One option for accomplishing the task of appointment reminders without using up staff resources is to use an automated telephone reminder service.  These services are increasing in popularity because they can accommodate a large volume of calls, as well as provide helpful data in easy-to-compile reports.  Here’s how automated appointment reminders work:

At the beginning of the calling session, a staff member starts the process by preparing a calling list (call reminder services are built to be compatible with practice management systems) and selecting a pre-recorded message.  The information is uploaded to a “call center” that has access to thousands of phone lines.  The large number of phone lines means that appointment lists can be completed within a few minutes rather than in the hours it takes for one person to dial each number.  Typically, patients press one key to confirm the appointment and another if they need to cancel and reschedule (the patient can either be called back to reschedule or the system can automatically route patients who press this key to a scheduler).  After the calling session, the staff member receives a report with the results of the session.  The call list can be re-run several times per day to increase the probability of reaching every patient on the list.  Telephone appointment reminders cut the cost of using a staff member to make the calls in half and are far less expensive than postcard reminders.

Though some patients may be uncomfortable initially with the use of a machine for their appointment reminders, practices can ease the transition by posting notifications around the office.  Many patients grow to appreciate the convenience of the reminder system, and practices do too; studies show that no-shows can be reduced by up to 30% with automated appointment reminder systems.  Reminders also allow patients to cancel appointments they might otherwise have been no-shows for, which often means that the practice can fill that spot with another patient to avoid the loss of revenue.

Appointment reminder services can also be used to make phone calls for other purposes, including:

• Reminders to schedule check-ups, follow-up appointments, and screenings
• Notifications of lab results
• Pre-op and post-op instructions
• Collection calls
• Special issues, such as when the office is closed due to weather
   
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