Keeping Up With Business

To keep up, businesses (including medical practices and practitioners) need to be competitive, and one of the best ways to do that is ensure the services they provide are meeting the needs of their clients: With regards to health care, this could not be truer. An automated patient appointment scheduling system can help to improve overall medical practice management by improving office efficiency. Think about the time staff spends on the phone dealing with patient appointments and reminder calls: In a busy office, this can actually amount to ‘most of the time’! Is this really a cost effective way for them to spend their working hours? The hours you (and your patients) are in fact paying for.

Improve Workflows

With an automated scheduler in place your staff will have more time to deal with patients – In this way, workflows can be improved. Nobody likes to spend time hanging around on the end of a phone. Automated patient appointment scheduling systems can deal with multiple calls, usually in a fraction of the time. Most medical practitioners can substantially improve services using a relatively simple patient appointment scheduler. Basic (necessary) features include patient appointment scheduling and automated reminder calls. Reminder calls have proven to help reduce no-shows. Automating ensures reminder calls are always made, as well as always made on time: In this way revenues can in fact be improved by reducing no-shows. Advanced systems can deal with much more. Features include multiple languages, customisations, billing, pre paid appointments and much more.

Does Your Medical Practice Need an Automated Patient Appointment Scheduler?

If your medical practice is still ‘getting by’ using pen and paper then it is probably time to consider moving on and into the twenty first century – Give some of the systems and their features a try out: Surely a step in the right direction.

Affordable Solutions

Today, this technology is available and affordable even for sole practitioners. Of course, there are extremely advanced automated schedulers available. However, such advanced systems are rarely needed by smaller medical practices and sole practitioners. Basic features include automated patient appointment scheduling services and patient appointment reminder calls.

Patient Appointment Scheduling

Automated schedulers can be used during busy periods or applied 24/7: It depends upon how busy the practice is. Most online systems (as opposed to “in-house” systems) can also provide patients with 24/7 scheduling – In a modern world, providing this kind of convenience can keep you ahead of the competition.

Patient Reminder Calls

The stats tell us time and time again that patient reminder calls can help to reduce no-shows. In any medical practice, time is money and no-shows cost: Time is one thing that can never be recuperated. Automating this task gives your front desk staff more time to deal with patients: No more hours spent making calls manually or writing out cards. For any medical practice or practitioner with a high No-show rate automated patient scheduling software can be extremely cost effective: Helping to reduce no-shows and so increase revenues as well as the level of patient care provided.

Free or Paid?

They say nothing in life is free, and that is generally the case online as it is offline. Free scheduling software invariably comes with terms and conditions attached: And usually, those conditions include giving the provider of that free system certain “information”. If you think your patients wouldn’t mind giving away their information they okay. However, for most this would cause a conflict of interests. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine these free systems being HIPAA compliant – Ultimately, you get what you pay for in this life and that includes patient appointment schedulers.

A Welcome Service for Patients, Doctors & Staff

Research has certainly suggested that people want (and welcome) the opportunity to make a doctor appointment online – Indeed, most medical practitioners who do provide online patient scheduling find patients will book their doctor appointment online and in many instances the sheer convenience of it (patients are able schedule, re-schedule and cancel their doctor appointment online with ease 24/7), can help to reduce no-shows and increase revenues: With relatively little effort at all, on behalf of the staff or the medical practitioners.

User Friendly

The cost of implementing an online appointment scheduling system is relatively low when you balance up the advantages. An online scheduler can facilitate one of the most significant trends right now within business: Mobile internet. Patients can access the scheduling system while on the move, 24/7. Online systems can take a lot of the headache out of scheduling. Today’s systems are extremely user friendly; nobody will get frustrated. In fact most medical practitioners find patients love the new system and are amazed at the true simplicity of using it – Immediately they can see which appointments are free and are able to quickly and easily choose which suits them most: Of course, not every system is the same. However, invariably this is the case for medical practitioners that have opted for a reputable system with a proven track record.

