“I am so sorry, but something has come up and I won’t be able to make my appointment today.”
This is a typical cancellation call that you might hear from patients who don’t show up. As a doctor of chiropractic, you want your patients to keep coming to their appointments so that you can assist them in reducing pain and improving physical mobility. The problem is that they miss your reminders, have something urgent to attend to, sometimes forget about their scheduled appointment, or might be facing transportation issues. But this is costing your clinic a fortune!
Patient scheduling is what keeps your practice running, but when it’s not done effectively, it can have a huge impact on your success and bottom line. In the following section, we will talk about the scheduling mistakes that result in no-shows and how you can avoid them.
#Mistake 1. Not knowing reminder communication preferences
How do you remind patients of their upcoming appointments? Many clinics still make “reminder calls” to patients the day before their appointments. Of course, many patients miss these calls. Today, patients prefer to read text and email rather than attend a call. If your chiropractic practice doesn’t inquire about the patient’s preferred method of communication for appointment reminders, patients could easily slip through the cracks.
Solution:
When patients schedule their appointments or fill in their intake paperwork, ask them right away – what’s their preferred method of communication – text, email, or a combination thereof. Chiropractic software integrated with the appointment scheduling tool minimizes the chances of no-shows by following up with email and text reminders, 48-hour, 24-hour, and even minutes before the scheduled appointment.
#Mistake 2. Not having a cancellation policy and not taking credit card details
If you make it easy to cancel, the appointment must not have been that important in the first place. So it’s crucial to tell your patients the importance of the scheduled appointments and why they must adhere to their treatment regimen. Not communicating the importance of chiropractic treatment and everything that you do and say could result in no-shows and revenue losses.
Solution:
The standard operating procedure should be that a patient reads and signs a missed appointment/cancellation policy along with the other new patient paperwork on their first visit. The patients should be able to enter their credit card details during the intake paperwork, so you can have a card on file that can be used to charge the cancellation fee. However, make sure you don’t create a blanket policy when it’s really just a small segment of your patients who are consistently missing appointments.
A Sample Template for No-show/Cancellation Policy:
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We schedule our appointments so that each patient receives the right amount of time to be seen by our physicians and staff. That’s why it is very important that you keep your scheduled appointment with us, and arrive on time. As a courtesy, and to help patients remember their scheduled appointments, [Practice Name] sends text message and email reminders 5 days, 2 days, and 3 hours in advance of the appointment time. If your schedule changes and you cannot keep your appointment, please contact us so we may reschedule you, and accommodate those patients who are waiting for an appointment. If you do not cancel or reschedule your appointment with at least 24 hours notice, we may assess a $xx “no-show” service charge to your account. This “no-show charge” is not reimbursable by your insurance company. You will be billed directly for it. I understand the “no-show” policy of [PRACTICE NAME] and agree to provide a credit card number, which may be charged $xx for any no-show of a scheduled appointment.
Patient Signature
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#Mistake 3. Not making use of a wait list
Last minute cancellations are frustrating; however, with a patient waiting list, you are ready when this unfortunate event occurs. If you’re not using a patient scheduling platform that includes the ability to keep a wait list handy, then you might be losing potential income.
Solution:
No-shows are unfortunately not 100% avoidable, one of the best ways to avoid keeping a slot empty is to maintain a waiting list of patients who are looking for an appointment as quickly as possible. Automated wait lists in chiropractic software easily contact waiting patients to fill empty spaces in the schedule.
#Mistake 4. Not sending an introductory message to new patients
The patients who are at a higher risk of canceling appointments are “New Patients”. New patients don’t know you and your practice. They have never been to your clinic. If you don’t stop new patients from canceling appointments, it can grow into a bad habit of missing appointments in the future.
Solution:
Sending a personalized text or email to new patients before their appointment can help you set a stage for a good patient-provider relationship. Here is a sample introductory message that could be sent to new patients (via a 2-way texting solution or email) so they can get to know you better:
Ms. Joanna, this is Doctor Ben Jones at Happy Chiropractic Clinic. I am looking forward to meeting you during your first appointment on 7th July 2022 at 4 pm in our clinic. I want you to know that we will have everything ready for you. If there is anything we should know before you arrive that would make your appointment more comfortable, please let us know. Thanks!
#Mistake 5. Not scheduling follow-up appointments
Whether an existing patient needs to come twice a week or twice a month, it must be on your calendar before the patient walks out of the door. Most successful chiropractic practices have an 80%+ pre-appointment rate.
Solution:
Always schedule the next appointment before the patients leave your office. This becomes easier when you have chiropractic appointment scheduling software. You just need to click a button to schedule a follow-up appointment or recurring appointments. The software takes care of reminders, communication preferences, and appointment confirmations.
Conclusion
Understanding how to efficiently schedule patients while also maintaining a high standard of care is impossible without chiropractic scheduling software. A chiropractic practice management software with an integrated scheduling solution can help your chiropractic clinic avoid costly mistakes, streamline your practice’s schedule, and improve bottom line.
Avoid Appointment Scheduling Mistakes with zHealth
zHealth offers all-in-one practice management software for wellness providers including chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and massage therapists. zHealth comes with integrated scheduling software with a range of other useful functionalities. With zHealth you can:
- Book appointments, text patients, and accept payments – all from one dashboard.
- Set recurring and/or one-time booking availability.
- Allow patients to choose between text or email reminders.
- View your calendar on the go through your tablet device.
- Offer a secure portal where your patients can book appointments, provide billing and insurance information, complete electronic paperwork, and connect with you as needed.
