In a world driven by functionality and efficiency, a proper scheduling system is necessary for today’s physicians and their practices and centers. A July 18th press release on BuisnessWire.com by Relatient Inc. spotlights how failing to maximize proper scheduling can lead to lost time and profits.
Why Focus on Scheduling?
One benefit of proper scheduling is ensuring that patient wait times remain constant or decrease and that physician utilization remains high. Relatient Inc. says an intelligent scheduling system can boost physician utilization by five to ten percent. The article showcases these utilization rates with the data below:
Utilization Rates by Specialty w/ Intelligent Scheduling (According to Relatient Inc.)
Gastroenterology (GI and GE): 98%
Orthopedic: 93%
Urology: 88%
Multispecialty Practices: 87%
The Patient Perspective
Today’s patients demand not only high-quality healthcare but convenience. Traditional approaches to scheduling have led to rising wait times and dissatisfied patients. According to Relatient Inc., 84% of provider organizations only allow patients to schedule their visit or procedure through a call to their front desk.
61% of surveyed patients responded that they had skipped a visit altogether due to not having an alternative scheduling process.
Many patients see making a call to a center or practice as an unnecessary and time-consuming step. They would rather take to the internet to utilize a digital scheduling agent or patient portal.
While a boost to your patient satisfaction score is always welcome, adopting a digital approach to scheduling can also benefit another essential party in your practice or center.
An Additional Burden
Along with patients, automating scheduling processes can also benefit center administrative staff. Traditional scheduling through a receptionist can lead to a higher workload and stress levels when juggling additional tasks.
When these additional stressors and workloads are not adequately managed, center administrators can experience burnout, a significant factor in many healthcare professionals leaving their place of work.
“When consumers are demanding the ability to self-schedule, and administrators are increasingly burdened with new tasks and responsibilities, it just makes sense to transfer scheduling power into the hands of the patients,” said Jeff Gartland, CEO of Relatient. “Traditional scheduling tools and even many native EHR capabilities don’t adequately account for complex and evolving provider needs and preferences.”
Resources:
BuisnessWire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230718457140/en/
Becker’s: https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-news/online-scheduling-leads-to-higher-rates-of-patient-care.html
