Improve Practice Efficiency with Patient Attendance Metrics

You can’t improve the data you can’t see. From a lack of front-staff during periods of extended patient activity to a disorganized catalog of referral patients, the data that slips through the cracks of your practice might just be the information that could skyrocket your efficiency. Fortunately, you can regain control over your practice performance by harnessing patient attendance metrics. 

Manage Staff and Patient Scheduling According to Attendance Trends

Patient attendance trends weigh the amount of scheduled and referral appointments against the number of confirmed and completed appointments. These trends heavily influence every aspect of your practice, including staffing, patient wait time, and the effectiveness of your scheduling system. For instance, consider the difference between scheduled appointments versus confirmed appointments. 

If your practice is scheduling staff according to the number of patient inquiries instead of confirmed appointments, you have a chance of over- or under-staffing your office. Likewise, if patients are scheduling an initial appointment but failing to confirm the date and time of their arrival, you may need to improve your scheduling system or have a dedicated front-staff representative follow-up on all appointments. Not to mention, if patient appointments are taking longer than necessary due to extended wait times, you may want to schedule more front-staff.

Patient attendance trends can help make your practice safer for staff and patients alike. With COVID-19 precautions still in place across the country, attendance metrics provide a bird’s eye view of when your practice is at its most populous. By understanding when your practice is at the highest capacity, you can better maintain the appropriate hygienic processes to keep your patients and staff safe.

Offer Highly Personalized Care to Each Patient

Your patients expect an individualized experience. Luckily, patient attendance metrics can help provide personalized care to each individual that walks through your practice’s doors. Attendance metrics allow you to track each patient from their initial consultation and scheduling through past and current appointments. 

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Detailed metrics allow your practice to identify where exactly patients are falling through the funnel: while scheduling or between visits? You can monitor which patients are returning for follow-up appointments and tie trends to individual patient progress. Plus, you can identify gaps in the patient experience that may be encouraging individuals to not return and better maintain patients’ Plan of Care (POC).

Manage Incoming and Past Patient Referrals

Patient referrals are especially important in the field of outpatient therapy—and the metrics you receive through your data systems must reflect this importance. Patient attendance metrics can maintain a record of your referral sources, both from individual physicians and general practices, and monitor how each is performing. Additionally, you can begin qualifying the types of patients your referral partners are sending you to ensure your practice is an appropriate fit. 

Patient attendance metrics provide critical insight into the drop-off of referral patients. The ability to audit patient referrals is key to comparing the number of patient discharges to the number of initial evaluations. With patient data powered by cloud-based EMR software, you can begin identifying gaps in a referral patient’s experience that may encourage them to shift providers or abandon treatment. 

There’s no better time to learn about patient attendance metrics powered by cloud-based EMR software. Discover how Net Health Therapy for Outpatient Clinics’ patient attendance metrics can improve your practice efficiency today.