Is your office actually creating no shows and short notice cancellations by confirmation overload? Many offices pre-confirm appointments two weeks ahead, then confirm again one week ahead, then call two days before, just to make absolutely sure that the patient is going to show up. Some appointment coordinators will continue calling the patient until they speak to someone because some doctor does not consider it not to be a confirmed appointment unless they received an actual reply from the patient. The patient is asked to call the office to "confirm" that they have received the "confirmation" call. Too much confirming can turn your patient off and leave them with a poor impression of your office.
When are dental professionals going to start treating their patients like mature adults who take responsibility for showing up for appointments ? Are the appointments being made with children? Confirmation overload is actually creating an opportunity for your patients to cancel, so it is having the reverse effect. Think about it, you are really telling your patient that you don't trust them to keep their appointment and you are certain that they are going to cancel. Then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Do medical offices pre-confirm appointments, confirm and re-confirm to make really, really sure the patients show up? The answer is no! They expect their patients to value the appointment and show up at the right time.
I have even heard of offices that will move the patient out of the schedule if they don't hear back from the patient. That is the worst thing that you can do. Please do not do this regardless of how many consultants might have told you differently. If your pre-scheduled patient shows up for the appointment and they have been moved out of the schedule because they haven 't called you back and lose the appointment time, that patient will be extremely angry with your office. You will definitely lose that patient, including any future referral sources to your office.
I know that you may be thinking, "but what if the patient doesn't show up?" It is the fear of no shows and short notice cancellations that can drive you crazy, but you should not drive your patients crazy, just because you don't trust them to keep their appointments. You create the habits and expectations of your patients, so start treating them like adults and expect them to attend their scheduled appointments. This will even work for appointments that are scheduled six months in advance, if it is done correctly.
You can avoid no shows and short notice cancellations by how the appointment was made in the first place. Here is how; at the time of booking , ask the patient "what day of the week are you least likely to be interrupted?" and "do you prefer mornings or afternoons?". Then guide and direct your patient to the most appropriate time slot that you have open on the day that they prefer. A key point to remember is that you guide and direct your patient to the time that YOU have available, for example, 10:20 on Thursday, Nov. 5. Your job, as an appointment coordinator, is to guide and direct the patient to the most appropriate time slot and to maintain control of the appointment schedule. Appointments need to be scheduled back to back to avoid holes in the schedule. It is much more difficult to fill those small appointments than it is to fill a larger time slot. If the holes remain unfilled, it represents lost time and lost production.
The next thing that the appointment coordinator should say is "would you like me to call you as a courtesy?" If the patient questions what a courtesy call is, the appointment coordinator can inform them that, at the patient's request, she will be happy to call two days in advance, as a courtesy - not a confirmation. Let the patient know that the time has been reserved exclusively for them. Then say to the patient; "Will you do something for me - if you need to reschedule that appointment, would you please call me at least two business days in advance? This will help you to avoid any unnecessary rescheduling fees" This process educates the patient to let them know that if they miss the appointment, there may be a rescheduling fee. Do not call it a "cancellation fee" because that is punitive. Calling it a rescheduling fee, helps the patient to understand that there is an administrative cost involved in reserving this appointment time.
If the patient requests a courtesy call, then two business days prior to the appointment, call the patient and say, "This is Sandie calling from Dr. Smith's office. This is your courtesy call that you requested. Dr. Smith is looking forward to seeing on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 10:20. See you then." You may wish to add, "If there is something that we can do to make your appointment more comfortable, feel free to call us back at 555-555-5555. Have a great day."
Do not say "I'm JUST calling to confirm or remind you about your scheduled appointment." As soon as you say the word "just" you have minimized the importance of anything else that you are going to say. It's not important for the patient to listen. Also, if you say the word "confirm" you are indicating that the appointment was not "firm" in the first place. If you "remind" the patient about their appointment, isn't that expecting them to forget?
Many patients now have some type of personal organizers, Blackberry's , i-phones, etc. If the patient has one of these devices, say to the patient, "will you do something for me, will you reserve the time for this appointment, just like I am reserving this time for you?" The patient can even set their own reminder on their electronic schedule if they require that reminder.
Ask the patient if they will give you their email address and permit you to contact them by email or text messaging. Most dental software providers have a system of sending emails and text messages to patients to confirm appointments electronically and patients respond very well to electronic messages.
The average office wastes a minimum of $12,000.00 per year in administrative human resources costs simply by making confirmation calls. One of your biggest challenges will be to help the doctor and fellow team members understand that this system will work. Many dental professionals are conditioned to think that patients need to be treated as people who are irresponsible and that there is no intention of keeping scheduled appointments. . Start treating your patients as responsible, mature adults who intend to keep their commitments. Empower your patients to value their oral health by educating them about the linkage to systemic wellness. Create the expectation that your patients will take personal responsibility for their own health. Trust your patients to show up for appointments and don't expose them to confirmation overload.
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