PLX Academy · News · 04 August 2022
What is the impact of same day doctor appointment?
Same day doctor appointment practices provide patients quick and convenient health care, and have great impact on positive patient experience, brings new patients in, reduces no- shows of patients, and improves overall revenue. Same day appointment sets aside appointment blocks for patients to see a doctor on the same day rather than needing to schedule days or weeks in advance. In a survey of 12,825 patients in 47 practices, a 10% increase in the proportion of same day appointments was associated with an 8% increase in overall patient satisfaction and patient experience.
This form of care results with incredible stories of patient satisfaction, who have experiences that physicians, helped them with critical conditions that they were facing, and in many cases probably saved their lives. Transitioning to a calendar system that allows same day appointment, require research, planning, and a buy-in from the whole team.
When exploring the option of moving to a same day scheduling system, practices need to understand no-show and cancellation rates and how they can affect the business. It is also important to understand that switching to same day availability can be a big transition for physicians. In order for a practice to be successful, physicians need to be prepared and ready for these types of appointments while having access to the necessary resources.
Same day appointments are a complex and difficult challenge for any organization, especially for a busy hospital system. World healthcare leader, the Cleveland Clinic delivers more than one million “same day appointments” to patients. The concept originated out of an issue that the Cleveland Clinic was known for, such as specialty and complex care. The hospital operates an integrated healthcare system— from primary care to homecare— in their locations around the world.
There was a lingering perception that the Cleveland Clinic was a difficult place to get appointments and a difficult place to be seen. Sоme patients were, at that time, being offered appointments 30 to 45 days later. But the critical issue was that patients often know best when they need to be seen, and the Cleveland Clinic needed to create new forms of patient access for care.
“When you say “Patients First,” it’s more than a slogan. The Cleveland Clinic is building a culture of innovation, and you’re committed to it. That culture is critical for any part of the organization, whether it’s clinical, technology or marketing “ – Paul Matsen says, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Cleveland Clinic.
According to Cleveland Clinic, there were two key things in the way they approached this. First, they piloted the program for some time before they rolled it out through their marketing program. Each clinical area figured out what worked best for their schedule and their practice area. This took some time, but they were able to share best practices. Second, they have a centralized call center that handles all of out outpatient scheduling. And when you have access to all physician schedules, it gave them the ability to provide that customer service experience of offer patients more immediate appointments at a location somewhere in the Cleveland Clinic system.
Same day appointment is here to stay as the healthcare field becomes more and more consumer-driven. It is likely, however, that the future of this practice will be driven by in-app scheduling and mobile capabilities. Same day doctor appointment is poised to continue to expand in the near future, so it is important for every practice to explore this option and how to best implement same day appointment.