Missed Appointments, Missed Opportunities: Solving the Patient No-Show Problem

Missed appointments cost the U.S. healthcare system $150B annually. Ouch!

Thanks to artificial intelligence, your healthcare business doesn’t need to be a part of this statistic. To help you understand the criticality of the “no show” pandemic and solutions surrounding it, I present to you “Missed Appointments, Missed Opportunities: Solving the Patient No-Show Problem”.

The good news is every problem has a solution. Automating your healthcare business with intelligent healthcare such as therapy appointment software or medi spa software will tackle the no show problem.

Let’s check it out.

Missed Appointments, Missed Opportunities

Patient no-shows are long-standing issues affecting resource utilization, quality of healthcare services, and loss of anticipated revenue. Let’s identify measurable but hidden impacts of patient no shows:

• $150,000 a year is lost in no-shows alone for a single physicians
•  $200 lost per unused time slot.
• A single month of no-shows wasted 36 hours of physician time
• 23% of patients don’t show up unless they are reminded about the appointment.
• Clinics experience a no-show rate of around 18.8 percent

In fact, research has shown that, on average, adults forget about three things a day. This trend of absent-mindedness leads people to momentarily forget their passwords, chores, and yes – even their appointments!

What’s worst? Missing a healthcare appointment can be extremely destructive to one’s health. Acute illnesses are more likely to go untreated and become chronic conditions. I was not exaggerating about patient no shows being a pandemic.

But now that we’ve outlined the problem, what’s the solution?

Solving the Patient No-Show Problem

To effectively combat no-shows, it’s essential to understand why clients fail to show up for their appointments in the first place. Unfortunately, there isn’t one convenient reason or root cause for all appointment negligence. In fact, there are dozens of possibilities. Some of the most common explanations might include a sudden change of plans, an emergency situation, or financial instability.

The problem is, many business owners just choose to neglect or ignore the issue of no-shows, rather than trying to address the problem with a solution.

Automate with Intelligent Software 

The days of relying on obsolete methods such as phone calls, manual texting and paper calendars are long gone.

Today, patients want the convenience of online appointment booking, particularly within the heath and wellness industry:

Automate your health care business with a Physician Scheduling Platform and benefit from:

While automatic reminders offer your clients an impressive degree of convenience, they’re also notably beneficial for staff, too! Because scheduling software appointment reminders are automated, your staff are then free to redirect their attention to more important matters – such as attending to the needs of your in-house patients!

We estimate that Yocale’s client notifications reduce staff time on the phone by as much as 80%, which is certainly not a number to scoff at.

The Best Ways to Reduce Patient No-Shows

How crucial is it for your healthcare business to automate with a patient scheduling system? When every second counts, efficient and accurate diagnosis can prevent further progression of an evolving health threat.

“Has it been three years or four since my last health exam”? Patients are already anxious about medical appointments and the fear of the unknown. Providing resourceful methods to schedule health and check up appointments with a provider of choice helps relieve anxiety . Here are some eyeopening data:

• 64% of patients will use self-scheduling softwares in the coming years

• 70% of all patients search and find services on their smartphone

• 43% more bookings after hours for current patients

• 34% more bookings after hours for new patients

• 42% of patients prefer to book online

• 77% of patients think the ability to book, change, or cancel appointments online is necessary

 Automation is Transforming Healthcare

• Text Appointment Confirmations – Appointment reminders are sent automatically to your clients via SMS text and email. There’s no additional scheduling or data entry required – once the software detects that a client is due for a visit, they’ll be automatically reminded without any further effort on your part.

• Electronic Medical Records – Where there are multiple health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, surgeons, and pharmacists, electronic records can improve transmission and productivity. After care communication and progress tracking is as well enhanced between practitioners and patients.

• Client Management System – Ability to attach treatment notes directly to client records, all secured and encrypted on the cloud for easy access and security.

• Integrated Payment Processor – Accepting contactless payments and pre-authorized deposits with an integrated payment system at the point of scheduling is a major factor in client no-show deductions: 70% of businesses experienced a decrease in cancellations and no-shows.

• Virtual Urgent Care – Mobile Friendly Video Conferencing with 24/7 access to licensed doctors by video or web from anywhere.

Automation helps you cut costs, provide enhanced urgent care and maximize your revenue.

Take Away

Automation is transforming healthcare today, paving the way for future advancements.

There is a major incline in demand for online booking within the health and wellness sector. If you’re not making it as easy as possible to schedule medical appointment based on patients needs, you’re missing out on major cash flow.

We proposed a list of recommendations to help you lower the stress of patient no-shows. Automating with an effective Medical Scheduling Software with appointment reminders will help you solve the patient no-show problem.