Missed appointments are a huge issue among all medical practices. From wasted time to loss of revenue, no-shows can throw the best planned day into a tailspin. While it’s impossible to eliminate no-shows completely, there are many ways they can be reduced. Keep reading for six ways to reduce no-shows at your practice.
Utilize multiple reminder methods.
Patients don’t want to miss their appointments, so help them remember with a variety of options. When patients schedule appointments, ask them to indicate what type of appointment reminder they’d prefer. Giving them a choice of email, text or call lets them be in control. It’s pointless to send email reminders to patients who rarely check their inbox.
Allow prepayments.
When patients know they have already paid their co-pay for appointments, they are more likely to show up and be on time. If end up being no-shows, there is no financial loss for you.
Follow up on a missed appointment.
If patients do miss their appointments, call right away and let them know they were missed and try to reschedule. Use this time to remind them of your practice’s no-show policy.
Keep waiting times to a minimum.
When patients are kept in the waiting room for 30 minutes or more, they feel as if their time isn’t valued, and in return they won’t value yours. Make sure all patients feel important and valued and keep their waiting time to a minimum. This helps to build the doctor patient relationship and keep them loyal to your practice.
Reward patients who arrive on time and keep appointments.
Thanking patients who arrive and arrive on time is important positive reinforcement to ensure they keep doing the right thing. Offering a small discount to these patients encourages them to remain reliable, loyal and helps to reduce no-shows.
Develop strong relationships.
Building strong bonds with your patients keeps your practice at the forefront of their minds, allowing for fewer missed appointments. You can do this through a strong online presence, patient newsletters and emailed birthday or holiday wishes. When patients feel respected they are less likely to become no-shows.
Implementing these ideas may take some time, but they will make a huge impact on the number of no-shows at your practice. While these ideas are important, the key is to be flexible, respectful and provide amazing customer service. If you have any ideas for reducing no-shows, please share them on our Facebook page!
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