Waiting for the doctor is not enjoyable. It can increase anxiety levels as patients wonder how the appointment will go, if waiting will delay the rest of the day, and if being around others in the waiting room will expose them to illness. Extended patient wait times are not good for healthcare facilities either, since it means crowded waiting rooms and deterred potential patients. Patient wait time has a financial aspect as well, which is affected poorly the longer wait times become. 

Improving patient wait times is a constant goal for most medical practices, but the task can seem overwhelming. There are many factors in play, and the human element is the biggest one. Despite appearances, there are some tools medical facilities can employ to improve the situation. 

Patience Is a Virtue

Average patient wait times sit at about 20 minutes, which 43% of patients polled in a 2017 survey found frustrating. In fact, the wait makes nearly 2 out of 5 patients frustrated with their physician before he or she even comes in, and 61% of surveyed physicians have experienced negative feedback regarding wait times from their patients.

Unfortunately, the human element is the most common cause of extended patient wait times. 64% of physicians cite patients arriving later than their scheduled appointment time as the biggest reason clinics and practices run behind schedule. “Unexpected patient issues” wasn’t far behind, while technical difficulties and staffing challenges fell significantly lower

A Delicate Balancing Act

Doctors offices must find the balance between overbooking and having enough visits to not lose money from no-shows, which can cost an average of $200. That means that two no-shows every day will cost a practice more than $10,000 at minimum. 

More than half of the doctors surveyed claimed that patient wait time has minimal impact on their ability to retain patients, while nearly 30% expected it has a moderate impact. However, according to the patients surveyed, the top three consequences of long wait times are leaving the clinic without seeing the physician, advising others against visiting the clinic in question, and switching to a new doctor. With these responses in mind, it is easy to see how long patient wait times can harm a practice’s finances and reputation. 

This is the vicious cycle: practices overbook patients to compensate for the financial losses of missed appointments, but the long wait times that result actually cause missed appointments. An additional problem is that leaving after a long wait can sour a patient, and that poor opinion can spread to their contacts, leading to even more business lost.

Ways to Reduce Patient Wait Times

Amidst the frustrating cycle, there is hope. There are strategies that can minimize wait times, and even the smallest change can have large dividends. Consider the following tools:

Let Patients Know What to Expect

The consensus is that being told about wait times beforehand limits frustration. When patients arrive for their appointments or as walk-ins, let them know how long they can expect to wait. This requires a bit of calculation on a receptionist’s part, taking into consideration the number of appointments ahead of the patient and any no-shows.

Be Proactive About No-Shows

While emergencies will always arise and the possibility of patients failing to arrive for their appointments cannot be completely eliminated, it can be minimized on two fronts. Automated reminder messages can remind patients about their appointments hours and days in advance, reducing the risk that patients simply forget about their slots.

Many practices have also found it effective to establish a late-arrival policy, letting patients know there are consequences to multiple late arrivals. A practice in Massachusetts sends warning letters the first three times they are more than five minutes late, and on the fourth time asks the patient to find another provider. While this may seem dramatic, it can have a dramatic and positive effect on a practice’s wait times.

Gather Patient Information Before the Appointment Begins

While not many people love filling out paperwork before their doctor’s appointment, most people do expect it. Encourage patients to be very thorough when filling it out. With comprehensive information, physicians can make more informed assessments before the appointment begins.

Collaborate with a Telephone Triage Service or Utilize TeleHeath Technologies

If patients can communicate with triage nurses before they come in, those who do not need urgent care can be dissuaded from lengthening waiting lines. Telehealth services can help in a similar way, though a practice needs to have sufficient staff to make using it effective.

Adopt a Patient Portal or Use a Mobile Queue

Allowing patients to see where they fall in the line can help alleviate the frustration of waiting. 

Identify and troubleshoot bottlenecks in your software usage. YourReplace time-consuming applications with new, time-saving ones.

