Calling the clinic to book an appointment with your clinician is quite the thing of the past. Now things are quickly altering to making the process of patient scheduling more advanced and convenient. It was revealed that 70% of the patients view online self-scheduling as a vital service offered by their healthcare provider. US healthcare organizations are increasing opportunities for digital self-scheduling tools for their patients as it aligns with patient preferences and also increases administrative and operational efficiency.
Which tools make patient self-scheduling possible?
Through robust self-scheduling tools, patients can book, change, and cancel their appointments in a breeze from their smartphones or laptops. This facility gives greater control over scheduling doctors’ appointments.
Let’s look at the patient scheduling tools.
- Patient Portals –The patient portal platform integrates with the EHR software and medical billing software systems. Many EHR software vendors offer a patient portal facility that enables patients to book online appointments. Top patient portal vendors include athenahealth EHR Software, Cerner Specialty Practice Management Software, Epic EMR Software, and Allscripts Professional EHR Software
- Standalone systems –The standalone systems are cloud-based which are specifically designed for patient self-scheduling. Cloud-based systems are a preference for smaller and mid-sized medical practice set-ups as they have a lower initial cost.
How can patient self-scheduling benefit your medical practice?
Patient self-scheduling meets patient’s expectations, reduces any barriers to communication, and eliminates the issue of shows which is very important for your practice. Here are the reasons that should implement patient self-scheduling.
- Self-scheduling a great option amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – The COVID-19 pandemic has led healthcare organizations to adapt to telehealth services to extend care remotely and in the safest possible manner. As providers promote virtual sessions they can leverage self-scheduling to increase efficiency and reduce inbound booking calls.
- Reduction in patient no-shows – No-shows is a nightmare for all healthcare providers as it disturbs the provider’s timetable and reduces revenue. Patient self-scheduling tools like patient portal software have features to send reminder alerts via emails and messages to patients which ultimately reduces the issue of no-shows.
- Increase in practice efficiency – Through robust self-scheduling tools clinic staff members are better able to focus on other administrative and productive tasks which enhance operational efficiency.
- Better patient experience – When patients can self-book appointments online they feel less annoyed about the whole process as everything is done in a few clicks and eliminates the need to give explanations about their health conditions and wait over the phone. Enhanced patient experience keeps patients satisfied which is vital for your practice as you need loyalty to retain your patients. The speed and convenience of self-scheduling tools cannot be underestimated.
Your medical practice can tap the complete potential and value of patient self-scheduling by deciding on specific time blocks for your patient’s visits and using an automated reminder system to remind your patients about their upcoming appointment.
Concluding remarks
Self-scheduling grants access to patients the way they desire and helps your staff to get more efficient in their daily administrative procedures. Self-scheduling is not a trend that will eventually fade out, patient self-scheduling is here to stay and be a permanent part of healthcare services offered by providers to their patients. Finally, your self-scheduling solution should need to align with your practice goals and should deliver the results that you want.
