SMS Patient Notification
Cut the cost of missed appointments
Our SMS Patient Notification Solution will help reduce the number of DNAs and cut the exorbitant cost to the NHS of missed appointments
DNAs (did not attends)/no-shows/non-attendance are wasting millions of pounds of the NHS budget
Between 2007 and 2008, 6.5 million appointments were missed in the UK
Like airlines, in an attempt to reduce the number of ‘empty seats’, it is now common practice for NHS clinics to over-book appointments to minimise wasting resources and the knock-on financial drain, but it does not solve the problem and is difficult to ‘manage’. There is a risk that if there was 100% turn-out, resources maybe overstretched and patients could be disadvantaged.
There are 76,168,000 mobile phone subscriptions in the UK (SMS mobile phone stats for 2008/2009)
- Texting is discreet - you can sneak a look at a text when you would not be able to answer a call
- Text is instant – if you have to cancel a clinic at short notice, you can text those with appointments and save them a wasted journey
- Text is a two way communication method – you can give patients the option to reply, to rebook or cancel an appointment
- Text is cost effective
- SMS technology integrates with leading IT Healthcare Systems
- Delivery notification receipt
The NHS Constitution gives patients the right to access NHS services, but patients have responsibilities too – it is important to keep appointments, or cancel within reasonable time, but not everyone does
Reasons for DNAs and late shows
Poor communications
If patients can’t get through to the clinic by telephone because lines are busy and there is no option to leave a message, they may not be able to keep calling, so just don’t turn up – after all, they tried to let you know.
Too busy
People are constantly having to juggle their time. Work and family matters compete for the patient’s attention
Poor time management
Patients do not realise that turning up late for booked appointments puts additional pressure on allocated resource
Make it easier for patients – remind them of their appointment date and time
Any reminder system has to be cost effective and easy to implement and manage – which is why we have developed an SMS Patient Notification System
- No telephone calls, you do not have to speak to every patient or leave a message
- Integrates with electronic appointment calendars
- Can be configured to your exact needs to automatically establish who to remind and when
- You can contact the whole clinic list (or select a group of contacts from your database) at the same time by sending a single communication
- Option to ‘reply’ – accept, cancel or rebook the appointment
Or you could continue to use one of the more traditional methods of reminding patients:
| Reminder Method | The Downside | |
| Posters in clinic waiting rooms encouraging patients to attend their appointments which include information on the actual ££’s cost to that clinic/department of DNAs for the last month/quarter/year – share the bad news with them | Will patients read them and take the message away with them? | |
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| Reminder calls | Will patients be home when you call or be able to answer the phone at work? Will they listen to the message if you leave one? | |
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| Appointment cards with time and date | Easily lost | |
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| Email reminders | Will they open the email? | |
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| Postal reminders | Cost – time, paper, postage, not delivered etc | |
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| A fine to ‘compensate’ the NHS for its wasted resource/time | All require setting-up, administration and management | |
| An online booking cancellation service | ||
| A dedicated cancellation ‘hotline’ | ||
These all take time to either set up or implement which equals cost, plus, there is no guarantee that patients have read the poster, picked up the phone message, can find the appointment card or have opened the email.
Missed appointments waste healthcare professionals’ time and a great deal of money
More information
For more information about our Text Appointment Reminder Solution call us on 01962 835053, or email sales@processflows.co.uk.
