Skip to content

NEW: Artera Referrals to Increase Conversions & Engagement  |  Learn More →

rescheduling-resized

The average wait time to schedule a doctor appointment is 24 days. For some specialties, it’s even longer. A great deal can happen in that time.

Plans change. Things come up. Life happens. For most patients, their only option is to cancel or call their provider, wait on hold, and try to reschedule their doctor appointment. Or worse, they simply don’t show up. The result is high no-show rates, poor slot utilization, and unhappy patients.

WELL™ Self-Rescheduling on the Epic App Orchard to help recover these lost appointments. This patient self-scheduling software allows healthcare consumers to reschedule a medical appointment at their convenience.

Here’s how it works and why it matters for your health system and your patients.

Improve patient experience

As many as 68 percent of patients prefer the ease of online rescheduling. They don’t want to call in, wait on hold, and hear appointment options read to them over the phone. With WELL Self-Rescheduling, they can simply select a new appointment from their mobile phone almost instantly.

“Poor customer service and communication are the leading complaints among patients,” says WELL CEO and founder Guillaume de Zwirek. “We developed Self-Rescheduling to deliver the same level of service and convenience patients have come to expect in other industries.”

Reduce call volume and improve staff workflow

A phone call to reschedule a medical appointment takes roughly eight minutes. By comparison, patient self-scheduling through text messages happens in less than a minute. This results in a reduction in call volume. Patients who would be calling in to change their appointment can do it with their mobile phone in just a few clicks.

Fewer scheduling calls mean that staff can dedicate their attention to the patients who really need it. Not only does this improve staff workflow and satisfaction, but it also improves care for all patients.

A number of hospitals and practices in the country have adopted Self-Rescheduling, one of which is the Houston Methodist Hospital. Tesha Montgomery, Vice President, Operations and Patient Access says, “At Houston Methodist, patient access is a top priority. We get thousands of calls every day from patients wanting to change their appointments. The ability to use Self-Rescheduling eliminates many of these calls and allows more focus on the acute needs of our patients.”

Reduce no-shows and improve slot utilization

Appointment reminders alone reduce no-shows. WELL clients have seen no-shows drop by up to 70 percent. WELL Self-Rescheduling reduces no-shows even further and improves slot utilization. Instead of simply canceling or failing to present, patient self-scheduling through WELL allows them to choose an alternative appointment that works for them.

Differentiate your health system

Patients are consumers. And they expect to receive the same level of service from their healthcare providers that they experience in other industries. Offering rescheduling by text message demonstrates innovation and answers patient demand for convenience.

How it Works:

With WELL Self-Rescheduling, when a patient receives an appointment reminder message, they have the option to Confirm, Cancel, or Reschedule. If they choose to Cancel or Reschedule, they will receive an immediate response with a link to a list of available appointments.

Solving the issues of online rescheduling

Often, this is where other online patient self-scheduling platforms break down. Providers’ schedules vary from day to day. One day they’re in surgery. Another day is for hospital rounds. Another is only for certain types of appointments. Hence, why it’s essential that the patient self-scheduling software becomes fully integrated into the EMR.

With WELL Self-Rescheduling, when a patient reschedules, they will only see available appointment times that match the original event type and provider name as marked in the EMR.

Finding the time that works best

After selecting a new appointment, patients will receive a request to confirm the new appointment followed by a success message. Once they successfully book the new appointment, patients will receive any relevant appointment reminders in advance of their visit.

Research shows that appointments scheduled within one week of the event have half the no-show rate of appointments booked more than three weeks out — meaning the rescheduled appointments are more likely to present for appointments booked a few days earlier.

If no new appointment is acceptable, the platform directs the patient to reach out to the practice via text or phone for additional assistance in finding an alternate time. The EMR records all patient responses.

Intervene when you need to

When patients respond with Cancel or Reschedule, the patient channel will open in WELL. Staff can view patient responses and intervene if needed. For example, imagine a patient responds to the initial rescheduling link with a question. This is where staff can jump in and answer.

Give patients what they want

WELL is constantly innovating and working with our clients and partners to develop features that will improve patient satisfaction and improve key metrics. WELL’s patient self-scheduling functionality is just one of the many ways WELL helps providers improve their no-show rates, increase slot utilization, and enhance patient experience. ♥

To learn more about WELL Self-Rescheduling, feel free to request a demo here:

Request Patient Self-Scheduling Demo

Connect with Us