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Technology has been a savior for the medical profession, not just in innovations to improve medication but in other departments too. The management department, for example, now has an automated system where patients can be reminded of their appointments. If you’re a healthcare provider and are just hearing this, stay put and say goodbye to all the losses you’ve incurred from forgotten appointments. It has now gone beyond self-scheduled appointments to reminding patients of their appointments. Don’t be left behind. Reminder systems have proved to improve patient turn up as well as follow up on well-being after treatment. The doctors are, therefore, able to diligently attend to their patients. Here’s what you need to know about automated patient reminders:
How Patient Appointment System works:
Hospitals come up with Patient Appointment Reminder programs that remind their clients of appointments at different times. The programs alert patients of their appointments, assist front-desk personnel in compiling a daily schedule, and help in rescheduling in case a patient doesn’t plan on showing up. They can be through a manner of ways:
- Email appointment reminders
- Text SMS message appointment reminders
- Phone call appointment reminders
Patients’ may, at times, disregard the follow-through and render your reminder system useless, sorry to say. To ensure it is effective, ensure that you:
Ask for the patient’s confirmation
Many are tempted to take the reminder lightly, but when ask to commit themselves; they’re less likely to treat their appointment as an option. This can be done by having a simplified system where they could press yes or no as a response to the reminder. PRM software will automatically provide this as well as key in the data collected into an automated schedule. This also helps identify patients who’ve not yet seen the reminder, hence reach out to them using a different channel.
Take advantage of multiple reminders
You emailed them, but no reply, just like you texted and still didn’t get a reply. How about voice reminders that automatically alert them whether they open an email or not? Different people tend to prefer different channels of communication. The best way to meet the clients’ needs is to ask them which method they prefer to avoid being annoying. It is also wise to give time for a response before jumping on another channel to remind them.
Detail the reminder
Remind the patients of the doctor they are seeing, time, date, and the purpose of the appointment. This helps forgetful patients remember locations as well.
Reasons why all hospitals should invest in an automated patient reminder system:
1. To reduce the number of missed appointments
People tend to disregard a lot of things unless it’s insisted upon, a natural human flaw. For those that don’t deliberately disregard, their memories may fall short at times, which explains numerous missed appointments in the healthcare industry today. To avoid empty rooms, its imperative that all healthcare providers adopt a mechanism of reminding patients of their appointments.
Besides this, many hospitals, as well as other businesses, have automated their systems. You cannot, therefore, afford to be stubborn and refuse to go with the flow. This is because, naturally, clients will expect a reminder from the hospital. If they don’t get one, they’ll go about their business, as usual, assuming there is no appointment.
2. It offers clients a quick channel to reschedule their appointments
Gone are the days when patients would have to look for the hospital’s contacts and wait in a long line of calls to reschedule an appointment. With appointment reminder systems, all they have to do is indicate that they are not coming and perhaps request a reschedule. This way, you prevent empty slots as well as plan a day’s schedule without too much hassle!
3. It helps to reactivate dormant patients
Some clients subscribe to regular dental, physical, or mental checkups depending on the kind of specialist they are seeing. They, however, for one reason or another fall out of the plan. Reminders help them commit to the process, and even on relapse, it provides the zeal to come back as opposed to receiving nothing, at which point they can easily cancel their plans completely.
4. These systems are customizable
Perhaps your practice would want a personal approach other than the regular, ‘Ding dong! Time for your appointment!’ You may feel the need to refer to patients by their name, discuss their illness, anything to make the experience personal. The automated systems accommodate this need by allowing you to personalize your approach to improve customer satisfaction.
5. Saves Time and Effort
Unlike the past, where a call had to be made for each patient, this automated system makes it easy to prepare daily schedules as it automatically records the number of confirmed reminders. Follow up calls are only made when no response is made. This saves time. It also saves on labor, especially in high-volume practices. Front desk personnel therefore handle this easily without excessive pressure.
6. Advances in Technology enhance customer preference
Automated systems leave their clients happy at the convenience of setting up appointments, being reminded about them, and even being able to cancel them easily. This makes one practice superior from another.
Technology is no longer an option for anyone in the business. It is the essence of improved systems and operations of all departments in all organizations. Furthermore, when it comes to these automated systems, they will leave patients feeling valued, cared for, and committed. From personal customizations like names, greetings, and other endearments, they will make sure you never go at a loss from a missed appointment!