Cost Effective

If you counted how many hours staff spent each week dealing with patient appointments it would almost undoubtedly surprise you. Without doubt, in a busy medical practice staff can spend a large percentage of the day answering calls, making and rearranging appointments. An online scheduler can deal with scheduling as well as reminder calls: Giving staff more free time to deal with patients and other vital medical practice management tasks such as billing.

More advanced systems will generally offer a more comprehensive range of features and customisations: It depends’ what the needs of the practitioner and patients are. A free trial can provide the opportunity to try out various online systems – Great for assessing what features are the most useful for your practice.

Liberate Staff & Improve Services
All scheduling tasks can be dealt with by the system automatically, 24/7. Or these systems can be called upon during busy periods only; providing a cost effective way to have that “extra pair of hands” available as and when needed (invariably more cost effective than hiring “human hands”).

The Personal Touch
Some medical practitioners prefer to use automated patient scheduling during peak times only: Feeling this keeps patient services more personalised – And indeed, there is an real element of truth in this. However, research has indicated that most adults would actually welcome the opportunity to be able to make a doctor appointment 24/7 using an online or automated service. In addition, something to seriously consider: If the “personalised service” being provided is not actually adequate (as in dealing with demand), due to the fact staff do not have the time needed to deal with the tasks at hand, surely automation is the practical (as well as cost effective) solution – Indeed, this has in fact proven to be the case for medical practices, practitioners and health corporations worldwide.

Nothing in Life is Free
As they say, nothing in life is free: And like most things, if you want quality you have to pay for it. There are free appointment scheduling software downloads and systems available online. However, they usually come with a catch. For medical practitioners free appointment scheduling software can be a precarious area to tread. More often than not, the company providing the free service or the developer will be collecting data in some way – And as all medical practitioners have a duty to protect their patient’s data, free software is rarely an option.

On The Other Hand
On the other hand, free software and system “free trials” are extremely useful. They provide medical practitioners and staff to try out the software. Most professional (paid for) online medical appointment system providers understand the importance of “user friendly”: In general, staff do not need to be seriously savvied to work with these systems. Nevertheless, test driving before making any commitment is always the soundest way forward.

Improve Customer Service
Automated scheduling systems are generally used by medical practitioners to manage patient appointments as well as by larger health organisations to schedule elective surgery. Indeed, advanced systems are extremely versatile and can be customised to suit just about any specification. Some systems are multi-lingual, which is extremely useful in what is today a highly cosmopolitan environment.

Ease of Use
Online systems can be extremely advanced and offer a wide variety of choices to both doctors and patients. By automating patient scheduling staff can be freed from this mundane and time consuming task: And with more time for patients customer services will invariably be improved. While feature rich quality systems are usually very easy to use. The technological experience of staff does not need to be advanced as online automated systems are designed to be user friendly for doctors, staff and patients.

Reduce No Shows
The statistics consistently confirm that patient appointment reminder calls do help to reduce no-shows. Even so, in a busy medical practice it can be difficult for staff to find the time to a) Make the reminder call, b) Organise postal card reminders. Most online systems can be scheduled to make reminder calls at a specific time automatically. Patients have the opportunity to confirm, reschedule or cancel their up-and-coming doctor appointment with ease (literally, at the press of a button). Automated reminder calls have proven to help reduce no-shows and as a result, help to improve revenue.

A Cost effective Solution
Without question, online patient appointment scheduling has proven to be a cost-effective solution for health organisations, specialist clinics and practitioners around the world. Research does suggest that many working adults would welcome an online 24/7 scheduling option. The health industry is competitive and people have never had more choice. Automating patient appointment scheduling is a cost effective way improve overall medical practice management.

The advantages and benefits are clear. It is possible to test drive some systems, which offers up the ideal opportunity for any professional that is considering utilising an online scheduling system, to assess which features are going to be the most beneficial for them – Without doubt, a good decision.

Error Free scheduling
Some of the largest health organisations in the US are using automated online medical appointment scheduling software to deal with patient appointments. By all accounts, the “good old days” of pen and paper scheduling are well and truly over,: And there are some very good reasons for this. Automated systems are 24/7: Unlike staff, they do not need time off and can multi-task way beyond any human capacity. Employing staff can be an expensive business. Deploying automated software is usually the more cost effective as well as efficient solution. In addition, medical appointment scheduling software does not suffer that “troublesome” human factor called emotion. Your patients call is dealt with quickly and efficiently 24/7 in a polite and orderly fashion.

