Is your front desk overworked? Do they spend countless hours on the phone collecting patient information, calling insurance companies to verify information and then tracking down the patient to finally schedule their initial evaluation? Do you feel there are inefficiencies at your front desk that could be streamlined in a quicker, faster manner?
We all know that the process of scheduling an initial evaluation is crucial as it’s the patient’s first experience with your practice. In this moment, patients are looking for the easiest and quickest route to schedule their first appointment and to find out pertinent information such as “Do you accept my insurance?”, “What is my copay?” and more. If you could accomplish all of this with technology and only one phone call instead of multiple phone calls – don’t you think that would be an improved experience for your patients AND your front office staff?
Enter Inbound Patient Management
Inbound Patient Management (IPM) is the newest term in the physical therapy industry and its streamlining the way patients schedule their evaluations. Plus, it eliminates unnecessary time spent on phone calls and phone tag between patients and front office administrators.
Clinics can now offer a “digital front door” where patients can request available appointments through your clinic’s website or through a mobile app and can instantly input their information. Patients can input important information such as insurance plan, date of birth, injury, etc. Your front desk staff then receives this information and can start verifying insurance benefits and scheduling the new patient within minutes. This ease of accessibility and interoperability leads to increased business growth and a more satisfying patient experience.
Many EMRs are partnering with technology companies like BetterPT to find new ways to offer an enhanced patient scheduling experience. Clinics can now utilize mobile phone apps and online websites to see available appointments, request an appointment and PT who fits their needs and to input all of their personal/injury-related information. This information becomes available and accessible to your front desk staff which eliminates data collection on their part, saving 10-15 minutes on each initial evaluation scheduled.
Ask your front desk administrators if they could save 10-15 minutes on data collection and phone tags, would it allow them to utilize their time on higher valued tasks?
As a physical therapy clinic owner, it is important to look for ways to make your business run more efficient, to decrease stress on your front desk staff and most importantly to make your customers/patients happy with increased access to care and ease of scheduling appointments. Get those new patients in the door without a hiccup, and then let your phenomenal PTs take care of the rest.
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