I DIDN'T KNOW IT COULD DO THAT!

Implementing Medical Management Scheduling

Has your friendly medical management software supplier ever made this statement to you? "When you computerize your office, just think of how much paper you won't be using".

Now that you own that system, you are sitting in your office surrounded by all this high tech equipment and you still see stacks and stacks of paper piled all around. You sigh and continue what you were doing thinking to yourself, that's just the way things are. You then stroll out to the front desk and look down and see that the old fashioned handwritten patient appointment book is still being used. You realize that your new medical management system, which cost you an arm and a leg, and which contained a built-in patient scheduler is not being used effectively and you wonder how much work being done in the office now is redundant.

As a veteran of implementing practice management systems, I often get calls from offices asking if I would come in and evaluate their office procedure and workflow. I very often find that the computer systems that are in place are not being used to full capacity. There could be many reasons for this. When asking why certain functions are not being done on the computer, often a blank stare is my answer. "I didn't know it could do that" is a response I've heard on many occasions. Most medical management systems today are designed to do multiple tasks, which include patient registration, billing, electronic records and appointment scheduling. One area that deserves review is the appointment scheduler. I often find is there is a reluctance to give up "the book" when scheduling patients.

Usually the front desk person has devised his/her own type of procedure to schedule patients and finds it easier to continue with this method rather than learn a "whole new way" of scheduling. In most practices, the front desk is the busiest place in the office; from checking in new patients, collecting co-pays, scheduling follow-up visits, answering the phone, and just keeping the patient flow moving. The thought of giving up "the book" and learning a new system, which by its very nature, is done mostly with the patient standing right in front of you demanding his/her next visit, sends shivers down the back of even the most stalwart front desk person.

How can you combat this natural resistance?

The short answer is: get the right practice management system and be sure there is plenty of staff training and practice time. There are many aspects in evaluating the right scheduling software for your office. Good scheduling software can be customized to reflect your individual office needs. It can be set up to show your normal office hours and to restrict booking patients during non-office hours. Some can be set up to color-code patient visits to see at a glance how many "new" patients are scheduled on any given day. You should also be able to designate certain days or parts of the day for any type of "hold open" periods - such as emergency or sick visits. If your scheduler interfaces with your patient file you should be able to display the scheduled visit on the appointment list as well as any phone numbers, contacts, reason for the visit and any co-pays collected. Some scheduling software can even give you a reminder of any outstanding balance owed by the patient at the time the next appointment is made.

It is important that you allow sufficient time for the basic learning and setup of the scheduler. A lot of the setup can and should be done prior to "going live" with the scheduler. Entering a few months of past appointments plus any currently scheduled appointments from "the book" into the scheduler serves as a training tool and helps the person become more comfortable with using the different aspects of the "electronic appointment book."

With the appropriate training in place, understanding doctors, and the right attitude by all, within a short period of time you and your staff will be wondering how you existed using "the book". Once up and running, you will truly welcome the electronic scheduler as an integral part of the office especially when the front desk receives that call from the "I can't remember my appointment" patient. The edges of "the book" are probably worn from countless times thumbing through searching for the "elusive" dates of the visits. When that front desk person just clicks the mouse and sees all past and future visits within seconds they will truly appreciate the wonders of modern technology.

The medical practice management specialists at Bradford Medical Associates can evaluate the workflow in your practice to help ensure an efficient office.