subject: The 7 Cent Solution To The 7% Medical No-show Problem [print this page] The MGMA has reported that the annual no-show rates for medical practices is about 7%. When a patient has a missed appointment, it affects every area of a practice. Perhaps the greatest cost is reflected in the bottom line of the practice.
For the physician, the two most obvious problems are the loss of time which can never be recovered combined with the loss of billable revenue. Depending on how your practice schedules patients, the no-show may disrupt the daily schedule or, if your practice over books, the no-show may actually improve your daily schedule and be a relief for staff. Neither scenario impacts the problem much.
It's easy to see how overbooking can cause a cascade of problems with your patients. There may be longer wait times. Patient wait times may vary greatly from visit to visit. Overbooking may cause as many problems as it solves.
One of the overlooked problems is that almost every patient is overbooked. The last four years of the "Great Recession" has stressed most Americans. It seems like nobody has enough time to do all the things necessary to survive in this economy. So, for many, the economy pushes many consumer problems into your practice.
The solution is not an across-the-board set of financially-driven draconian measures. Financial penalties should be relegated to the category of last resort. Instead, it would be productive for patients and practitioners to have a healthy relationship based on mutual caring and consideration.
Often, today's reimbursement policies truly limit the amount of time a physician can invest in one patient relationship. However, you can combine the advantages of high tech with a sense of high touch that will generate a more positive culture of care.
The latest technological trend on the planet is direct communication person-to-person using a cell phone connection. The relationship between people and their smart phones has become a central part of everyday life. The Time Magazine/Qualcomm Survey found that, while sleeping, 68 percent of respondents kept their cell phone on the nightstand and another 16% made sure it was in the bedroom with them. In fact, 85% of consumers reported that, if they forgot their phone when they left their home, they would go back and get it.
Although text messaging has been hugely popular for years now, many medical practices are not harnessing this incredible, inexpensive technology to improve patient relationships.
A text messaging system will allow a physician to automatically send a text reminder to a patient the day before (or even earlier) an appointment. According to Nielsen Mobile, 97% of text messages are read within 15 minutes so you can be sure the message will be actually read - unlike many email reminders.
The same system would allow a practice to send a birthday message, or a reminder message about a follow-up with another specialist or remind a patient to get blood work or recommended tests done.
It would also allow the office to send "care" message such as, "This is to check in to see if the prescriptions prescribed to you are having the effect we both wanted. Please let us know if you are still experiencing symptoms."
Perhaps the greatest benefit to the practice is that all these reminders can be scheduled in advance when it's convenient for the staff. It only takes seconds to cue them up and your patient "Care" program then runs on automatic.
Using the technology of today to positively impact today's medical care and costs can make a significant contribution to the practice's bottom line.
