Update Apr. 2010:
Updated link to PLZ.
Update Jan. 2008:
Added ClientTell to the list.
Update Sept. 2007:
The guys behind the Lighthouse Practice Management Group have released their patient reminder system and it is great. It can be found at Lighthouse-PLZ. Disclaimer: We use this system with out Dentrix PMS and have since May 2007
Appointment confirmations are a time consuming task. Are there ways to make this more efficient and how much could you save?
First, some assumptions:
- A single staff member does all the confirmations
- He or she is paid $17/hr as a Front Desk/Receptionist people are expensive on the left coast
- An appointment confirmation/voicemail message takes 5 minutes to look up, dial, converse and hang up.
- This fictional practice has a single doc with 5 ops and 2 hygienists
- There are roughly 30 patients a day to confirm (8 to 5)
Cost Analysis
30 calls X 5 minutes = 150 mintues / 60 minutes per hour = 2.5 hours a day
2.5 hours X $17 per hour = $42.50 per day (not including phone charges)
This practice is open 4 days a week for an average of 20 days a month.
20 days X $42.50 per day = $850 per month
Options
Well, if we can find a way to reduce the amount of time this person spends on the phone, they would have more time to deal with the patients in the office. They could also spend that time doing something that genuinely increases production by filling open holes in the schedule.
Currently, the best options are:
- An electronic phone confirmation system
- Using an email-based confirmation system
- Using a text-messaging confirmation system
If any of these could handle half of the confirmations that need to be done, they would need be be $425/mo. or less to be cost effective.
Lighthouse PLZ is ~$199/mo. (see pricing)
- Note: PLZ also sends postcards automagically ($0.56ea incl. postage via SmartPractice) to patients who do not have an email address or cell phone
DemandForce is $299 a month for 1 provider.
UAppoint is $199 a month for 1 provider (basic package)
- Note: UAppoint can also send postcards
SmileReminders is apparently ~$249 a month (from their website)
TeleVox ~$219-500 a month
All of these services can save this practice money. A voice/phone-based solution like TeleVox or ClientTell can save the most up front because every patient is going to have their phone number in the family file. The email/SMS-based solutions get more valuable as the practice collects email addresses and cell-phone numbers.
There’s probably a patient perception that a practice that uses email confirmations is a little more advanced than a practice that simply uses a computerized voice system. The computerized voice may appear to be too cold or impersonal.
With ClientTell’s phone reminder service the cost for your size per month would be only $100 and since all patients have home phone numbers (as opposed to cell phones and emails) you can expect over 90% reach.
Thanks Jean for that information. Looks like ClientTell is another good alternative.
There is a great new way to SMS (text message) information/reminders to your patients. Instead of subscribing to a service that charges per month, you can purchase your own device. My company, Nielsen Telecommunications, is a reseller of this product. It was released January 2008.
Applications and benefits include:
* Appointment scheduling. Appointments can be texted by the patient and confirmed by your office in seconds – no busy signals or patients waiting on hold.
* Send important messages instantly. Let patients know when test results are ready, when annual exams should be scheduled, or even inform your scheduled appointments that your schedule is running a few minutes behind.
The possibilities are endless. By advertising your texting capabilities and encouraging your patients to reply via text, you benefit twofold. Patients are asking for your advertising and sending their information directly to your database. Data entry is a thing of the past as the database is populated automatically! Further, if a cellular number needs to be removed from the database, a “trigger” message may be sent for automated removal.
With the capability of designating up to 50 groups with a total of 20,000 cellular phone numbers, your business is sure to reach the correct party every time.
To learn more about this exciting new technology, contact Nielsen Telecommunications today for more information or a demonstration.
How it works:
Attach it to your LAN, place a Cellular SIM card with an unlimited text messaging account in it and access it through a workstation on your LAN with a web browser. It has the ability to import/export a database, and can send/receive 600 text messages an hour. You can setup trigger messages to perform housekeeping within the server. It is only the size of a small book, does not need any Internet service since it sends the text messages via the cellular carrier, and is inexpensive and very flexible. It is also stackable and will load balance for numerous messages.
Price is $985 per unit and comes with a 2 year warranty.
Unlimited text messaging SIM card $25-$45 month
Contact me for further information.
Nick Nielsen
Nielsen Telecommunications
phone 630 904 4365
Naperville, Illinois
Don’t forget to have a look at Dental Senders http://www.dentalsenders.com very similar to Demandforce, SmileReminder and Lighthouse only it is FREE to use.
Thanks,
Tony
Since this post was first made, Lighthouse has re-branded this automated patient reminder system from “propel” to “PLZ”. The web site is http://www.justsayplz.com.
Also since the initial post, Lighthouse has added automated Outbound Phone Calling (just like Televox), printed LETTERS for patient re-activation campaigns and super-sized postcards for direct mail marketing (to bring more patients into the practice). So now, Lighthouse PLZ handles all the major patient communication functions (appointment reminders, recall reminders, inactive patient re-activation, prospective patient marketing) using ALL of the major mediums: email, text messages, voice phone calling, letters, and postcards,
There is also a new service that can be used globally. Our dentist office uses it down in New Zealand and love it. It’s easy to use and our patients are happy. We send text and email appointment reminders. We also send email blasts to inform our patients.
What we love is that there is no monthly fee, it’s just pay as you go. http://www.sitTxTbroadcast.com, go check it out.
Another site that I just started investigating is WisePatient (www.wisepatient.com/provider).
WisePatient looks like it does everything all these other vendors do, but also allows for 24/7 self-service scheduling. They are based here in Chicago and our office is going to give them a shot! I think they provide the most bang-for-our-buck given the other services they offer and price point.