with your level of professionalism and the seriousness with which you approach patient care.
7. Monitor wait times
Once you have established these efficiency policies, you can track their effect by monitoring the average wait times in AppointmentsPRO. (Click on Reports > Statistical Reports > Arrived vs Seen Comparison.) Office efficiency is essential to your profitability, which in turn drives your ability to provide a higher level of service to your clients. So make efficiency a priority!
Let us know how you’re doing and if this article was helpful by emailing PMN at editor@practicemanagementnews.com.
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