What do these violations mean?
Well, I know that patients can forget … and unexpected things can come up occasionally in life. That’s part of life, right? But when no-shows and last minute cancels are high for a private practice (over 5%), it usually means something else.
It’s a red flag.
It means that the performance of your staff, the quality of the treatment sessions, and the patient’s perception is low. I know that’s not what you want to hear but that’s the reality; that’s what the surveys show.
If you don’t know what your patient’s are thinking, you will constantly struggle with these revenue draining violations.
In order to reduce (and eventually eliminate) no-shows and last minute cancellations, you have to understand the mind of the patient. Identifying the things that make it easy for them to do the wrong thing is the first step to eliminating them.
Patients will no-show or cancel more when it’s easy for them to…
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1. Save money by not attending.
If you allow patients to pay session by session whether it’s a copay or fee, it leads to more no-shows and cancels. When they save money by not attending, they will. There are simple ways to eliminate this variable so the dynamic doesn’t come into play. One is to not allow pay-as-you-go options. Creating a “Cost of Care” from the beginning and having them pay all up front (or on a monthly pay plan) is the best way to go. There’s a right and wrong way to do this. Look into IndeFree’s course.
BE WARY if you choose to not collect patient portions upfront and wait to send them a bill 8-weeks after discharge when all EOB’s are in. They will hate you. This will kill your relationship with the patient and they will tell 10 other people to never go to you.
2. Save time by not attending.
If your treatment sessions last longer than 30-45 minutes, you will have more no-shows and cancellations. The longer your session durations the harder it is for them to find0-the-time AND the harder it is to “wow” them. I know some clients require more time but 80% of patients in a typical outpatient clinic want to get in and out. The quicker they feel better, the more impressed they are with the value of the session. Learn the “Fast-Acting Techniques” by IndeFree. Look into IndeFree’s course.
3. Save aggravation by not attending.
Two things of mention here.
- If you have the approach of “no pain, no gain” and make them sore regularly, or increase pain, they will no-show or cx more. When they aren’t feeling too bad on a particular day (or especially if they are feeling worse) it’s easy for them to think to themselves, “I don’t need to go today”. Get in the habit of making them feel better, not worse during treatment sessions. No pain, no gain is old school mentality (no matter what the older orthopedists say). Get your patients better by utilizing energy lines, neuromuscular facilitation, kinetic movement, yoga type movements, massage, and other fast-acting techniques. And you will see more productivity and profits. Find out more at IndeFree’s course.
- Patients HATE waiting for their appointments. Disrespect their time and they will disrespect you. Don’t make them wait. Adopt a “No Wait” policy and watch your loyalty increase. You may think it’s impossible to never make a patient wait but it’s possible and a must. IndeFree’s course will show you how.
Lastly, “Reminder” calls and messages do not help.
They don’t help typically unless it’s a senior who often forgets or the patient has a mental illness. If you are NOT addressing the three elements mentioned above, they hurt more often than they help and patients feel like you are being a salesman and pushy. If you are still doing reminder calls/messages the day before appointments, you are creating a dynamic of patients relying on you to remember. A better solution is to get them to remember by the merits of the treatment sessions. Get them WANTING to come back, and you will be much more successful. Look into IndeFree’s course.
P.s. I know you are looking for the answer of having a no-show and cancellation policy and fee. And those are things that can help but if you don’t address the items mentioned above, a policy is not going to save you. The most effective ways to get patients to remember and highly value your appointments, and love you at the same time, is to address the items mentioned above first.
Good luck and have a great 2015!
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Let us know what you think. Do you agree or disagree with any of these points? Share in comments below. Thanks!