An Improved Patient Scheduling Process for Chiropractors

Nearly two-thirds of Americans book doctor appointments online, but many chiropractic clinics are still using outdated systems for scheduling. Requiring staff to manually schedule visits with each patient creates inefficiencies, inconveniences patients, and is prone to error. Patient scheduling software enables chiropractors to reduce waiting times, optimize staff efficiency, and increase patient satisfaction.

Online booking works 24/7, and there’s no need for staff to be present to make an appointment. These capabilities enable practices to accept more new patients. Virtual intake also eliminates the need for paperwork and manual data entry by office staff, thereby shortening patient waiting times.

How to Improve Your Patient Scheduling Process

Patient scheduling software improves the appointment process in several different ways. Implementing this system will be the foundation for enhancing patient scheduling and appointment sequencing optimization.

Using ChiroSpring software, chiropractors can sync their booking websites with their practice’s calendar in real time. This feature ensures accuracy on both ends and eliminates the possibility of scheduling discrepancies due to data exchange delays. This instant data exchange occurs via a highly secure cloud-based connection.

Here are the precise steps that chiropractic offices can take to improve the patient scheduling process. After implementing intuitive scheduling software, practices can begin automating emails, setting patient priorities, and optimizing last-minute appointment slots.

Implement Patient Scheduling Software

Patient scheduling software is an essential tool for chiropractic clinics to maximize efficiency and boost long-term revenues. This appointment optimizing software can streamline scheduling processes in the following ways.

• Acquire more patients: Engage patients looking for appointments online 24/7 with online booking.
• Send automated reminders: Automated emails or text messages can remind patients of upcoming appointments. This feature can help reduce no-shows and encourage more timely cancellations so you can schedule last-minute visits more conveniently.
• Start a waiting list for no-shows: A waiting list can track patients seeking appointments when your schedule is full. Should a time become available, you can easily fill it up. This keeps your schedule full and maximizes patient volume and profits.
• Leverage patient data trends: Track missed, canceled, rescheduled, completed, and upcoming appointments. Knowing which patients routinely miss appointments can help you optimize scheduling. Many chiropractors double- or triple-book chronic no-shows to ensure that there are no vacant spots.
• Manage missing-in-action patients: Data that shows patients who no longer come in but may still need care can be extremely valuable.

Allowing patients to book their appointments online reduces your administrative burden and establishes best practices for your clinic. This capability also enables clinics to acquire new patients who don’t feel like calling or are booking outside opening hours.

Automate Routine Emails

Answering hundreds of individual emails every day can consume countless hours of staff time. An automated email system is a better way to respond to simple requests and inquiries. One of the most significant advantages of appointment booking software is eliminating the need for redundant back-and-forth emails.

Pre-written emails that include the appointment date, time, and location automatically confirm bookings with patients, who can use the messages as a reference if they forget when and where their appointments are. These types of reminders can reduce cancellation rates and missed appointments and free up a clinic’s staff for more high-value activities.

Set Patient Priorities

Conventional appointment booking methods make it challenging for clinic staff to differentiate emergency cases from routine appointments. Patient scheduling software enables practitioners to prioritize urgent issues using color codes that indicate the type of visit that a patient is scheduling.

Online booking notes can also help the chiropractor better understand a patient’s needs. By including questionnaires to determine the level of care required, scheduling systems can keep a practitioner updated on patient changes. This knowledge can help chiropractors prepare for visits beforehand, saving additional time.

Profession-specific treatment plans for chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopaths, acupuncturists, and physical therapists can further streamline and optimize scheduling. By knowing the reason for an appointment, clinic staff can automatically determine how much time each visit will take.

Use Cancellations to Your Advantage

No-shows can cost a clinic up to 14% of its daily revenues. By using a two-way synchronized confirmation system, chiropractors know when patients confirm their appointments—self-check-in options alert practitioners when a patient arrives, thus freeing up time for the front-desk staff. Practitioners can easily see when a patient doesn’t confirm within a specified timeframe and frees up the slot for another appointment.

This service also significantly reduces the amount of time that the staff spends rescheduling appointments. By establishing a waiting list, clinics can take advantage of last-minute cancellations and make sure there are no scheduling gaps.

Leverage Data Insights

Practice management software can identify scheduling issues, track patient time preferences, and send reminder emails or text messages at the ideal time. Practice analysis reporting gives practitioners an overview of statistics that can help improve clinic efficiency year over year.

For example, patient scheduling software can reveal how many missed, canceled, rescheduled, and completed visits occurred within a specific period. Additionally, chiropractors can view the types of appointments booked or the type and number of patients.

A missing-in-action report can reveal which patients haven’t checked in for a while. Many clinics use these lists to reconnect with forgotten visitors to find out why they haven’t returned. Other data insight reports can tell practices which patients have insurance, upcoming birthdays, or due payments. These capabilities empower clinics to take the proactive actions necessary to run a successful business.

Maximize Clinic Efficiency

Patient scheduling software includes other convenient features that streamline a practice’s operations and maximize efficiency. Below are various ways that cloud-based software can benefit chiropractors and their patients:

• Schedule a follow-up appointment directly from the cash register.
• Access patient data and appointments from multiple clinic locations.
• Automatically block appointments during holidays and vacations.
• Access an overview of all patient visit information in a single window.
• Streamline service charges in real time with the billing app.
• Process recurring payments securely and automatically.
• Keep track of patient complaint trends to identify problem areas.

Using the right digital tool, chiropractic offices can quickly and affordably streamline the scheduling process for better patient and business outcomes. Automating operations with intuitive software can considerably increase a practice’s profitability, make room for new patient bookings, and speed up routine office functions that determine a clinic’s long-term success.

Final Thoughts

ChiroSpring’s cloud-based EHR system optimizes the patient scheduling process and alleviates administrative, front-desk, and back-office tasks. Clinics that want to increase staff productivity can benefit from online booking by reducing the amount of time and phone calls that the staff routinely needs to book appointments manually. By utilizing appointment reminders and a virtual front desk, chiropractic workers can dedicate their time to more valuable projects.

Patient scheduling software can also eliminate no-shows and replace them with patients on the waiting list. These digital capabilities minimize redundancies, optimize staff working hours and the customer experience, and ultimately, increase profits.

See how ChiroSpring can help your clinic enhance the patient scheduling process. Contact one of our specialists today!