Reduce No Shows
No shows cost health organisations and medical practitioners millions of dollars every year. When a patient does not show for their doctor appointment that time is lost: Therefore revenue is lost. Patient appointment reminder calls have proven to reduce no-shows. However, making those calls, or sending cards is time consuming. In a busy medical practice staff do not always have time to deal with reminder calls. Online medical appointment scheduling software can make patient reminder calls at scheduled times, automatically. More advanced systems can also send reminders via SMS and email.

Feature Rich
Automating reminder calls is probably one of the most useful features of medical appointment scheduling software: Aside it’s primary function of course, which is to schedule patient appointments. Some of the more advanced systems available can be customised and offer up many more features: Multiple language selections, billing, repeat appointments – Take a look at some of the features available. Without doubt, you will be amazed at just how advanced some of the software available is.

Minimise Errors
Medical appointment scheduling software can help to minimise errors, and so the time usually wasted from dealing with appointments manually. Unquestionably, in a busy medical practice keeping up with patient appointment scheduling and reminder calls can be a challenging task; even for experienced staff – And when staff are overwhelmed mistakes will invariably happen.

Good for Staff & Patients
Automated appointment scheduling software can help to take the pressure off the front desk. This is not only an advantageous solution for staff it is also extremely beneficial for patients. When it is consistently difficult to schedule a doctor appointment a percentage of patients will decide to switch their medical practice – With an automated scheduling system in place they are never left hanging on the end of the phone: Good for patients and so good for your medical practice.

Online Medical Scheduling
One of the greatest advantages of an online medical scheduling system is that patients can schedule, reschedule or cancel a doctor appointment anytime online: Indeed, research indicates that a notable majority of adults would ‘gratefully receive’ the opportunity. Therefore this would give most medical practices the edge, in what is an increasingly competitive environment – Today, one could certainly argue that the health industry is as cut-throat as any other. Real time, online scheduling is also extremely advantageous for medical practitioners who are on the move. They can access the system from any internet connection, which means they are always informed and updated.

A Cost Effective Solution
Automating patient appointment scheduling can help your medical practice stay competitive by improving services: And it can do this remarkably cost- effectively. The features of the online medical scheduling systems available do of course vary. Free trials allow you to test run the system and the features available: Not every medical practices’ needs are the same. However, automated patient appointment scheduling and reminder calls as well as online scheduling are probably the three most fundamental of all for most. Reminder calls have proven to reduce no-shows. Automated reminder calls offer up a cost effective way to reduce no-shows and so improve your medical practices’ bottom line – All in all, the advantages of office automation are very (very) clear….

No-Shows
There are several tactics that can be used to help your medical practice reduce no-shows. Patient reminder calls and postal reminders have proven to help reduce no-shows. However, they can be time consuming. An online automated system can deal with many aspects of patient appointment scheduling. The system can be used by patients to book a doctor appointment online: It can deal with all patient appoint scheduling calls to your medical practice: It can also make scheduled patient appointment reminder calls as well as send SMS and email reminders. Advanced systems can also provide your staff with the information they need to pinpoint patients consistently missing their appointment. Without doubt, an advanced system can deal with many aspects of patient appointment scheduling.

Streamline Workflows
Patient appointment scheduling is vital to every medical practitioner: It is impossible to function without scheduling. However, it can really consume the time of your staff, unnecessarily. Imagine how much extra time your staff will have to deal with other tasks if they do not have to deal with patient scheduling? For the most, patient services are improved as workflows become more streamlined.

Costs
Basic systems can be utilised by your medical practice for the cost of cable a month. While some systems are highly customisable and feature rich, there is little point paying for features you do not need. Free trials allow you to try out some of the features and assess which are the most essential and to your medical practice and patients. By ensuring you only pay for what you really need trials can save you a lot of money in the long run: So take advantage of them.

