Most providers who offer care virtually will agree that one of the most frustrating parts of telehealth is dealing with missed appointments. No-shows occur for various reasons, though frequently, they can be attributed to human error.
Easy telehealth scheduling and automated appointment reminders are the backbones of a successful virtual practice. This post will share how an easy scheduling process for providers, plus an easy joining process for patients will help to improve attendance for telehealth appointments. We’ll also provide a step-by-step guide to a smooth scheduling process for telehealth.
Overcoming Telehealth Appointment Scheduling Challenges
Overcoming challenges related to scheduling telehealth appointments can be difficult, and no practice will ever achieve 100% attendance for all virtual visits. However, research has indicated that telehealth reduces the rate of no-shows when compared to in-person visits, from 11.7% to 2.5% or by two-thirds. For this reason, telehealth providers may greatly improve their overall appointment attendance by using a reliable and efficient process that encourages patients to keep up with their scheduled appointments. As an example, sending communication about sessions by a patient’s preferred means of communication (email or text message) can be an effective solution for reducing no-shows due to forgetfulness. Setting up a process for multiple reminders is helpful as well.
Advanced scheduling features such as automated reminders can help ease the administrative burden on you and your staff. Additionally, as more and more patients enjoy (and have even come to expect) the ability to schedule an appointment online, an easy booking system based on providers’ availability can accommodate. Streamlined scheduling like this also ensures continuity of care by allowing patients and providers to book appointments with minimal effort. This increased efficiency ultimately benefits providers, allowing them to optimize their schedules and fill in gaps between sessions.
Overall, providers can benefit from telehealth as it requires less time and effort to rearrange schedules due to missed appointments. These strategies help increase operational efficiency and ensure more bookings are fulfilled.
Telehealth Scheduling: A Step-by-Step Process
Telehealth providers can now leverage a user-friendly booking solution that enhances the patient experience and allows for continuity of care. SecureVideo simplifies telehealth scheduling with automated invitations and reminders, helping healthcare providers manage time more efficiently and reduce patient appointment no-shows. Moreover, unique patient links ensure added security, while custom reminder notifications can be tailored to each provider’s preferences.
Here’s a brief explanation of how to schedule a telehealth appointment with SecureVideo for both patients and providers:
For Providers:
Simply log into the dashboard and click “New Scheduled Session,” choose desired date and time, select the participant’s details, click submit, and an automatic invitation to the patient will occur, followed by a series of two automatic reminders.
For Patients:
Using the Virtual Clinic feature (if enabled by your practice), patients select the public URL for the booking page and choose their desired service type and provider, or a first available provider. If the account is configured to accept sessions by appointment, patients can pick up to three dates and times according to preference through the calendar feature. From there, patients can register and confirm their appointment details. The Virtual Clinic may also be configured to accept on-demand sessions, allowing the patient to request a session right then, for an urgent need.
SecureVideo: Offering Advanced Telehealth Scheduling Solutions
SecureVideo is a HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing platform that offers tools for patient care. From secure messaging to telehealth sessions, the platform provides an easy and intuitive means for providers to connect with patients from anywhere in the world.
SecureVideo offers an advanced telemedicine scheduling system that simplifies booking appointments for providers and patients. SecureVideo also offers automated appointment notifications for patients, reducing no-shows and improving continuity of care.
Telehealth scheduling is now a streamlined process that leaves little room for human error. Contact SecureVideo today to learn how our system can help simplify your telehealth scheduling and appointment reminder process.