Reduce No-Shows and Boost Revenue with Automated Patient Recall

Key Takeaways

• Missed appointments cost the healthcare industry an estimated $150 billion per year.
• Appointment no-show rates can vary widely (between 12% and 80%).
• Automated patient recall can keep patients engaged using text messaging, voice reminders, or email.
• Automating appointment reminders eases the burden on your administrative staff while helping to bring more patients through your doors.

Patient no-shows are a problem for providers, staff, and patients alike. When patients miss their appointments, it creates a ripple effect that can lead to wasted time and lost revenue.

No-shows can significantly impact a practice’s revenue and efficiency.

Undoubtedly, practitioners want to reduce no-shows, and automated patient recall provides a suitable option.

Keep reading to explore the value of automated patient recall systems and how they can boost revenue, patient engagement, and your practice’s reputation.

How Much Do No-Shows Cost Practices?

The rate of appointment no-shows ranges from 12% to 80% nationwide. With each missed appointment, providers typically lose about $200. Frequent missed appointments cause providers to overbook, resulting in longer patient wait times and increased staff overtime costs.

Every missed appointment is also a missed opportunity for doctors to provide essential care. Someone else could have taken the appointment reserved by the patient who didn’t show up.

Patients who miss their appointments are prolonging diagnosis and care, which may cause their complaints to worsen.

With 88% of appointments handled by phone, finding additional ways to engage patients is essential.

Automated patient recall ensures patients are automatically reminded about upcoming appointments. You might also hear it called automated appointment reminders or patient scheduling software.

Automated patient recall software connects with patients via their preferred method of communication: phone, text, or email. The system notifies patients about upcoming, scheduled appointments and makes it easy to confirm, cancel, or request a change.

This feature is often part of a larger healthcare practice management platform. You can use the integrated platform to talk with your patient base, send reminders, and follow up after visits.

Benefits of Automated Patient Recall

Benefits of Automated Reminders

Automated patient recall systems give your staff a hands-free way to keep patients engaged.

Based on upcoming appointments, you can send reminders in patients’ preferred format and get direct feedback from them in the text thread. This makes the appointment scheduling and reminder process more efficient, less time-consuming, and less costly.

As a result, you can expect:

• Improved patient experience
• Higher patient satisfaction
• Reduced no-shows
• Streamlined office operations
• Reduced admin workload
• Higher quality of care

You can use automation to attract more patients to your office. This approach saves time and resources by reducing the need to follow up with patients who don’t show up.

How Automated Patient Recall Boosts Revenue

Every appointment scheduled is an opportunity to earn revenue for your practice.

When patients miss their appointments, it directly impacts revenue. However, many practices say automated patient recall systems help maintain schedule adherence.

Indirect benefits can also improve a practice’s financial health. When patients keep appointments, they can get the care they need and enjoy a higher quality of life. This can lead to greater patient satisfaction, retention, and referrals, all of which translate into more revenue opportunities.

Doctible provides a comprehensive patient communication platform that automates appointment reminders and other communications.

• Practices can set up reminders in a way that suits them. They can choose to send reminders via text, voice, or email.
• Patients can control their experience by confirming, declining, or requesting appointment changes. When patients make a selection, it will update your system so you know what to do next.

For example, you can send HIPAA-compliant texting to a patient. For those who confirm the appointment via SMS text, there’s nothing left for your staff to do. If they don’t confirm the appointment, you can choose to set up additional reminders or notify your staff to call the patient.

This means fewer touchpoints for your administrative team so they can focus on other tasks.

Doctible has features like digital patient intake forms that save your staff time and make it easier for patients. Your staff can communicate with patients without switching between different tools.

Save Time With Doctible

No-shows can be costly to healthcare. Every patient who doesn’t show up for an appointment is delaying their care while preventing another patient from receiving theirs. With automated patient recall, practices can keep more patients engaged, allowing revenue and efficiency to thrive.

Doctible’s patient communication software puts automation in your hands with customizable features and comprehensive tools. Send compliant messages via text, voice, or email, allow one-touch confirmation, and make follow-up hands-free. Learn more about Doctible’s solutions when you schedule a demo.