When it comes to healthcare, NRC Health reported that most patients primarily consider convenience above the quality of care and insurance coverage. 80% of the total interviewed patients said they would change providers for convenience alone.
Reservation Booking Software is one way to offer patients convenience. This software application allows patients to have transparency into the facility’s schedule and choose any available time that’s best for them. They no longer have to wait for regular business hours to book an appointment – something very appealing for patients.
For the healthcare industry and its workers, using reservation systems software means less administrative work and reduced phone time scheduling patients. Here are ten statistics that emphasize the importance of reservation booking software.
1. Out of 5 patients interviewed, one of them says waiting for a healthcare practice to open is a challenging feat when scheduling an appointment. Meanwhile, 36.4% say phone attendants in healthcare facilities keep on putting their calls on hold.
2. Among all patients making an appointment over the phone, only half of them can successfully book on the first try.
3. About 52.2% of healthcare practices spend a minimum of 10 hours per week in scheduling and confirming appointments alone, including answering patient calls, texts, and emails.
4. Among all patients interviewed for the survey, 32% prefer the online appointment process since 2018.
5. Above half of Millennials and Generation X babies prefer healthcare providers that offer online booking appointments. If there is a more convenient provider than what they have now, they are more than willing to switch immediately.
6. 68% of patients are more likely to select medical providers that offer online systems for booking, changing, and canceling appointments.
7. For the 15 largest metro markets, the average wait time for an appointment is 24 days.
8. For medical providers using online scheduling, patients will only take five to eight days to make an appointment.
9. 35% of Online Medical Appointments occur outside the normal recommended 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM business hours.
10. Out of 5 medical providers interviewed, one testified that requesting appointments through the internet is essential to success.
Online patient scheduling increases appointment requests and allows staff to use their time in more important tasks. A reservation system added with confirmation and reminder messages make a helpful tool and reduce no-shows.