Why Appointment Reminder Cards are Outdated and How to Upgrade
post by Molly McCutcheon, TriMed Technologies - March 22, 2022

Blog17_ApptRemainderCard

If you're like most people, you probably hate getting reminder cards in the mail for doctor's appointments as well as losing them after an appointment when the front desk receptionist hands them to you to remind you of future appointments. It seems like every other day there's a new card in the mailbox reminding you to make an appointment for a cholesterol screening or to get your flu shot or the center console in your car gets full of appointment cards you received when you booked your follow-ups. Patient reminder cards are outdated, they waste paper and most of the time simply get thrown away. Electronic appointment reminders through patient portals, SMS text messages, and email are more effective at getting patients to their appointments on time.

There are several benefits of electronic appointment reminders including the fact that they help improve patient satisfaction. One study found that patients who received SMS appointment reminders were more likely to attend their appointments on time and they also had a higher satisfaction rate. Another study looked at the impact of email appointment reminders and found that patients who received them were more likely to attend their appointments and they also had a higher satisfaction rate.

The bottom line is that electronic appointment reminders are more effective than patient reminder cards and they should be used instead. Our patient portal and EHR work together to remind your patients of appointments that need to be booked as well as reminding them of upcoming appointments. When patients are notified of their appointments, they are more likely to get there on time and they also have a higher satisfaction rate. Most importantly it reduces wasted time because of no-shows and last-minute cancellations.

Some additional benefits of electronic appointment reminder cards include:

- Reducing the amount of time staff spend making reminder calls.

- Allowing patients to book, cancel, or reschedule their appointments online with zero staff intervention.

- Sending automatic reminders to patients before their appointment

The team at TriMed do all they can to make your practice run more efficiently, starting with your patients. If you struggle with patients missing their appointments or poor patient satisfaction, it might be due to your patient portal and appointment reminder system. Schedule a free demo and learn how TriMed Complete can solve those problems and many more.

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