Identify Areas of Needed Improvement

Having a clear understanding of relevant metrics will help address problem places. It may be time to invest in software to that end. Where software bottlenecks exist, staff may need training or the software may need to be optimized to fit a specific practice. Updates may be in the queue that can save time. Tech should make a practice more efficient, not less.

The journey to minimize patient wait times does not have to be undertaken alone. For help identifying areas where efficiency can be improved, give Aspen Ridge Medical a call today.

Medical coding and billing professionals usually work behind the scenes, which means that in comparison with medical care providers, they do not get a lot of limelight. While many don’t mind, it is valuable to highlight how much they improve the efficiency of the healthcare system. The medical coding and billing practices that are currently in place streamline the care process experienced by both providers and patients.

A Brief History of Medical Coding as We Know It

Medical coding has its roots in 17th century England. Data about disease were collected and assigned numerical codes. These London Bills of Mortality were then used to assess the most recurrent causes of death. From their institution until the late 1830s, the bills’ greatest flaw was the lack of consistency in their terminology. At that time, British Epidemiologist Dr. William Farr instituted a uniform classification system. 

These improved bills served as the precursor to the International List of Causes of Death, which was fully realized by the 1930s. The list began to be used by the World Health Organization in its monitoring of international epidemiological phenomena, especially as the list further evolved into the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which began in 1977 to collect disease and injury data beyond only that which resulted in death.

This change especially has expanded medical records and their usefulness exponentially, and a contemporaneous technological breakthrough made it possible. The commercially-available computer improved the efficiency of medical records and billing in a way that was desperately needed. Now search terms through databases are readily available, instead of spending valuable time searching through thick medical code books. This is not only more time-efficient, but also more cost-efficient, since new copies of such books do not need to be checked, updated, and reprinted each year to stay up to code.

The greater availability and specificity of diagnostic classifications provided by the current medical coding system allows medical personnel to provide more extensive and therefore better care. The current system, called ICD-11 since January of this year, has gone through many revisions to be as accessible and accurate as possible (hence the -11). Currently, there are over 140,000 ICD-11 codes.

How Do Medical Coding and Billing Meet?

Medical coders convert a patient’s medical experience into corresponding ICD-11 codes. They serve as translators so the billing process can be precise and does not get bogged down by medical terminology. Coders then send the codes to a medical biller, who is responsible for using the ICD-11 codes provided to create an appropriate bill. They first create a claim for the patient’s insurance company, which the latter then evaluates and returns. It is then up to the biller to determine how much the patient owes out of pocket.

This system of designating medical coding, billing, and insuring to different entities streamlines the record-keeping and financial aspects of healthcare. It allows medical professionals like doctors and nurses to concentrate on treating patients.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Medical Coding and Billing

More Dedicated Patient Care

When medical billing is outsourced to a designated firm, medical staff can focus on their patients, instead of feeling split between caregiving and administrative duties. Everyone at a healthcare facility benefits from this: patients can receive the dedicated care they need, and medical personnel can do what they do best.

Improve Customer Service

The other side of the coin also applies. If medical billing is performed by a third party and not a nurse that feels the need to race off to attend to patients, the people in administrative roles can give patients calling with non-medical questions a better experience. People calling to verify their coverage can have their questions answered in a more focused manner.

More Efficient and Compliant Claims Processing

Because all of the medical coding and billing is performed by someone dedicated to do them, outsourcing the processes saves a medical facility money and time. Everything is sure to be processed in the same way and in ways that are up to code.

Fewer Mistakes

Mistakes in the medical billing process have tremendous dividends. Sometimes they are not discovered immediately, which can cost a patient or practice thousands of dollars. The paperwork is also notoriously difficult to clean up, and the process can take years. Because designated medical coders and billers can do their work without dividing their attention between it and patient care, outsourcing medical billing yields fewer mistakes and is more efficient at protecting patient information. 

Boost Productivity

Without having to jump back and forth, separating caregiving and administrative work allows staff on both sides to be more productive. This can save a clinic or hospital a lot of money while providing better patient care. To outsource your medical coding and billing, reach out to Aspen Ridge Medical today.