Do you ever wonder what happened to the hundreds of patients that came in for an appointment over the last few years, but haven’t returned? What if there was a way to re-establish a relationship with these patients and get them back in to see you?
The list of patients who have come in for an appointment in the past is one of healthcare practices’ most valuable, untapped assets. Since it’s much easier to bring back an old customer than acquire a new one, many practices are looking for ways to encourage patients to return in order to boost revenue for a minimal cost. Traditionally, practices attempt to reengage patients by mailing them postcards, an expensive effort with a generally poor response rate.
Benefits of Vital Interaction
With Vital Interaction, you can easily set up automated patient recalls for all of your patients via your preference of phone, text or email, which are lower-cost and –effort avenues to better response rates and return-on-investment than are traditional methods. And because the system is completely automated once configured, you can rely on the recalls being sent out to patients on time, every time. The human element is removed from the initial contact of the patient, and your staff is held accountable for following up with each contacted patient who indicates interest in scheduling an appointment.
How it Works
With calls, Vital Interaction automatically calls patients and plays a previously recorded message, inviting them to set up an appointment. They can press 1 to be immediately connected to the scheduling staff at your practice to set up the appointment.
With email, you can select the text, images, and layout of your patient reminder. In the email, patients are invited to click on a link to schedule an appointment. This triggers an email to your staff, telling them to follow up with this person.
Finally, you can use texts to invite your patients to set up a follow-up appointment. Patients can reply to these texts with “Y” to do so, inciting the Vital Interaction system to email the practice with patients’ contact info. At this point, the VI system automatically triggers a phone call between patient and practice.
Types of Patient Recalls
Vital Interaction performs patient recalls in several major categories.
1) By Birthday
There are several types of appointment related to the patient’s birthday. These include the sequence of immunizations for newborns, annual physical exams, prostate checks at age 40, and mammograms at a specific year interval, such as every 2 or 5 years. Vital Interaction can be set up to automatically send out recall notifications to these patients on or around their birthdays.
Due to recent changes in healthcare law, patients receive preventative care at no cost, yet the practice will receive revenue from insurance or Medicare. This makes recalls for annual preventative care exams even more appealing for your patients and more beneficial to their health and your revenue.
2) By Appointment type
Some types of appointments need to be scheduled within a given time after the initial appointment. These include OBGYN wellness checks and medical checkups for ADD/ADHD, where patients are encouraged to see a pediatrician within a given window after their first appointment. You can configure an interval in Vital Interaction within which to wait after the initial appointment, after which time the patient will be contacted to schedule their follow-up.
3) Marketing Promotions
There are also creative marketing uses for the patient recall function in Vital Interaction. For instance, one practice is using these to offer patients special pricing or a discount for their birthdays or when they haven’t been in for a long time, etc. This is especially useful for chiropractic, acupuncture, dental, and optometry practices.