Your schedule should remain consistently full ALL year long. Since every spot represents a patient your providers can help, you want the schedule to be full at the start of the day.
But, you also need it to be full at the end of the day as that number represents the people you were able to help that day.
Unfortunately same-day cancels and no-shows have a huge impact on schedule control.
So let’s talk about HOW to EFFECTIVELY Handle Cancellations + No-Shows
Same-day cancellations and no-shows are time consuming and stressful for your team.
(Added to that, no one likes charging a missed visit fee or confronting the patient…so they create extra stress and upset for the staff.)
Worse though, they prevent other patients, who would have shown up, from getting in for the care they need and deserve. Because few people can drop everything when they get last minute notice.
And it always upsets me when a same-day cancellation or no-show keeps a patient from having the notice they need to get in for their care.
Just like many of you, I became a physical therapist to HELP people by providing care when they needed it most. But you can’t help them if they don’t schedule and arrive for care. And you can’t help another patient if the one who canceled didn’t provide the notice you needed to fill that spot.
You might wonder why I focus so much on cancels and no-shows. Well, along with what I said above, they hurt you and the dream you had for your practice. They hurt your front desk staff because even one same-day cancellation / no-show adds more work for them.
And a late cancel or no-show hurts your bottom line because there’s no revenue generated if that spot sits empty.
Are you tired of same-day cancels and no-shows? If so, then it’s time to put a stop to them once and for all.
Here’s what you need:
Make your expectations known - your patients and your front desk need to know what’s expected and why. Everyone should be on the same page and there should be a specific process to follow for sick patients, those with emergencies, but most importantly, for those who have an unexcused reason.
Provide CONSISTENT messaging - your front desk should have a proven system to learn and implement - so they’re all saying the same thing and handling patients exactly the same way.
Focus on PREVENTION, not punishment - handling cancels and no-shows shouldn’t be about threatening to charge a fee.
Use a good system that focuses on cancellation and no-show prevention. A good system will keep everyone happy and working together. Staff and patients will have better conversations, and they’ll also have a better agreement with each other.
Should you charge a fee when it gets to a specific point? Absolutely! But focusing on prevention is far more effective in gaining patient compliance AND it’s appreciated by everyone involved.
If you’re tired of last minute cancellations and no-shows, NOW is the perfect time to help your front desk AND your patients.
And…YOU don’t have to be the one to try to figure this out.
I did that 10+ years ago and my system of prevention gets the results you’re looking for.
The practices that implement what I teach in the academy not only increase their arrival rate, they have the tools they need to consistently reach mid-90s. And everyone feels good about it; both staff and patients.
The more you invest in your team, the more they’ll invest in your patients and the practice.
Take the next step and massively reduce same-day cancels and no-shows once and for all!
It’s easy to get started and you have the choice of payment options. You can get started right now and use my system of training to put your front desk in control of patient management once and for all!
CLICK HERE and start today.
It’s super easy to get started. Choose the number of front office staff you have, then choose your payment option, make your payment and it’ll take you right into setting up your team.