Swimming and track athletes know that a strong start is often the key to a successful race. Medical appointment scheduling software operates on a similar premise. A well-designed appointment scheduler can get patient visits started off on the right foot.
In today’s healthcare market, scheduling software solutions come a dime a dozen. They all promise fast, error-free appointment planning, but due to clunky software and poor usability, many deliver the opposite.
If your appointment software hasn’t improved staff productivity, increased profits, and reduced patient no-shows, it might be time to look for something new.
Improved Efficiency
First and foremost, quality scheduling software needs to focus on organizing your workday. It should be easy to use and synced with all staff members of the practice so everyone is on the same page, every day.
Color-coded calendars make it simple to see where patients are in the scheduling process. As the patient moves through scheduling, eligibility, and check-in, the color of their block should change for quick and easy visual recognition.
When patients call to change their appointment, drag and drop features make rescheduling much faster. With a few simple clicks, your receptionist should be able to rearrange the daily calendar with ease.
Also, your staff should be able to access the software from any computer. A web-based solution allows you to make changes at any time without having to come into the office for something as simple as rescheduling a medical appointment.
Drive Revenues
The correlation between medical appointment software and profits may not be clear at first, but it does exist.
Online patient self-scheduling is a great feature that will save you money by allowing staff to get away from scheduling and focus on revenue-producing tasks like collections.
Additionally, make sure your appointment scheduling software automates the eligibility checking process prior to patient visits. This expedites check-in and medical billing. It will reduce denials and improve collections by validating insurance earlier in the patient’s flow.
Reduce No-Shows
We all know how frustrating patient no-shows can be.
Reduce your patients’ no-show rate with automatic appointment reminders that contact patients via automated phone calls, emails, or texts. Instead of wasting valuable time making reminder phone calls, the system will handle this mundane task for you.
Furthermore, look for appointment scheduling software that can sync with Google Maps to provide patients with driving directions. This can be exceedingly useful in rural areas that are difficult to navigate. This feature will also quell the concerns of new patients, who may be worried about traveling long distances.
Finally, if you’re part of a medical group, remember to ask the vendor if their software works with multiple-physician practices. The last thing you want is to purchase a product that doesn’t meet your group’s needs.
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