If you want to drive revenue growth for your practice, you need to reduce your rate of patient no-shows. That is exactly where patient recall messaging software can be helpful. One of the biggest reasons why practices have no-shows is a lack of patient recall software. You need to have a comprehensive recall strategy in place, and patient recall messaging software can help you with that. 

What is patient recall messaging software?

Patient recall messaging software is an automated program that allows you to quickly and easily reach out to patients who need to schedule a follow-up appointment or who already have an appointment scheduled and need a reminder. Today, people are attached to their devices. They expect the practice to reach out to them using text messages, phone calls, emails, and more. Patients expect to have a device-centric form of communication, and you can use this software program to remind patients that they have an upcoming appointment or need to make one. Therefore, you should view your patient recall messaging software program as an integrated part of your recall strategy. 

How to set up your patient recall and notification system

If you want to get the most out of your patient recall software program, you need to know how to use it. Some of the most important points to keep in mind include: 

Prioritize who to target

First, you need to decide who to target. If you run a primary care practice, you may want to send a reminder to patients on their birthdays letting them know that it is time for an annual physical. Or you may want to prioritize patients who have a history of missed appointments, so they remember to show up this time. You may even want to target patients with chronic medical conditions who need to come in for regular follow-ups. 

Pick a communication tool

Next, you need to choose the right communication tool. You may want to use a different modality for different patients. Some patients might prefer a phone call while other patients might prefer a text message. You need to figure out what works best for your patient base.

Implement the recall management system

Now, it is time to implement the recall management system. Put together templates, make sure your staff members are appropriately trained, and have a way to deliver feedback regarding the recall management system. You need to audit the system from time to time to figure out what is working, what is not, and what needs to improve. 

Advantages of a patient recall messaging software program

There are several significant advantages of implementing a patient recall messaging software program. They include:

Improve patient engagement

Having a patient recall system adds another touch point to your relationship with your patients. By encouraging your patients to keep in touch and show up for their appointments, you keep them engaged with their care plans, which encourages them to stay with the practice. This program can get your patients more engaged and committed to their overall well-being. 

Increase patient retention and loyalty

If you use a patient recall messaging system, you will keep your patients better informed. They will know that you care about their well-being, and they will be more loyal to the practice. You can reduce your patient leakage rates and keep patients tied to the practice. 

Reduce missed appointments and no-shows

Of course, you can use this system to reduce the number of missed appointments and no-shows. One of the biggest reasons why patients do not show up for their appointments is because  they simply forget. You can use this program to send automated reminders to your patients, making sure they do not forget about an appointment they have coming up.

Increase revenue and save time 

If you can reduce your rate of patient no-shows, you generate more revenue. Think about how much money it costs when a single patient does not show up for an appointment. By reducing the number of patients who miss their appointments, you increase the amount of revenue your practice generates every day. Furthermore, you can save time, because you do not have to worry about manually following up with patients who miss their appointments. The program can do this for you.

Enhance holistic care

Finally, you enhance holistic care. This is an important communication tool that you can use to stay in touch with your patients.

You can send them nice messages on their birthdays and during the holidays to show that you care about them as people, not just as patients. This is important for driving success in the current medical environment.

Tips for success

There are a few tips you should keep in mind if you want to leverage patient recall messaging software. Some of the tips to keep in mind include:

Create a sense of urgency

Unfortunately, there are a lot of patients who miss their appointments because they simply do not feel like it is urgent for them to show up. If you want to prevent this from happening, you need to create a sense of urgency using your patient recall messaging system. Even though your message should be friendly and inviting, you need to include a call to action in your email, phone call or text message. Tell your patients what you want them to do next. 

Cultivate a caring connection

You also need to cultivate a caring connection with each of your individual patients. If you want to attract new patients and retain the ones you have, you need to show that you genuinely care about their well-being. You need to sell the experience if you want them to buy the product. Think carefully about how you craft your messages, and make sure you show your patients just how much you care about them. That way, you can encourage them to either schedule an appointment or show up for an appointment that has already been scheduled.

Use patient recall messaging software to drive revenue growth 

In the end, patient recall messaging software is one of the most important tools in the current medical environment. You need to encourage your patients to show up for their appointments, and you need to make sure they do not forget to schedule follow-up appointments when necessary. Even though it can take some time to remind your patients of this fact, you can save a significant amount of time by using an automated program to help you send out reminders. Invest in a patient recall messaging software program to reduce your no-show rates and drive revenue growth.