How Medical Patient Scheduling Software Can Benefit Healthcare Organizations

Medical patient scheduling software was once considered a luxury but is now a highly sought-after feature by many patients. Compared to traditional appointment scheduling methods, medical office scheduling software is more patient-centric and can actually improve health outcomes due to improved medical care access. Appointment scheduling software allows patients to book their own appointments independently, check availability, view/edit existing appointments, and receive reminders for their upcoming visits. A patient self-scheduling solution not only benefits patients; many healthcare organizations have also experienced general improvements, including a reduction in no-shows and decreased labor costs.

Fully customizable features

With medical patient scheduling software, healthcare organizations can build in their own rules and requirements when booking an appointment. A patient scheduler can consider variables such as appointment type, provider, or location. Healthcare organizations can limit and control the type of appointments that patients can select when self-scheduling. Different types of appointments can be configured according to the average duration. This accommodates for variable time slots, which helps prevent overbooking and double-booking.

In some circumstances, certain appointment types may be too sophisticated for a patient scheduler to complete. For companies wanting the functionality of a self-scheduler, but who still wish to control some or all aspects of more complicated appointments, a hybrid model can be implemented so that healthcare organizations can get the best of both worlds. Within hybrid models, patients can “request” an appointment instead of fully booking one; a staff member can then contact the patient to work through the rest of the appointment process.

Reduce no-shows

Patient no-shows can take a toll on any healthcare organization since those vacant appointment slots cannot be filled last-minute. No-shows most often result in a loss of revenue from non-billable hours. Clinical resources are often wasted when patients don’t honor their appointments, especially in today’s current climate, where practices must take extra precautions to ensure patient safety. Self-scheduling software allows patients to take more responsibility for their healthcare appointments. Patients can conveniently verify, cancel, and reschedule their appointments, allowing staff to better manage the practitioner’s schedule.

Decrease staff labor

Depending on the medical practice’s size, there will be at least one staff member whose sole responsibility is to manage a practitioner’s schedule. Making appointments, rescheduling appointments, and sending patient appointment reminders are just a few tasks that prevent practice staff from engaging in more critical tasks. Self-scheduling reduces the number of people required to answer calls and manage appointments, resulting in an immediate ROI. Medical office scheduling software automates the appointment scheduling process by allowing patients to book at their own convenience without staff intervention. Patients can select their healthcare provider and preferred visit time from a list of available appointment slots without assistance. If a healthcare organization handles multiple specialties and varying providers, healthcare appointment scheduling software can also be semi-automated for complex appointments that require staff approval. Medical patient scheduling software significantly reduces the amount of time your staff members spend on the phone booking and managing appointments for patients.

Bridge’s <a href="https://www.bridgepatientportal.com/patient-scheduling-software/">patient scheduling software</a> can be fully integrated into the healthcare organization&#8217;s EMR, PM, RCM, and API. This results in data being pulled and presented from the organization&#8217;s internal systems with data then fed back in from the self-scheduler. This process simplifies internal workflows, reduces staff intervention, saves time and money.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Patient scheduling software also helps prevent human errors when scheduling appointments since It standardizes and automates the scheduling process.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">More and more healthcare organizations realize the benefits of implementing a patient scheduler. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/03/28/2019-online-scheduling-and-client-management-trends-for-appointment-based-businesses/#4e3b544c2363" target="_blank" rel="”nofollow” noopener">Evidence suggests</a> a growing trend for the adoption of web-based appointment systems in all industries, and healthcare is finally catching up. <a href="https://www.bridgepatientportal.com/patient-scheduling-software/">Patient appointment scheduling software</a> is no longer a luxury as it has become a necessity for many patients.</p>