EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/1521228
80 | EYEWORLD | SUMMER 2024 P RACTICE MANAGEMENT by William Rabourn Jr. About the author William Rabourn Jr. Managing Principal Medical Consulting Group Springfield, Missouri I n today's competitive market, keeping patients engaged is a critical piece of your practice or ASC's overall financial health and success. Whether it's no-shows, cancel- lations, or follow-up care, missed appoint- ments can cost money, create a revolving patient base, waste valuable staff time, and reduce the effectiveness of care. To avoid these pitfalls, it's essential for oph- thalmic clinics to maintain proactive scheduling practices that keep patients engaged long term. Here are a few ways you can improve schedul- ing and boost your bottom line. Follow-up appointments Regardless of the reason patients visit your clinic, many times there is a need for a follow- up appointment to maintain good eye health. It may be to monitor an existing condition, ad- minister additional treatment, or just a routine check-up. Whatever the reason may be, always make sure staff schedules a follow-up appointment with patients before they leave your practice. Don't leave it to the patient to arrange. Most people are busy and will proba- bly forget to come back until there's a problem. Routine eye exams and monitoring of existing conditions are essential to maintaining good vision and avoiding problems before they cause permanent damage. Take the initiative and schedule a convenient time for the patient to return before they leave your practice. Appointment reminders (recall) It's a fact of life that unexpected circumstances will arise that make keeping every appointment 100% of the time an impossibility. Research studies on healthcare scheduling show cancella- tions and no-shows cost clinics between $200– $400 per instance, disrupt schedules, and waste staff and doctors' time. In addition, patients who do not maintain an ongoing relationship with a doctor are far more likely to jump to an- other practice the next time they need eyecare. Increase revenue with proactive patient scheduling and recall Source: iStock.com/ruizluquepaz