Patient retention rates at a practice should ideally be between 85% and 95%, and if your practice is nowhere near that range, it’s a sure sign that your recall mechanism needs to be refined. A lot of practices rarely realize the importance of a strong recall system and think it’s unnecessary. As a result, their patient retention rate falls unnecessarily low. It’s important to spend some time working on your recall system if you want to get the once-active patients back in your books. Neglecting the recall system will, most definitely, hurt your practice.
Here’s how ignoring recalls can hurt your practice:
Losing patients
While it’s important to attract new patients, it’s also very important to retain the already-existing ones. A lot of times, patients are never heard from again after their appointments. Without a perfect recall system, practices are most likely to lose these patients as you lose any chance of building a bond with your patients.
Losing patient referrals
Patients who haven’t visited the practice in a while probably won’t recommend it to their friends and family either. That’s a missed opportunity, which can cost the practice a lot of money.
Broken appointments
A couple of missed appointments may not seem like a problem. However, cancellations and no-shows tend to become a common occurrence if they go unchecked. This obviously leads to loss of revenue.
Loss of revenue
Without a recall system, patients would most likely not prioritize overdue payments. This is sure to result in your practice suffering losses.
Here are some of the benefits of prioritizing recalls:
Increase in patient retention rates
Prioritizing your recalls can work wonders in increasing the patient retention rates at your practice. Having a strong recall system helps you give your patients the best service that is possible; whether they are current clients or new ones. Recalling your patients to inform them about their condition, reminding them about their pending payments, and educating them about the various payment options available helps improve the practice-patient relationship.
Increase in referrals
A loyal patient is most likely to refer their friends and family to a practitioner they trust. This is especially true if you are able to provide exceptional treatment and a great patient experience.
Reduced no-shows and broken appointments
No practice wants to deal with the hassles of last-minute cancellations and no-shows. However, it is only natural for patients to forget their appointments in the midst of their busy schedule and not show up for their treatments. With an effective recall system, such incidents can be avoided to a great extent, as it gives your patients constant reminders for their appointments and payment responsibilities.
Boost practice-patient relationships
Patients need to feel valued. Reaching out to your patients through recall, ensuring their oral health, and providing up-to-date information shows them how much they are valued at your practice. This helps in building a stronger bond and in building trust.
Increase in revenue
The more patients your practice has, the more revenue it makes. By making recall a priority at your practice, you will put patients who were previously inactive back in your books. Your patients will also be reminded of their payment responsibilities. The improved on-time payments cycle will increase the overall cash flow at your practice.
In summary, patient recall helps a practice maintain ongoing patient care, increase patient retention, and reduce no-show rates. Recalls give your practice the opportunity to talk to your patients about their dental health, remind them about their appointments, and also educate them on their payment responsibilities. This extra effort makes your patient feel special and valued, enhancing the trust that they have in your practice. Recall is important, and ignoring it is detrimental to a healthy revenue cycle.
