As a medical professional, you know that one of the most important aspects of patient care is scheduling. If you're not careful, it can be easy to fall into a chaotic and disorganized system. But how to schedule patients effectively?
There are ways how to schedule patients effectively so that everyone gets the care they need in a timely manner.
Defining Your Goals and Objectives
When it comes to how to schedule patients effectively, having well-defined goals is key to success.
What exactly do you hope to achieve?
Is your goal realistic?
And perhaps most importantly – when do you want to reach this goal?
Once you know what it is you’re trying set out to accomplish (your goal), along with achievable smaller milestones (objectives) leading up to said accomplishment, only then can an effective plan for reaching these targets be put into action - resulting in a higher chance for success!
For example, if your goal is to increase patient volume by 10% in the next quarter, some objectives might be:
- Scheduling a minimum of 5 new patient appointments per week.
- Calling or emailing at least 2 former patients per day to book an appointment.
- Attending 1 networking event related to your practice area per month.
Each of these objectives is measurable, attainable, and relevant to the overarching goal. And by having a time frame in mind, you can ensure that your efforts remain focused and on track.
It’s important to remember that goals and objectives should always be reviewed and updated as needed – especially as your business grows and changes over time!
Further Reading:
- Types of Appointment Scheduling Your Practice Could Use
- The Benefits of Wave Scheduling in Healthcare
- Best Appointment Scheduling Software for Small Businesses
Knowing Your Patient Population
It's important for healthcare providers to know their patient population if they want to know how to schedule patients effectively. By understanding who your patients are, you can better serve their needs and provide them with the best possible care.
There are a few key things that you can do to get to know your patients.
1. Talk to Them Directly
One of the best ways to learn about your patients is simply by talking to them! Ask them about their lives, their families, and what brings them into your office or clinic.
You may be surprised at how much you can learn just by having a conversation with someone.
2. Review Their Medical History
Another way to get insights into your patients is by reviewing their medical history. This will give you information on any chronic conditions they may have, as well as any medications they're currently taking.
This knowledge can help guide your conversations and allow you more tailored recommendations.
3. Take Note of Their Demographics
Another way to get to know your patients is by taking note of their demographics. This includes information like age, gender, race, and nationality.
Knowing this information can help you better understand the needs of your patient population and how best to serve them.
4. Ask About Their Preferences
It's also important to ask your patients about their preferences when it comes to healthcare.
This includes things like what type of communication they prefer (e-mail, phone call, text message), what days and times work best for them, and if they have any preference on who provides care (doctor, nurse practitioner, physician assistant).
By understanding these preferences, you can make the patient experience more convenient and tailored specifically for them.
5. Get Feedback from Surveys or Focus Groups
Finally, another great way to learn about your patients is by conducting surveys or focus groups with them periodically asking for feedback on their experiences with your office or clinic.
This feedback can be incredibly valuable in helping you identify areas of improvement and make changes that will positively impact your patients.
Implement Online Self-Scheduling
If your medical practice doesn’t offer your patients some way to schedule appointments online, you’re way behind the trends of how to schedule patients effectively.
Back in the day, the cost of online scheduling software was egregious and only the largest hospital systems and conglomerates could afford them. But those days are over.
Now, there are many affordable options for online scheduling software that are easy to implement and use.
Here are a few tips for how to use online scheduling effectively in your medical practice.
1. Make Sure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly
More and more people are using their smartphones to access the internet. In fact, over 60% of internet traffic is now mobile. This means that if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re likely losing a lot of potential patients.
Make sure your website is responsive and easy to use on a mobile device. This will make it more likely that patients will use your online scheduling feature.
2. Offer Online Scheduling 24/7
Your patients are busy people and their schedules are often full. This means that they may not be able to schedule an appointment during normal business hours.
To accommodate them, make sure your online scheduling feature is available 24/7. This way, patients can schedule an appointment at a time that is convenient for them.
3. Send Reminders
Once a patient has scheduled an appointment online, send them a reminder a few days beforehand. This will help to ensure that they don’t forget about their appointment and that they show up on time.
4. Offer a Variety of Appointment Types
Not all appointments are the same. Some may be for routine check-ups while others may be for more serious issues. Make sure your online scheduling feature offers a variety of appointment types so that patients can choose the one that is right for them.
5. Allow Patients to Cancel or Reschedule
Life happens and sometimes patients need to cancel or reschedule their appointments. Make sure your online scheduling feature allows for this. This way, patients can reschedule their appointment for a time that is more convenient for them.
Waiting Lists and Seasonality
Cancellations will happen. There’s no real way to avoid them altogether because things will pop up in your patients' lives that’ll lead them to cancel their visit.
When they happen, though, you’ll want to fill their empty slots as soon as possible. If you don’t, you’re losing revenue.
The best way to do this is to have a waiting list of patients who are interested in scheduling an appointment with you. That way, when a cancellation does happen, you can quickly fill the spot.
Of course, you can’t just add anyone to your waiting list. You’ll want to be strategic about it and only add people who you think are a good fit for your practice.
You can also use this list to your advantage when it comes to seasonality.
For example, if you know that you tend to have more cancellations in the summer months, you can be extra proactive about adding people to your waiting list in the spring. That way, when summer comes, you’ll be prepared.
No matter what, always remember that cancellations will happen. But if you’re prepared for them, you can quickly turn them into an opportunity instead of a loss.
Managing Last-Minute Changes to the Schedule
When it comes to managing a schedule, last-minute changes can be one of the most frustrating things that can happen. Whether it's a client canceling an appointment or something unexpected coming up, these changes can throw off your whole day.
So why do last-minute changes happen?
There could be any number of reasons – maybe the client forgot they had another commitment, or there was a miscommunication about the time of the appointment.
Whatever the reason, it's important to try and accommodate these changes as best you can.
If possible, see if you can reschedule the appointment for another time that works better for both parties.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Scheduling System
When it comes to healthcare, one of the most important aspects is timely patient care. In order for patients to be seen in a timely manner, it is crucial that scheduling systems are effective.
There are a few key factors to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of your scheduling system.
Are doctors seeing patients in a reasonable amount of time?
Do staff have adequate time for breaks between appointments?
Is the schedule easy enough for both patients and staff to understand and follow?
By taking all of these things into account, you can get a good idea as to whether or not your current scheduling system needs improvement.
FAQs About How to Schedule Patients Effectively
How can patient scheduling efficiency be improved?
- Use appointment scheduling software.
- Establish an appointment reminder system.
- Implement a patient waiting list to fill in no-shows or cancellations.
- Use broadcast messages.
- Collect data to spot trends and opportunities.
- Leverage a referral appointment system.
What is the most efficient scheduling method of patient appointments?
The best way to schedule staff is to start scheduling from midday backward and from mid-day forwards. This will reduce the number of empty slots during the day, and it's becoming standard practice in the healthcare industry.
Further Reading:
- Discover the Best Meeting Scheduler Apps for Your Practice
- What Are Healthcare Scheduling Software Systems?
- Best Practices for Patient Scheduling Process
Conclusion
The more people you can get through your doors and schedule, the more business you can generate. But if you don’t pay attention to your patient’s schedules, you’re only going to end up hurting yourself. The volume of new patients will decrease as they will get tired of waiting for their appointment and cancel.
How to schedule patients effectively is a combination of modern technology and common sense. By combining these two, you’ll be better able to handle the workload you once thought was too much.
Upvio offers a variety of services to help you schedule patients effectively, including:
- Online appointment scheduling.
- Automated reminders and follow-ups.
- Telemedicine capabilities.
- Customizable templates and workflows.
- Integration with your EHRPM system.
