Navigating modern healthcare systems can often be a challenging experience for patients. From appointment scheduling to rescheduling, the processes can sometimes become too complicated, leading to a greater number of no-shows and disappointed patients. However, the landscape of patient scheduling is changing rapidly, and advanced technologies like Artera are paving the way for a more patient-centered approach.
While there are many tools around patient scheduling, Artera ScheduleCare is leading the charge in improving access to care for patients and providers with its available scheduling features and functionalities.
Patient Scheduling Essentials
Let’s face it: today’s patients are consumers who expect the same level of service from providers as they do from other industries. They want convenience, accessibility and a user-friendly experience in terms of their healthcare – especially with scheduling their appointments. Here are a few of the patient scheduling essentials to consider when looking at various tools:
24/7 Online Self-Scheduling
Gone are the days when someone calls you from their home phone to schedule an appointment. In fact, 73% of patients expect to be able to schedule online today – and while the convenience is naturally beneficial for the patient, providers also gain value: not only does online scheduling reduce call volume related to scheduling inquiries, but a healthcare organization saves $3-4 for every patient appointment that has been scheduled online.
Additionally, by providing greater access to easy scheduling, providers are more likely to attract and retain more patients. According to an Accenture study, 68% of patients say they are more likely to choose a medical provider that offers the ability to book, change or cancel appointments online.
After implementing ScheduleCare, one healthcare provider found 28% of appointments were scheduled outside of working office hours, highlighting the importance of 24/7 access to flexible online scheduling.
Rule-Based Scheduling Capabilities
Let’s say a patient just moved to a new city: they’re likely searching for a new provider in the area, doing research, and reading reviews. They found two providers that are both highly related – but Provider A has a poor search functionality and requires calling to schedule while Provider B has filtering options – down to the provider specialty, location, insurance type and time. Will the patient go with provider A or B?
It should come as no surprise that the patient would likely go with Provider B. With the ability to access robust search and filtering options, patients can easily find and book appointments with their preferred providers, leading to greater satisfaction and retention rates. This not only ensures a more personalized experience but is efficient for the staff as well.
Automated Waitlist Management
As most of us are aware, appointments can take weeks – or even months – to get depending on the speciality. But what happens when an appointment opens up? Today, it should be an industry standard that patients immediately get notified if a new appointment slot becomes available at an earlier time.
Automated waitlisting ensures that canceled slots are quickly reassigned, optimizing provider productivity and revenue loss.
Enhanced Interoperability
Interoperability is crucial for online patient scheduling because it ensures seamless integration between different systems, platforms and tools. In a world where businesses rely on multiple software applications to manage operations, having scheduling software that can easily exchange data with various EHRs, CRM systems, and communication tools enhances efficiency and reduces errors. This level of connectivity allows for real-time updates, better coordination across teams, and an improved user experience for both businesses and their clients. Without interoperability, scheduling processes can become fragmented, leading to miscommunications, missed appointments, or duplicated efforts.
Artera ScheduleCare seamlessly integrates with many EHRs, ensuring real-time, discrete read and write capabilities. This means you can trust that your scheduling data is accurate and up-to-date across all systems.
Advanced Pain Care implemented Artera ScheduleCare for online scheduling, replacing its previous scheduling platform with one that had a bidirectional integration with Athena, and allowed seamless, automated live scheduling. According to AJ Correa, Director of IT at Advanced Pain Care, when the Artera team introduced their suite of tools – which included ScheduleCare – it was a “huge relief” as they were seeking these exact solutions. “We need our tools to integrate with our EHR and Artera, which was a main feature of this new suite.”
Unified Experience
When thinking through your patient scheduling tools, consider if it would be helpful to manage all patient communications through one platform. With Artera Harmony, you can integrate all of your efforts – including Artera ScheduleCare – to boost your practice’s efficiency and the patient experience. Create a personalized brand experience with your organization’s colors and logo, and streamline all patient messaging through a single phone number for a unified patient experience. Leveraging the Unified Communications History and Artera Analytics, gain valuable insights into appointment trends, patient no-shows rates and more – helping you optimize the patient experience.
Streamline and Optimize Your Appointments
Does your organization offer patient self-scheduling? If not, it may be something to consider. In fact, studies show that 61% of patients skip medical appointments due to scheduling hassles.
With Artera, you can empower your patients through a self-scheduling system that aligns healthcare and convenience. The patient self-scheduling software, Artera ScheduleCare, allows patients to take the reins of their care by enabling them to reschedule and coordinate their appointments independently. It’s a smart move in today’s tech-driven world, where more than 50 percent of consumers prefer text messaging for customer service.
Artera goes beyond just providing a platform for scheduling. It also helps you cut down on no-shows – something that can be a significant setback for healthcare providers. The evidence is clear: Artera clients have seen no-shows drop by over 50 percent.
Lift Up Your Engagement Rates
Artera doesn’t stop at scheduling. It also helps you boost patient engagement through strategic SMS outreach, facilitating appointment scheduling for established patients to encourage ongoing care engagement. Artera’s approach proves effective in real-world applications. For instance, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic found that Artera Rescheduling and conversational messaging significantly improved the patient experience, with over 1,400 patients independently rescheduling appointments within the first 75 days.
Customize for Your Needs
Artera offers flexibility in its services by providing customizable automated conversations over SMS, email, or phone. This versatility is crucial considering the fact that 78 percent of consumers wish to converse with businesses over text. Patients anticipate a seamless, personalized experience, and Artera delivers just that.
So why wait? Optimize your patient engagement, streamline scheduling processes, and enhance your patients’ experience with Artera. After all, in an increasingly competitive healthcare landscape, providing a superior patient experience is key to retaining and attracting patients.
Talk to Our Team About Artera ScheduleCare, a Patient Scheduling Software
While the patient scheduling landscape continues to evolve, Artera ScheduleCare is at the forefront of innovation – and is a game-changer for healthcare access and efficiency. Transform how you manage appointments and enhance the patient experience with our innovative technology.
Want to learn more about how to optimize your patient scheduling process? Check out the Artera ScheduleCare datasheet, here, or request a demo with our team.
