Reduce Failed Patient (No-Shows) Appointments With a Patient Retention Program
Failed appointments result in a negative outcome for many patients.
Failed appointments have long plagued outpatient behavioral health practices and have become a significant economic factor for providers.
What is your failed appointment rate? Why are your patients failing their appointments? What can you do to reduce or eliminate your failed appointments? Behavioral health patients' fail 20% of scheduled appointments which is twice the rate compared to other specialties.
Half of the patients that miss appointments will drop out of treatment completely, and nearly 100% of patients that fail the second appointment do not reschedule.
Following psychiatric hospitalization, 58% of patients will fail their follow-up outpatient appointment.
Components of a Patient Retention Program Patient Engagement · Therapeutic Alliance.
The most significant determinant of maintained patient appointments are the rarely measured levels of therapeutic alliance between the patient and provider; and degree of 'helpfulness' the patient places on treatment.
Furthermore, the patient-rated level of trust, satisfaction and degree of participation in treatment decisions are key indicators of maintained appointments.
· Medication Adherence.
Patients who discontinue medication on their own tend to be reluctant to disclose this to their provider and have a high rate of failed appointments.
· Contact Between Appointments.
Patient engagement between appointments is critical; phone calls, communication on a patient portal and other follow-ups.
· Social Media.
The availability of Information online is important for both younger and middle aged demographics.
The fastest growing population of individuals seeking and expecting health information online are middle-aged females with children.
· Patient Reminders.
Telephonic or text message appointment reminders are effective.
Those 35 and younger prefer SMS text messages.
This is critical sense younger patients are twice as likely to fail appointments.
Studies show a 40% improvement in the reduction of failed appointments with the use of an automated telephone reminder or SMS text message systems.
However, contacts from clinic staff are significantly more effective in reducing failed appointments than an automated system.
· Easy to Use Systems.
Patients expect easy to use systems, centralized scheduling, online portals, frequent communications, online scheduling, easy payment options.
Availability & Access · Availability.
The availability of easy to reach geographic locations and prompt and convenient appointment times are associated with maintained patient appointments.
· Clinic Access.
Easy access to the clinic, parking or public transportation is important.
Provide a comfortable setting.
· Confidentiality.
An office configuration that protects the confidentiality of patients is essential.
· Duration.
Schedule more frequent appointments and shorter durations between appointments.
· Centralized Scheduling.
Make certain that making an appointment is easy.
Patients need to call and make an appointment immediately during business hours.
Multi-site practices need centralized scheduling.
Independent practitioners need administrative support to schedule appointments while they are in session.
There are many efficient economical solutions available.
· Wait Time.
Establish a standard for short or zero office waiting times before appointments.
· Eliminate Over Booking.
· Follow-up Appointments Second appointments need to be scheduled within 7-days of an initial intake or 10-days after an initial medication evaluation.
Discharge appointments from an in-patient or high level of care setting need to be scheduled as soon as possible or a minimum of 5 to 7-days.
Outpatient clinicians should personally make contact with patients while still in an inpatient setting.
Patient Incentives · Explanation.
An explanation to patients regarding the impact of failed appointments is critical.
More than 40% of patients indicate that they do not know the impact of failed appointments and believe that no-show appointments maybe a positive event for the clinician.
· Fees.
Set and maintain reasonable fees.
Do not de-value services provided by providing a deep discount.
Patients that perceive the value of treatment will be more likely to maintain their appointments.
· Discounts.
Provide discounts for scheduling and paying for multiple appointments in advance.
· Charge for Failed Appointments.
Always charge 100% of your fee for Failed Appointments.
· Credit Information.
Develop agreement with patients to maintain their credit card information on file.
Clinical Integration · Correspondence.
Have patient sign a release so you can communicate with other providers and specialists involved in the patients care.
Communicate with other providers frequently; such as primary care physicians and pharmacists.
Demonstrate evidence of collaboration with other treatment providers involved in the patients care.
· First Session.
Develop a diagnosis and treatment plan with the patient during the first session.
Provide the patient with a copy of the treatment plan.
· Patient Participation.
Encourage the patient to participate in the development of their treatment plan and on-going treatment reviews.
Discuss the treatment plan during every session.
· Individualize Treatment.
Develop an individualized treatment plan with all patients.
Clinicians that provide patients with what they are requesting or seeking have lower failed appointment rates.
Executive oversight and clinical leadership is critical to maintaining an effective and ongoing patient retention program.
Maintaining the standards and levels of patient engagement necessary to significantly reduce or eliminate failed appoints is challenging.
Clinical and administrative staff must be empowered and incentivized to improve and maintain patient outcomes.
