10 Signs It's Time to Re-Evaluate
How You're Scheduling Patients
Scheduling patients can be one of the biggest pain points for both patients and providers throughout the care journey.
With the growing consumer demand for digital access and provider demand to reduce manual workflows and optimize labor costs, the healthcare industry must find a balance between consumer-focused and provider-friendly scheduling processes.
Scheduling remains a chaotic process that
affects time, resources, and overall care delivery.
The concept of a patient scheduling process may seem straightforward, but the process requires many inputs, such as:
- Extensive staff onboarding and training
- Manual data input across systems
- Considerable planning across provider schedules
- Knowledge on patient to provider matching
- Monitoring provider preferences and calendar updates
Given these complexities, the ability to reimagine how your organization provides patients with access to care, as well as the ability to lessen the burden and requirements from administrative staff will be key to success.
Here are 10 Signs It's Time to Re-evaluate
Your Patient Scheduling System:
1
Lack of Visibility
You lack visibility across both network and appointment types.
Overly-Complex
Scheduling Template
Your scheduling templates are making it difficult to identify open slots for certain patients.
2
3
Simple Calendar-Based System
You're using an outdated, calendar-based system that requires a high degree of human knowledge, making scheduling very subjective.
Inadequate Load Balancing
You're experiencing imbalanced panel sizes across providers and locations, or your provider capacity is under-utilized.
4
5
Difficulty Filling
Appointments
You're having trouble filling cancellations.
Inaccurate
Appointment Durations
Your appointment durations don't reflect the actual time needed to provide care.
6
7
Limited Scheduling Channels
You have limited channels for scheduling, making it harder for patients to make appointments, especially after hours.
High Patient Leakage
You're experiencing high patient turnover because of accessibility and scheduling challenges, and patients are seeking healthcare services outside of your practice.
8
9
Shortage of Data & Insights
You don't have visibility to critical data points for efficient scheduling, such as provider utilization, patient preferences, new patient allocation, etc.
Chaotic Scheduling Process
Your current patient scheduling system lacks automation, system integration and requires staff to manage manual workflows.
10
What's Next: Access as a Strategic Priority
If your organization experiences any of these challenges, it's time to re-evaluate how you are scheduling patients.
Establishing a focus on process, physician engagement and cost-effective technologies can immediately lead to substantial financial return.
Look for solutions that offer rules-based, automated scheduling, self-service scheduling, appointment confirmation, waitlist management and referral intake acceleration. Together, these features create a patient scheduling process that optimizes internal resources and accelerates care delivery.
To learn more about Dash Schedule or to request a demo, visit relatient.com.
| Sign 1 | Lack of Visibility | You lack visibility across both network and appointment types. |
| Sign 2 | Overly-Complex Scheduling Template | Your scheduling templates are making it difficult to identify open slots for certain patients. |
| Sign 3 | Simple Calendar-Based System | You're using an outdated, calendar-based system that requires a high degree of human knowledge, making scheduling very subjective. |
| Sign 4 | Inadequate Load Balancing | You're experiencing imbalanced panel sizes across providers and locations, or your provider capacity is under-utilized. |
| Sign 5 | Difficulty Filling Appointments | You're having trouble filling cancellations. |
| Sign 6 | Inaccurate Appointment Durations | Your appointment durations don't reflect the actual time needed to provide care. |
| Sign 7 | Limited Scheduling Channels | You have limited channels for scheduling, making it harder for patients to make appointments, especially after hours. |
| Sign 8 | High Patient Leakage | You're experiencing high patient turnover because of accessibility and scheduling challenges, and patients are seeking healthcare services outside of your practice. |
| Sign 9 | Shortage of Data and Insights | You don't have visibility to critical data points for efficient scheduling, such as provider utilization, patient preferences, new patient allocation, etc. |
| Sign 10 | Chaotic Scheduling Process | Your current patient scheduling system lacks automation, system integration and requires staff to manage manual workflows. |
