How to Improve Telephone Appointment Scheduling in Medical Clinics
Automated appointment systems increase efficiency in medical clinics. Although live operators still might speak with a few patients, medical clinics will allocate money more effectively by using telephone appointment scheduling. With an automated system, multiple patients schedule appointments whenever convenient (morning, afternoon, evening) and timely communicate essential information, such as leaving voicemails instead of waiting on hold.
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Instructions
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Review each system prompt and eliminate unnecessary words. You should create a succinct message and maintain essential menu selections that clients can navigate through easily. Maintain an option for patients to connect with clinic staff during business hours.
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Develop a unique system to identify patients, such as client patient identification number. By not using social security numbers or health insurance information, you minimize exposure to security breaches.
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Expand the automated system to accept appointment changes and send reminders a few days before appointments along with instructions (avoid eating, be prepared for lab tests). Another feature involves prescription refills that patients could send in advance. After approving the request, authorized clinic staff could notify the local pharmacy.
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Analyze the number of telephone lines your system can support. Consider upgrading from analog to digital or to support more lines simultaneously without dropping any calls. Many systems include tracking features like caller ID so that you can view and save the telephone numbers that patients use.
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Create options in other languages, such as if some of your clients primarily speak Mandarin, Arabic, or Spanish. You might provide only inbound (client initiated) calls with different language options or both inbound and outbound (clinic initiated) calls.
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Tips & Warnings
Make practice calls to test the system. Physicians and staff should identify problem areas, such as volume, options and clarity before the system goes live (used by clients). Also conduct client surveys to assess patient satisfaction levels.
Consider establishing both telephone and Internet based appointment systems for additional convenience. You even could send text message reminders to willing patients.
