Become an All Star CA through Proper Recall and Rescheduling
Do you want to improve your retention? Of course you do! When patients stay in care and adhere to their treatment plan, the result is a healthy, happy patient and a thriving practice delivering the best care to the most people.
So, what do you do when a patient misses an appointment? Do you simply continue on with your day and hope the patient will call to reschedule when they have time? Or, do you have a system in place to reach out to and reschedule that patient? Implementing a recall program gives you this system and opportunity, and helps to prevent patients from falling out of care.
A recall program is the process of regular follow up and rescheduling of missed appointments. Missed appointments mean less practice volume and lower patient retention, which can affect your bottom line, and will definitely affect patient health. You should attempt to reschedule 75% of missed appointments within the same week in order to keep patients healthy and happy, and your visits maximized.
A successful recall program begins as soon as a patient is 15 minutes late for an appointment. Your ultimate goal is to reach the patient, remind them of their appointment, and have them come into the office for the appointment, or to reschedule a make-up appointment during the same week. Through scripted telephone calls, doctor involvement and mail correspondence, the recall system allows you to track communication with the patient and help them to maintain the frequency of the treatment plan prescribed to them.
Missed appointments are a fact of life, but if you implement the correct processes, patients are back and on their way to becoming happy, healthy, referring patients!
This is a proven program for greater retention in your practice. Get started today!
- Implement a recall log to act as a communication hub for your recall program.
- Use proactive scripting for calls to the patient and for common reasons the patient may miss the appointment, for instance, the patient is sick, on vacation, or busy with work.
- Use a customized recall letter highlighting the benefit of the patient’s treatment plan.
- Implement a follow-up system for patients who are unable to reschedule an immediate appointment.
Learn more about recall and rescheduling, and so much more as Lori teaches her two-part “How to be an All Star CA” class at The FCA convention in June and at The National in August. This extensive class covers The Six Components Necessary for a Successful Practice, New Patient Intake, Effective Scheduling and Rescheduling, Exceptional Customer Service, Accountability and Practicing Your Purpose. And don’t forget to visit the Profitable Practice Strategies booth to learn even more about growing your practice and exceptional patient outcomes!