The importance of patient scheduling software cannot be overstated. You only get one chance to make a first impression and scheduling is at the beginning of the care continuum. Whether you are operating an urgent care, primary care, or specialty practice, a good patient self-scheduling software is essential for a great patience experience as well as efficiently managing appointments and ensuring that patients are seen in a timely manner.
Did you know that 83% of patients saying that they prefer a doctor who offers online self-scheduling? It improves communication between staff and patients, as well as optimize practice efficiency significantly reducing administrative burden. When choosing a patient scheduling software, it’s important to consider the needs of your individual clinic or health system. Indiscriminately opening a provider’s calendar for the public to self-schedule is problematic. If you have multiple providers, the scheduling process becomes even more nuanced. Patient self-scheduling automation must meet both the needs of the patients and the providers to deliver the best experience for everyone involved. Here are some questions to ask to ensure you’re finding the perfect fit for your practice, care management staff, and patients.
Who Are Your Patients?
This is an important question to consider when choosing a patient scheduling software. If you see a high volume of patients and have extensive and nuanced patient intake needs, such as in an urgent care facility or health system, you’ll need a software that can accommodate a large number of appointments. Ideally one that syncs with your EMR in real time and has an easy-to-use interface for your clients and your staff.
Additionally, it’s important to consider your patient demographics. Do you see mostly young families, elderly patients, or a mix? If you see a lot of tech savvy patients, you may want a program that offers appointment reminders via text or email and two-way text messaging. This will help to ensure that your patients don’t forget their appointments and that they arrive on time. If you see a lot of young families, you may want a patient scheduling software with built-in pediatrics specific solutions. This would help parents to schedule appointments for their children as well as keep track of immunizations, well-visits, and more.
Your patient self-scheduling automation should allow for a series of prescheduling vetting questions and logic that will guide the patient to the correct provider and the correct open time slot for demographics, appointment type etc. In some cases, depending on their answers, it is even possible to prevent the patient from self-scheduling guiding the patient to call to schedule that appointment type.
There are a variety of patient scheduling software platforms that offer different levels of patient communication. So, knowing your patient demographics and its impact on your scheduling protocols will help you to choose a patient self-scheduling software with tools that will be most beneficial for your practice and care management team.
What Are Your Staff’s Patient Scheduling Needs?
When choosing a patient scheduling software, it’s important to consider the needs of your staff. Do you have nurses, doctors, specialists, or a combination of all three? Does your staff need to be able to access patient records and have patient data sync in real time? Does your care team need to be able to communicate with patients using text messaging? Having a clear understanding of your staff’s needs will help you to choose a patient scheduling software that offers the features and functionality that they need to do their jobs well.
Does your self-scheduling platform recognize specific appointment types triggering automation enabling the patient to complete all the appropriate administrative intake requirements before the patient arrives? Some patient scheduling software programs offer solutions like built-in messaging, document sharing, and patient record access. Others have a more basic interface that is great for small clinics with minimal patient records. And others have well-defined and robust integrations that enable the patient, whether new or returning, to have the ability to have your patients completely onboard themselves before they arrive, co-pay & past due balances being paid inclusive.
There are a variety of patient scheduling software programs on the market, so it’s important to find one that offers the features that your staff can utilize to provide excellent patient care. Yosi Health’s platform is infinitely customizable to your practice’s unique needs and has all the tools you need to book more appointments, reduce no-shows, improve your patient revues, and increase your revenue. Check out our platform to learn more.
What is Your Budget?
Software can range in price from a few hundred dollars per month to a few thousand. It’s important to consider your budget when choosing a patient scheduling software. There are a variety of patient scheduling software programs that offer different features and functionality. Some patient scheduling software programs are more expensive because they offer a higher level of patient care management and integration. Others are less expensive because they have a more basic interface with reduced customizability. There are a variety of patient scheduling software programs on the market, so it’s important to find one that meets your needs and fits within your budget.
The best way to find out a ballpark cost of the software is to book a demo. In a short conversation, you’ll quickly learn if the platform is right for your practice and what it will cost. Platforms like Yosi Health can actually reduce overhead with automations while increasing revenue collection, which may even save you money and make your practice more profitable.
Your Patient Scheduling Software
Choosing the right patient scheduling software is essential for efficiently and effectively managing appointments while ensuring that patients are seen in a timely manner. When choosing a cloud-based scheduling software, it’s important to consider the unique needs of your clinic, care management staff, and patients. By taking the time to answer these key questions, you can be sure that you’re choosing software that will work well for your business.
While there are other options on the market, Yosi Health was the first to take patient registration out of the waiting room and develop effective pre-arrival solutions like patient self-scheduling. It’s easier than you think to integrate self-scheduling software into your existing workflows. Chat with Yosi Health today to learn more about our patient intake solutions.