The benefits to patient clinical outcomes and increased practice revenues make the return on the investment of a robust patient retention program undisputable.
Failed appointments have long plagued outpatient behavioral health practices and have become a significant economic factor for providers.
What is your failed appointment rate? Why are your patients failing their appointments? What can you do to reduce or eliminate your failed appointments? Behavioral health patients' fail 20% of scheduled appointments which is twice the rate compared to other specialties.
Half of the patients that miss appointments will drop out of treatment completely, and nearly 100% of patients that fail the second appointment do not reschedule.
Following psychiatric hospitalization, 58% of patients will fail their follow-up outpatient appointment.
Components of a Patient Retention Program Patient Engagement · Therapeutic Alliance.
The most significant determinant of maintained patient appointments are the rarely measured levels of therapeutic alliance between the patient and provider; and degree of 'helpfulness' the patient places on treatment.
Furthermore, the patient-rated level of trust, satisfaction and degree of participation in treatment decisions are key indicators of maintained appointments.
· Medication Adherence.
Patients who discontinue medication on their own tend to be reluctant to disclose this to their provider and have a high rate of failed appointments.
· Contact Between Appointments.
Patient engagement between appointments is critical; phone calls, communication on a patient portal and other follow-ups.
· Social Media.
The availability of Information online is important for both younger and middle aged demographics.
The fastest growing population of individuals seeking and expecting health information online are middle-aged females with children.
· Patient Reminders.
Telephonic or text message appointment reminders are effective.
Those 35 and younger prefer SMS text messages.
This is critical sense younger patients are twice as likely to fail appointments.
Studies show a 40% improvement in the reduction of failed appointments with the use of an automated telephone reminder or SMS text message systems.
However, contacts from clinic staff are significantly more effective in reducing failed appointments than an automated system.
· Easy to Use Systems.
Patients expect easy to use systems, centralized scheduling, online portals, frequent communications, online scheduling, easy payment options.
Availability & Access · Availability.
The availability of easy to reach geographic locations and prompt and convenient appointment times are associated with maintained patient appointments.
· Clinic Access.
Easy access to the clinic, parking or public transportation is important.
Provide a comfortable setting.
· Confidentiality.
An office configuration that protects the confidentiality of patients is essential.
· Duration.
Schedule more frequent appointments and shorter durations between appointments.
· Centralized Scheduling.
Make certain that making an appointment is easy.
Patients need to call and make an appointment immediately during business hours.
Multi-site practices need centralized scheduling.
Independent practitioners need administrative support to schedule appointments while they are in session.
There are many efficient economical solutions available.
· Wait Time.
Establish a standard for short or zero office waiting times before appointments.
· Eliminate Over Booking.
· Follow-up Appointments Second appointments need to be scheduled within 7-days of an initial intake or 10-days after an initial medication evaluation.
Discharge appointments from an in-patient or high level of care setting need to be scheduled as soon as possible or a minimum of 5 to 7-days.
Outpatient clinicians should personally make contact with patients while still in an inpatient setting.
Patient Incentives · Explanation.
An explanation to patients regarding the impact of failed appointments is critical.
More than 40% of patients indicate that they do not know the impact of failed appointments and believe that no-show appointments maybe a positive event for the clinician.
· Fees.
Set and maintain reasonable fees.
Do not de-value services provided by providing a deep discount.
Patients that perceive the value of treatment will be more likely to maintain their appointments.
· Discounts.
Provide discounts for scheduling and paying for multiple appointments in advance.
· Charge for Failed Appointments.
Always charge 100% of your fee for Failed Appointments.
· Credit Information.
Develop agreement with patients to maintain their credit card information on file.
Clinical Integration · Correspondence.
Have patient sign a release so you can communicate with other providers and specialists involved in the patients care.
Communicate with other providers frequently; such as primary care physicians and pharmacists.
Demonstrate evidence of collaboration with other treatment providers involved in the patients care.
· First Session.
Develop a diagnosis and treatment plan with the patient during the first session.
Provide the patient with a copy of the treatment plan.
· Patient Participation.
Encourage the patient to participate in the development of their treatment plan and on-going treatment reviews.
Discuss the treatment plan during every session.
· Individualize Treatment.
Develop an individualized treatment plan with all patients.
Clinicians that provide patients with what they are requesting or seeking have lower failed appointment rates.
Executive oversight and clinical leadership is critical to maintaining an effective and ongoing patient retention program.
Maintaining the standards and levels of patient engagement necessary to significantly reduce or eliminate failed appoints is challenging.
Clinical and administrative staff must be empowered and incentivized to improve and maintain patient outcomes.
The benefits to patient clinical outcomes and increased practice revenues make the return on the investment of a robust patient retention program undisputable.
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