24/7 Patient Scheduling
Of course, hiring an extra pair of hands to deal with such tasks is an option. However, in comparison to utilising an online automated patient appointment scheduling system it is a comparatively expensive solution. An automated scheduler can deal with patient appointment reminders as well as scheduling: And it can do it 24/7. Unlike your staff the software does not need to eat, sleep or take a vacation. Your patients can schedule an appointment anytime, and reminder calls can be scheduled anytime too. This means those all important reminder calls can be made at times most suitable to reach patients; not the time most convenient for staff.

Giving Patients What They Want
Research has indicated that a notable majority of adults would welcome the opportunity to schedule their doctor appointment online. With an online appointment scheduling system in place they can do exactly that any day, any time. We live in a world of “convenience”. The health industry is a business: And like any business sector or industry today, it is competitive. The paying public are free to choose. Leaving patients waiting for something as fundamental and basic as a doctor appointment is not good for business. With an online system they can schedule their appointment anytime and the system can deal with many patients concurrently. No waiting, no fuss, no problem.

A Sound Investment
If no-shows are getting you down get automated. You won’t regret it. Automated patient appointment scheduling systems can help to reduce no-shows as well as streamline workflows. Your staff will have more time to deal with more pressing tasks. In this way, patient services can be improved. Hiring staff can be an expensive business. Comparatively, utilising an automated online system is generally the most cost effective solution. Features vary as do costs. Free trials provide the ideal opportunity to assess which features are the most essential for your practice. You will discover some online schedulers are more customisable than others. Take the time to look around and get to know the features available: It will be worth it…

Improved Confidence
Self scheduling might seem like a HIPAA compliant nightmare to some medical practitioners. However, there are HIPAA compliant online schedulers available. Technology had moved on leaps and bounds over the last few years. While the “fear factor” with regards to using online systems is certainly still around, on the whole the public have accepted and embraced the opportunity to “go about their business” online. Today people routinely book holidays, restaurants, theatre tickets etc online They use online systems to deal with their tax returns, banking and a whole myriad of other “sensitive” tasks – To which, this improved confidence means the opportunity to book a doctor appointment online would be a welcome service to many: Primarily because of the sheer convenience of it: They can make a doctor appointment 24/7 without ever having to “endure” hanging on the end of a phone (or an overworked and so over stressed receptionist!)

With an online appointment scheduling system in place you can improve services cost effectively. In actual fact, automated scheduling systems have helped many medical practitioners as well as large health organizations reduce no-shows as well as enhance overall patient experience. In this way, automated appointment scheduling has improved revenues. Research carried out by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) indicates, around fifty percent of American family medical practices use software to deal with patient health records. In addition, around forty-four percent use e-prescribing. In stark comparison, only around twenty percent of family doctors used an online scheduler to deal with patient appointments.

Ready?
In 2014 the “boomer group” will be looking for health care. The boomer group are accustomed to the internet and running their lives online. Is your medical practice ready to give them what they (almost certainly) want? No, perhaps there is a need to rephrase that – Today people do not only want online scheduling, they positively expect it: And in a competitive world, that can be catastrophic for business…

Free or Paid?
There are free and paid systems available. Free systems might seem the obvious option. However, most do come with “strings attached”. The main concern with many of the paid medical scheduling systems and software is that the company providing the “free” software will often want “data” in return – Names, birth dates, emails etc It is doubtful if this arrangement would comply with HIPAA privacy rules; to which, you should most certainly check. Opting for a HIPAA compliant system is surely the most “responsible” way to go.

Problems Solved
The advantages of automated medical appointment scheduling reach way beyond convenience. An automated system can actually optimize revenue. Medical scheduling software can deal with single and recurring appointments. Patients can go online and make an appointment, check schedules, reschedule and cancel an appointment quickly and easily. Reminder calls can be automated and carried out routinely according to your medical practices´ own set of “rules”. Being able to customize the software to suit your specific needs is most definitely a major advantage for staff and patients. No shows can be significantly reduced by the simple implementation of automated reminders calls. Patients who consistently miss appointments can be pinpointed: Implementing prepaid appointments for “problem” patients a cost effective as well as effective option.

Shop around! Take advantage of the free trials and demos available. Get to know the software´s features and which will be the most useful for you, your staff and your patients – Medical scheduling software has helped hundreds of thousands of medical practices perform better worldwide, and it can help yours too.

