Medical Practice Tips on Tardy Patients
The American Medical Association published a great article a while back on tardy patients and how they can affect a practice and its other patients. There were several key points that we felt were worthy of some special attention, so below is a brief synopsis of the advice proffered in the article (and of course, we threw in a few thoughts of our own).
Make 'Em Wait
Late patients should only be seen by their doctor AFTER all on-time patients have been seen. Otherwise, you're only rewarding the behavior by accomodating the tardy patient while penalizing the on-time patients by making them wait.
Make 'Em Pay
Late patients should be assessed a late fee, but it's vital that you be clear and consistent about the late fee policy from the patient's first interacion with your practice. Post your policy in your waiting room, and train your staff to announce the policy when setting new appointments. Draw a clear line between what is considered acceptably late (5 minutes? 10 minutes?) and what warrants a late fee assessment (15 minutes? 30 minutes?).
Use The Tools Available
CollaborateMD customers who elect to use our phone notification system can easily remind patients of the importance of promptness and can clearly communicate penalties for being late. What is most important here is to use positive language. For example, you can tell your patients, "We value our patients' time and will always see prompt patients as quickly as possible. Tardy patients will need to wait until all on-time patients have been seen." As opposed to, "Late patients will be charged this fee...period!"
According to the AMA article, "appointment reminders reduce the number of no-shows by 20% to 25%, and could work for late-shows, as well." Use these tools to your advantage, and you could see a significant impact on patient satisfaction and your bottom line.
Practice What You Preach
The AMA article calls attention to another key factor in reducing patient tardiness a success, stating "...experts suggest the practice look at its own late record." A practice that fails to keep their internal operations running smoothly enough to keep on schedule cannot realistically expect patients to practice promptness.
Source: American Medical Association article, "How to Handle Patients Who Are Always Late", published April 13, 2009.