How to Fill Last-Minute Openings & Build a Resilient Practice

Key Takeaways

• You could lose revenue and productivity if you have a last-minute appointment available.
• Close gaps in your schedule with smarter scheduling systems, automated waitlists, two-way HIPAA-compliant communication, and personalized follow-up.
• A real time patient engagement platform combines these and other communication features.
• Practices can automate the way they fill last-minute openings with appointments scheduling software.

Fill Last-Minute Openings with Automation

Imagine a day with a fully booked schedule, no cancellations, and a waiting list ready to fill any sudden gaps. It’s every practitioner’s dream—and the right technology can make this dream a reality.

Last-minute cancellations happen for a variety of reasons. Patients mix up dates, forget they had an appointment, or have something come up. Regardless of the reason, last-minute openings mean losing productivity and revenue.

Let’s explore how you can manage last-minute openings effectively and build a resilient healthcare practice.

2 Tools That Fix Last-Minute Cancellations

No-show rates can be as high as 80% in medical practices, contributing to a loss of $150 billion a year. Last-minute openings affect everything from staff productivity to revenue. Practitioners lose income and still have to pay for operating expenses.

Patients who cancel at the last minute take away the opportunity for another patient to get treatment. Patients who can’t get an appointment when they need it may try to find healthcare elsewhere. This can lead to missed opportunities to increase revenue.

1. Automated Waitlists

Automated waitlists can fill open slots quickly and with minimal effort from a staff member.

When there are open appointment slots, an automated waitlist reaches out to waitlisted patients to fill the opening. The first patient who claims the appointment will automatically be added to your schedule.

Sending automated "appointment available" messages relieves your front desk from playing phone tag.

Automated waitlists follow HIPAA-compliant communication standards to protect sensitive information.

2. Smart Scheduling Systems

Smart scheduling systems can remove the guesswork of managing appointments and cancellations. In this system, patients do the majority of the scheduling, freeing up time for front desk staff.

Moreover, using smart scheduling systems reduces manual scheduling errors and improve efficiency. Ideally, the system seamlessly integrates with your practice management software. It also allows patients to schedule appointments at any time, even after hours.

Giving this control to your patients will help to reduce no-shows and cancellations because they can choose times that work for them.

4 Patient Engagement Strategies to Prevent Cancellations

Keeping patients engaged prior to their appointment (i.e., sending appointment reminders via text message) can reduce cancellations.

Here are some ways you can improve engagement to keep patients on your schedule.

1. Two-Way Communication Software

Systems with two-way texting and automated patient reminders keep communication with patients open. They can confirm appointments, ask questions, or request changes in ways that are convenient to them.

This helps to keep appointments top of mind for patients, plus it reduces the workload on your front desk team.

2. Personalizing Follow-Up

Personalized messaging can encourage patients to keep their appointments. They feel more tailored than generic reminders, helping to further establish a good relationship with each patient.

A good patient engagement platform gives you multiple communication tools in one platform. You can send and receive patient reminders via email or text and track responses in your patient management software. This automates the process to improve accuracy and efficiency.

3. Sending Digital Forms Before Appointments

Digital intake forms reduce the demand on front desk staff. Patients can enter their information securely into forms prior to their appointment. This data automatically flows to your practice management software, eliminating the need for manual entry.

4. Traffic Alerts with Real-time Directions

A patient running just a few minutes late can put the rest of the day’s schedule off balance. Automated traffic alerts can help ensure your patients arrive on time.

Smart messaging can add more context to each patient’s appointment, allowing them to avoid additional delays. For example, you can share geolocation-based directions to your office, how to find your lobby, parking details, and more.

Fill Last-Minute Appointment Openings With Doctible 

Filling last-minute openings is critical for maintaining revenue, productivity, and practice growth. Practices must be proactive about filling these openings, and automation can make the process easier and more effective.

Doctible practice management software makes it easy to reduce missed appointments and reduce their negative impact on your bottom line. 

Doctible features that will help you fill last-minute openings include:

• EasyFill automated waitlist to contact wait-listed patients and fill your calendar
• Smart Scheduler to allow patients to request appointments online in just a few clicks
• Digital Intake Forms to reduce manual entry and improve the patient experience
• Automated Voice Reminders to reduce no-shows
• Traffic Alerts to help patients arrive on time
• Automated Patient Recall to remind patients to book their next appointments

Our comprehensive patient engagement solution integrates these and other tools into a single hub, allowing you to access everything your practice needs to succeed with just one sign-on. 

See Doctible in Action! Schedule a Demo

Doctible also offers training and support to ensure healthcare practices efficiently adopt and use their solutions. We prioritize quick onboarding, personalized training, and continuous support to help you get the most out of your practice management software.

Schedule a demo today to see Doctible tools can transform your practice.