The traditional patient booking method
Booking appointments through the phone has always been a norm. However, it does have some issues. For instance, when booking through the phone, miscommunications often occur which lead to appointments scheduled at the wrong time. Furthermore, booking appointments through the phone is not always available for patients because the receptionist only picks up calls when the clinic is open. To add onto that, even when the clinic is open, calls can go missed due to the clinic being busy. A recent study conducted by Accenture reveals that 68% of patients prefer online booking and are more likely to choose a provider they can book appointments online with due to the reasons listed above.
Why patients want online booking
Patients prefer online booking because firstly, there is no chance of a miscommunication occurring. They book the appointments on their own and can select the time and provider by themselves. This ensures that they do not get a wrong appointment time due to a miscommunication with someone else. Moreover, since they are doing it on their own, they do not need to depend on the receptionist to list all the available wait times and they can just see the schedule on their own which further ensures convenience. They also do not need to depend on their phone call being picked up. Since it is online, they can do it at their own time whenever they want. They can even book an appointment after hours which further ensures flexibility for the patient. All these factors illustrate why patients would prefer a provider that they can book appointments online with.
Why Porton Health is the right telehealth choice
Porton Health’s BookApp is an app that allows patients to book appointments with ease. It is a very simple process that is all done through the website. It not only easens the experience for the patients, but it also makes it easy for the provider and the clinic as there are no additional downloads needed, and the entire process is web integrated.
To learn more about our apps, email us at connect@portonhealth.com.
References
HGrades. (2017, November 6). Assessing online scheduling as an emerging trend in scheduling physician appointments. Mobi Health Leaders. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/assessing-online-scheduling-emerging-trend-scheduling-physician-appointments.