Patient self-scheduling platforms have been a topic of high interest across healthcare organizations in the past several years. The thought behind being able to schedule an appointment with the click of a button is an attractive thought to patients and healthcare systems alike. There has been a fundamental shift in patient consumerism that is beginning to put the power into the patient’s hands to be able to shop around for goods or services of their liking. Healthcare organizations must stay on top of trends and implement appealing services to the patient.
Implementing a patient self-scheduling platform can help:
Although many healthcare systems claim to offer self-scheduling capabilities, only a few have successfully implemented a platform with self-scheduling capabilities fully integrated into an EHR. The Center for Connected Medicine performed a study where they identified that 78% percent of hospitals claim to have implemented self-scheduling, but less than one-third of actual booked appointments are scheduled through self-scheduling tools.
The study done by The Center for Connected Medicine identified barriers related to the implementation of self-scheduling. These include:
There are several companies that have developed successful direct-to-consumer scheduling platforms that have been successfully adopted across various organizations
Multiple healthcare organizations have implemented a centralized self-scheduling approach which addresses some of the barriers to collaborative care. Centralized scheduling uses a single scheduler or scheduling department to book appointments for various departments. The Medical News bulletin says that centralized scheduling can help coordinate treatment space, allow for quick and easy booking, help with standardization of appointments, create ease in maintaining staffing schedules, improve record keeping, and save time and energy by creating a one-stop-shop scheduling method.
Creating a platform to achieve true patient self-scheduling capabilities remains open for innovation. Many opportunities exist within scheduling that can achieve the coveted patient self-scheduling platform.
At Clinovera, we understand the importance of empowering patients and streamlining their healthcare journey. We invite you to contact us today and discover self-scheduling opportunities tailored to your needs. Contact us for a consultation!