We all know the old adage, “time is money.” So, it is imperative that you use your patient schedule to maximize the number of patient visits each day without sacrificing your practice’s efficiency.

There are four main ways to get the most from your time: 

1. Use your patient mix as a guide: Determine the percentage of fee-for-service (FFS) versus capitated patients in your patient census and fill your schedule based on that mix. As an example, if 65% of your patient census is FFS and 35% is capitated, then your schedule should reflect this mix. The capitated patients can be scheduled in slots blocked for these patients, while leaving same-day slots and (potentially) extended hours open for FFS patients.

2. Specify your visits:Analyze the various types of appointments that you have. For example, your practice may have new patients versus established patients, or acute care versus chronic or preventative care. The different types of visits will generally have different time and resource requirements. Knowing the various visits will allow you to schedule different types of appointments at specific times based on the resources that are available (providers, rooms, equipment, etc.). By taking control of your schedule, your practice can be better prepared for appoints, schedule more patients while reducing wait times.

3. Consider double-booking: Depending on your practice, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) estimates that approximately 5-7% of your patient appointment will result in a no-show. Increasing no-show rates can be detrimental to your practice as it promotes wasted resources and decreased revenue. To avoid the potential loss of revenue that no-shows can cause, you can analyze your schedule to identify groups of patients or appointment types that are more susceptible to no-shows.  You can then consider double-booking those patients or appointments. 

4. Create No-Show/Cancellation Fee: Same-day or last-minute cancellations can be as detrimental as no-shows are to your practice’s revenue. Considered establishing a cancellation policy that you can clearly communicate to all of your patients, that requires an appointment cancellation at least 24 hours in advance. A cancellation fee can be billed to the patient on the same day the appointment is missed. 

These four suggestions are effective methods for maintaining better control of your schedule. They allow you to forecast, predict, and prepare your patient flow instead of reacting to your patient flow. However, it is important to understand that while these methods are effective, their effectiveness is contingent upon your type of practice and patient demographics.

If you have additional questions feel free to email us at info@qualichealth.com. 

Article written by Eric Chiyembekeza, Senior Consultant with Qualic Health.