Making Life Easier
When making a doctors appointment becomes stressful there is real risk that patients will look elsewhere. Today, the world is not a patient place! Advanced systems are extremely easy to use: Little room for confusion, which you could not say the same for the old pen and paper days. Online medical appointment scheduling gives patients freedom as well as efficiency. With an online scheduling system in place they can make a patient appointment 24/7: No waiting – Definitely one surfire way to make life easier for your patienst!

Improved Productivity & More
Patients can review their appointments at any time. Appointment reminders can be made automatically and patients can reschedule, cancel or confirm. This has proven to reduce no-shows significantly for many medical practioners and practices worldwide. No-shows cost, and without doubt in a contemporary world time is money. These systems can help to improve productivity, efficiency and so overall medical practice management. Without the chore of patient appointment scheduling staff have more time to deal with patients, and so customer services can be improved.

Test Drive
Not all online medical appointment scheduling systems are the same: Although basic features tend to be fairly run of the mill. The right system for you will depend upon your medical practice needs. It is usually a good idea to test drive any system you might be considering first. There are a lot of features available; customisations might also be required. Does the system give you what you need? If it does, what are you waiting for?

A Cost Effective Solution

Not only are online medical appointment scheduling systems accurate and effective, they are also extremely cost effective. Automated scheduling can take the pressure off the front desk. They are (effectively) an extra pair of hands. However, even an advanced system would generally be less expensive than hiring extra staff to deal with this necessary, albeit time consuming task. Plus, many systems can also deal with patient appointment reminder calls. You can schedule reminder calls to be made at a specific time to patients with an up-and-coming appointment. Reminder calls have proven to reduce no-shows. Nevertheless, in a busy medical practice staff do not always have time to deal with them. Automating reminder calls ensures they are made at the right time, to the right patients.

User Friendly
An online system does not usually require special hardware or need to be maintained: Certainly less hassle than in-house appointment scheduling software, which often requires both. Opting for something that is ultra cutting-edge also might not go down well with your staff. Ideally, it should be user friendly. Problem is, how can you tell if it´s right for your medical practice unless you use it? Look out for free trials and demos. They can provide all the interaction you need to assess what features are necessary as ell as ho user friendly the system is. Some of the largest medical organizations in America use automated appointment scheduling. Automated appointment scheduling has proven to be just as viable for sole practitioners as it is for family practices and large medical organizations. For a relatively nominal amount even a sole practitioner can afford to improve patient services by providing 24/7 appointment scheduling – It is easy to understand why so many practitioners and organizations are making the change.

A Patient Friendly Solution
Medical practitioners have a responsibility to their patients, to provide a service that is efficient as well as accurate: After all, when it comes to health matters there is little room for error. In a busy office, assisting to patient´s needs as well as overall office management can be a demanding task for front desk staff. Medical appointment scheduling software can take the pressure off: And when the pressure is eased, errors are far less likely to occur. In addition, when you staff are not stressed and pushed to the max they have the time to be more courteous and accommodating to patients needs. In the same way, scheduling software that can be customized is much more patient friendly. The terminology, language, patient records and other data can be customized to make it recognizable and so familiar to your patients.

Automated Patient Reminder Calls
Patient reminders do help to reduce no-shows. That´s a fact! Even so, in a busy office front desk staff simply do not have the time to make those calls or to send reminder cards. Professional medical appointment scheduling software can send customized reminders via email and sms. They can also make automated reminder calls on time every time. Patients are then able to confirm, cancel or reschedule their doctor appointment. No-shows cost health practitioners millions of dollars every year. Regardless of whether you are a sole medical practitioner or part of a larger organizations, no-shows equal lost revenue. Automated patient reminder calls offer up a cost-effective way to reduce them.

Professional Appointment Scheduling Software
Professional medical appointment scheduling software and systems are HIPAA compliant, customisable and maintenance free. They do not share your patient´s information with third parties, as many of the free software do. You might be extremely surprised as to how cost-effective professional software is – For millions of medical practitioners worldwide, professional medical appointment scheduling software has proven to be more efficient than free versions as well as cost-effective.

