Finding the right scheduling software can make everyone happier, and thereby make everything run a bit easier and a bit more smoothly. Here is what you need to find in the optimal scheduling software program, and where to find it.
The medical field has always been an industry in which accuracy is key. From the moment a referral is processed to the moment that a patient leaves the office after visiting with their physician, accuracy, privacy, and efficiency are all fundamental components of what drives the medical experience. Even in a small doctor’s office, it is common for a single physician to have several hundred patients that they care for regularly. Therefore, the task of managing the caretaking of patients and their private information largely falls to the support staff. While scheduling appointments may at first sound like the least complex task to manage within a physician’s office, efficiency and accuracy in scheduling are pivotal in ensuring the success of the entire office. Taking advantage of a quality scheduling software can help to streamline the scheduling process, thereby helping to ensure that patients are scheduled when they ought to be, with the doctor they need to see, and all pertinent information is managed accordingly.
Shifting to automated online scheduling makes it easier to:
- Provide patients with easy access to schedule appointments
- Simplify the job of office staff workers
- Streamline the functionality of a medical office, regardless of size
There are a few things that every medical office needs if it wants to run smoothly. A strong office manager, highly skilled nurses, and a caring physician are all important factors—but you can’t overlook something that has grown to become even more fundamental to the medical field, the right technology. Without the right technology, you could find yourself losing information, or even worse, making information too easily available to malicious eyes, and spending hours that should be reserved for better caring for patients instead of trying to deal with complications and redundancies in software.
Shifting to an intuitive scheduling platform can help to drastically streamline the appointment process and lead to improved morale among patients, office workers, and medical staff.
What is self-scheduling?
Self-scheduling is quickly becoming one of the biggest technology trends in the medical industry. This sort of software allows patients to use any digital platform, such as their home computer or mobile device, to schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments at any time. This takes a huge burden off of office staffers, who are typically fielding calls throughout the day to manage appointments, while also providing a level of comfort and support to patients who are now able to schedule their medical appointments more inconspicuously, and without the need to wait on hold until an office staffer is available.
Patients appreciate the 24/7 around-the-clock nature of online scheduling, and office workers appreciate the reduction in time spent on the phone managing those appointments. Instead of speaking directly to all patients, office workers can instead focus on ensuring that incoming patients have ample time to complete their intake paperwork, processing necessary prescriptions, or any other number of tasks that are the responsibility of the medical officer manager, like dealing with the needs of patients with more complex issues.
Automated Waiting List
Putting it in the patient’s hands to schedule their own appointment at their convenience means giving the patient peace of mind to consider their personal commitments as they make an appointment, thereby making it less likely that they will have to cancel or reschedule. However, it also provides the patient with the opportunity to see the next available dates for appointments, and even to sign up for a waiting list for an earlier appointment, should one become available.
Online Scheduling: The Organized Option
The biggest benefit to shifting to an automated schedule is the organizational bliss that comes from putting all incoming information in one place. By utilizing an intuitive scheduling platform it is possible to cut down on wasted hours in the office, to reduce errors in scheduling by limiting overbookings and canceled appointments, and to ensure that all booked appointments are properly prepared for and the medical files necessary for each appointment are processed accurately. Office staff can easily work with the scheduling platform to match patients with the necessary provider, process insurance information, and fill in a provider’s schedule—all in one sitting. For a large medical facility, shifting to an automated scheduling system is a must-do to keep the office above water. For a small medical facility, this simple decision can make a world of difference in the level of functionality and productivity in the office.