Overbooking vs. No-shows

We all know patients don’t like to wait a long time to see the doctor. It takes time out of the day, it’s boring, and for some people it just gives them more time to worry about the exam. Patients feel like since they’re paying for a service, they deserve the best service possible.

On the flip side, doctors’ offices are businesses. They’re there to treat patients, but they also have to bring in revenue to support themselves. Doctors need to see as many patients as possible and, at the end of the day, they get to all the patients who show up for their appointments. The same can’t always be said for the patients – there’s no guarantee they’ll show up.

To keep a steady flow of patients, doctors remind patients of their appointments via phone or e-mail. Sometimes they’ll play the statistics and overbook themselves in case of no-shows or last-minute cancellations.

Many doctors will go so far as to investigate the main reasons patients give for not showing up – like transportation problems, child-care needs, co-pay concerns, scheduling errors, and time of day. Doctors have tried to remedy these issues by scheduling according to the transportation available or validating their parking, negotiating agreements on co-payments and working with other MDs with similar issues.

It’s not unheard-of to confront a patient about his or her bad attendance and refuse service if it’s hurting the business. Both doctor and patient have an interest in the appointment, so perhaps suggesting a new physician could up free time to see more reliable patients.

I once waited over 2 hours to see a doctor and thought I’d never get out to enjoy the day. But, then again, I’ve cancelled appointments the night before because it just wasn’t convenient. Doctors are only trying to balance the workload and support their business – and patients don’t always have time to wait an hour – so it’s an even better service when physicians try to accommodate both needs.

Visit Six Sigma for more tips and facts.

-Aaron