If you take any category of patients, most would agree that the largest number of missed appointments comes from new patients. Since they have never been to the office and have only spoken briefly to a faceless staff person, there has been no relationship formed – no bonding so to speak.
If something comes up last minute, and the patient is not in acute distress, it is often an easy choice for the patient to skip out on their appointment. Sometimes, they just forget since your office has not been part of their past routine.
Clients of PatientStudio have reported that the no-show rate is significantly less when new patients complete their forms online, after an invitation/welcome letter sent from Patient Studio. Patients feel more welcome, committed and obligated to their new health care facility.
Studies have shown an 80% reduction of no-shows by simply reminding patients of their appointment day and time.
PatientStudio automatically sends your patients form completion and appointment reminders by email and/or text message to their phone, prior to their appointment. The practice pre-sets the sending lead time [i.e. 24 hours prior, 48 hours prior, etc.].
Another problem with new patients is they often arrive late. Since they have never been to the office before, they get lost or don’t leave enough time. Patients late for their appointment can set the entire patient flow back for the day and can be very stressful for the staff and doctors.
Since PatientStudio allows customization of all templates [email cover letter with link to the forms], the practice can add instructions and directions to the initial welcome letter, so the patient can plan accordingly and minimize tardiness.