How to Improve Clinic Workflow: 10 Essential Tips

If you run a busy clinic, things can easily get lost in the mix, which is why doing your utmost to improve workflow is a must. Making your daily processes easier and more efficient will help ensure that nothing is ever overlooked. It can also give your clinic more time to focus on providing exceptional customer care to your patient. There are a host of ways to do this, from investing in clinic appointment booking software to simplifying check-in processes.

 

Below you’ll find some of the most helpful tips for improving clinic workflow, so read on!

 

1. Use Value-Stream Maps to Identify Opportunities

 

One great way you can improve clinic workflow is by employing value-stream maps to highlight opportunities or resources that may have gone unnoticed. Identify the flow of work throughout your clinic for the various health conditions you treat, then evaluate the flow and determine the best way to carry out each step in the process. You’ll likely find some ways to streamline it.

 

2. Assess Each Step in Your Value Stream & Identify Waste

 

For each step in your value-stream map, ask yourself if it benefits your patient. For example, being treated for their illness is valuable, waiting in the waiting room, not so much. Other wasteful steps might include staff members leaving the exam room to search for supplies or two nurses asking a patient the same question during their visit. These things add up and should be eliminated.

 

3. Maximize Appointments & Minimize No-Shows

 

Having a patient pull a no-call, no-show can eat up a lot of time, especially if you need to track them down to reschedule or ask for payment. One way to improve the appointment process and reduce no-shows is by implementing an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system or investing in clinic appointment scheduling software. In many cases, all the follow-up procedures can be automated, saving you time and money.

 

4. Simplify Patient Check-In, Check-Out Processes

 

Checking a patient in or out can certainly take up a lot of time if your team is unprepared. That’s why doing as much as you can to simplify the process is key. One of the best ways to do so is to make sure that you have all your patient’s necessary information on hand, like their contact information, insurance info, etc. This is where reliable clinic appointment booking software comes in handy. In most cases, such data can be entered into the system and recorded when patients book their initial appointment, either over the phone, web or from their mobile device. Then when they’re ready to check in or out, it can be pulled up at the simple click of a button.

 

5. Practice New Workflows

 

Don’t just implement a new step or process without having your staff practice it first: this could lead to miscommunication, confusion, and costly errors on your point. Any new procedure in your clinic should be implemented with the proper staff training from start to finish, giving you a chance to make any necessary tweaks and correct mistakes. Think of your staff as a sports team practicing a new play. After a few tries, it will become second nature.

 

6. Understand Your Clinic Experience from the Patient’s Perspective

 

When running a clinic, all your processes and workflows should have one thing in mind: meeting the patient’s needs and expectations. So, considering your policies, activities, and procedures from the client’s perspective is key. Try going through the process yourself to gain that insight and see what’s working and what doesn’t, then adjust your workflow accordingly. Once doing so, don’t simply implement that workflow and forget it; check to see that it’s working on occasion and make adjustments to streamline it as you go.

 

7. Automate Processes at Every Opportunity

 

Gone are the days when clinics relied solely on outdated processes to perform duties and keep track of clients. Nowadays, you should be keeping any manual work your staff has to do to the bare minimum. With innovative technology, nearly every type of process can be automated. You can follow-up with patients about visits or send reminders automatically via text or email with the right appointment booking software. Additionally, health records systems can reduce the need for flipping through files every time a patient pays a visit.

 

In fact, many clinics and hospitals have taken great steps to reduce their paper files by moving all patient information to online systems, which are more secure and are less likely to ever be lost or damaged.

 

8. Offer Pre-Registration Services

 

One way to reduce wait times and streamline the check-in process is by implementing some type of pre-registration page online for first-time patients. The right software will enable patients to implement their important info online from a laptop, desktop, or mobile device before they ever set foot into your clinic. Things like insurance information, demographics, payment solutions, and other necessary information can all be filed away well in advance. This info can then be used for automated billing purposes, sending appointment reminders, providing lab results, etc.

 

9. Reduce Costs with Digital Solutions

 

Another advantage of automating processes is that you can drastically reduce personnel costs. Just think of it, if you automate things like check-in and check-out, as well as appointment scheduling, you can have staff focus on more important issues like ensuring every patient that walks through the doors is comfortable. The easiest way to do so is by investing in a customer-relationship-management (CRM) portal. Much of the CRM software available can accommodate multiple users and provide a host of cost-saving applications, such as automatic billing,  invoicing and transaction solutions, in addition to duties like scheduling. Another benefit of switching to CRM software is that it will also maintain all the necessary info for accounts receivable in one place, streamlining your accounting processes and providing added oversight.

 

10. Measure Performance Regularly & Talk to Stakeholders

 

Measuring your clinic’s performance around strategic priorities, in addition to identifying pain points and opportunities with stakeholders is important. This is because doing so will enable you to take every aspect of your workflow into consideration, from overall costs to patient and provider satisfaction. Additionally, identifying key areas where customers aren’t satisfied can help you improve customer service and in the long run, generate more clients.

 

Let us help you improve clinic workflow with our appointment booking software!

 

My Client Schedule offers a host of easily customizable features, making it simple to get a handle on your clinic’s daily processes. By implementing our clinic appointment booking software, you’ll be able to have easy access to setup and scheduling applications, as well as a user/practitioner calendar at your disposal to ensure nothing is ever overlooked.

 

Our software also offers secure services when it comes to invoicing and payment solutions and a user-friendly client web portal for online booking. In case of any issues, we also provide extensive troubleshooting and support.

 

To learn more about the advanced clinic appointment booking software from My Client Schedule, contact us online or call (866) 518-5251.