Not All Software is Equal
Throughout the US and Canada more and more medical practitioners and health organizations are successfully utilizing patient appointment scheduling software. Not all software is created equal. Basic features include the management of patient appointments and reminder calls. Other features include, language options, as well as handling pre-paid appointments, new patient sign-ups, emergency calls and online scheduling.

Scheduling software is used by medical as well as non-medical professionals; beauticians, personal trainers, chiropodists for example. While it is not necessary for non-medical professionals to comply with HIPAA regulations, health care providers are required to comply. Automated appointment scheduling software that is not HIPAA compliant should therefore, be approached with caution. Free software invariably comes with a “price”: And that price will be your patient´s data – As they say, no such thing as a free lunch. Therefore, paid for HIPAA compliant software created with medical practitioners specifically in mind is generally the most appropriate (responsible) choice.

Everything to Gain
There are many online appointment scheduling systems available. Usually, they require no special in-house hardware and are maintenance free. Some companies offer free trials, which allows practitioners to try out the features and services they offer risk free. If you have never used automated scheduling before it is not a good idea to sign any long-term contract until you are sure the company you are considering is actually able to provide the features you need and the quality of service you expect (as said, not all software is equal). Costs tend to vary dependent upon the features you require. Nevertheless, even the most advanced system will generally work out more cost-effective (as well as effective) than hiring extra staff to deal with patient appointments and reminder calls. Take advantage of the free trials available – Unquestionably, with no contract to sign and no money required you have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose.

Reminder Calls
Patient reminder calls can reduce no-shows: That´s a proven fact. However, in a busy office staff do not always have the time to make those calls, or to get the reminder cards posted. More advanced systems can carry out reminder calls at a scheduled time. Reminders can be made by phone call, sms text as well as email. Patients have the opportunity to confirm, cancel or re-schedule their doctor appointment. Automated reminder calls have helped many medical practitioners reduce no-shos and so improve revenue. In this way, automated appointment scheduling can prove to be VERY cost effective.

Secure Scheduling
hile the old pen & paper method might seem the easiest option, it is a little risky: All too easy for it to be destroyed, damaged. With appointment scheduling software your data is backed up as well as easily accessible. Online systems can be accessed via any internet connection, which makes them a great option for medical practitioners on the move. Appointments are updated in real time too, which keeps things organised no matter where they are. There are many advantages to using online appointment scheduling. The best way to realise those advantages is to try it. Some company´s offer free trials which allows you to try out the features and assess which ones are the most useful to you and your practice.

The Cost of Free Software
Generally free software has it´s own price, and that is data. Often the company providing the free service will require access to certain data – Perhaps for research, perhaps to pass on to third parties for example. While it is not a legal requirement for medical appointment scheduling software to be HIPAA compliant, medical practitioners are bound by HIPAA regulations. Aside from this, one must ask oneself if allowing patient details (even the simplest information such as name, age and email) is ethical. Surely, safeguarding their information is something patient should expect. Using HIPAA compliant “paid” online appointment scheduling systems, patient information remains safe and secure.

The Benefits
Single medical practitioners as well as large health corporations can benefit from using an automated appointment scheduling system. Paid for scheduling software can ease the workload of staff cost-effectively. Patient appointment scheduling is essential. However, it can (somewhat un-neccesarily)consume much of your staff´s time. Automated systems can deal with patient appointments 24/7 as well as reminder calls. No-shows cost medical establishments millions of dollars a year. Reminder calls have proven to reduce no-shows and yet they are often omitted: Staff simply do not have time to make them. An automated system can be scheduled to make patient reminder calls on time every time.

Medical appointment scheduling software can ease the workload on the front desk cost-effectively. Because staff have more time to deal with patients, customer services can be improved overall. For hard of hearing patients being able to go on line gives them independence: They do not have to rely on anyone else to make their patient appointment. The internet is becoming an integral part of modern life. Providing an online 24/7 service gives patient´s what they want: Convenience! In a modern world people do not want to be left hanging on the end of a line. In a modern world people expect more – So give them more with 24/7 online appointment scheduling services.