How long is the waiting time in your Atlanta medical practice?
Are appointments scheduled less than two weeks away? Do patients spend less than 20 minutes in the waiting area? And, how long does it take to get test results?
A patient experience survey found that patients feel frustrated when they have to wait longer than 20 minutes to see a doctor. And, when medical appointments take weeks or months, they’re likely not to show up.
Everyone would like to get an appointment immediately, waltz straight into the doctor’s office, and get their test result instantly. So, an ideal time would be no waiting time at all. Unfortunately, the ideal isn’t possible.
Nevertheless, you should strive to reduce your medical practice waiting time. Continue reading to learn how to reduce the waiting time in your Atlanta medical practice.
3 Ways to Reduce Waiting Time in Your Practice
If your waiting area is always filled with frustrated patients, here are 3 ways to help you reduce the waiting time and improve patient satisfaction.
1. Use tech for appointment scheduling
Do away with traditional phone scheduling. It often leads to time clashes and overbooking that result in increased waiting time. Instead, use tech to optimize the appointment scheduling process, and free up time for your admin staff to focus on other tasks.
With appointment scheduling software, patients can easily book available time slots that are suitable for them. And, enough time can be allocated for consultations based on the nature of the appointment.
Also, you can leave time in the schedule to prioritize emergency cases. So, patients who need urgent care won’t have to wait weeks to see a doctor.
2. Create & enforce a policy for late arrivals
Late arrival is one of the reasons for long waiting time. No matter how optimized your scheduling process, patients arriving late to their appointment will disrupt the schedule and increase the waiting time for the others.
So, create a late arrival policy and enforce it. If there’s a consequence for late arrivals, patients would be more likely to be early. For instance, your policy may be that patients who are 15 minutes late will have their appointment canceled.
You can further encourage patients to arrive early by sending friendly appointment reminders via text or email. Also, provide flexible rescheduling options for late patients or those unable to make their appointments.
3. Streamline your administrative process
Admin tasks like paperwork and manual data entry can cause delays that contribute to long waiting times. Switching to digital forms can reduce the time spent during registration. Patients may even be enabled to fill out forms online before coming in.
Other admin sources of delay are inadequate communication and patient flow management. So, train front desk staff to improve their communication and time management skills. You can also use a display monitor to show queue status and waiting time, which will reduce anxiety and frustration.
Reasons To Reduce Patient Waiting Times
No doubt, reducing waiting time in your practice enables you to provide better and faster medical care services to your patients. However, it also benefits your medical practice by:
· Improving patient satisfaction
Short waiting times improve patient satisfaction. When patients don’t wait months to get an appointment or hours to receive medical care, there’s less frustration. So, you’ll be starting your relationship with them on a good foot.
· Enhancing practice reputation
With so many patients complaining about long waiting times, reducing your practice waiting time will earn you a good reputation. You’ll receive positive online reviews and ratings about the short wait time, and attract even more patients.
· Increasing staff productivity
A short waiting time means an adequate number of patients and a smooth flow. Medical staff won’t be stressed or overwhelmed by overbooked patients. And so, they can better manage their time to provide quality care to each patient.
Next Step?
No one likes to wait around for others. Especially patients seeking medical care. So, take action now to reduce waiting time in your medical practice and ensure patients receive medical care promptly.
If your waiting time is affected by a shortage of talented staff, you can reach out to us at RG Staffing to connect you with top talents and help reduce your waiting time.
