Staying On Schedule, Make Your Patients Happy and Boost Revenue at the Same Time

By Janice Simmons. When looking to boost revenue, physicians often ignore one area that could increase their bottom lines while making patients happier: better scheduling.. "Physicians pretty much run on shoestring budgets . . . and [they're] looking at how to cut costs," says Elizabeth Woodcock, a Medical Group Management Association consultant based in Charlottesville, Va. "But the big dollars are on the revenue side. Other than billing and collections . . . scheduling is the key way to get more dollars in the door.". The average physician usually sees 25 to 30 patients a day, Woodcock notes. If that physician revises current scheduling practices and can add another two to four patients to his day—about a 10 percent increase—revenue could increase 10 percent as well.. For all types of practices, these changes are made not by overscheduling—an area which has come under legal scrutiny—but by being "creative about your scheduling," Woodcock emphasizes.. Customizing the schedule. No single one-size-fits-all solution exists for physician practices to create more efficient scheduling. However, steps can be taken by all practices—no matter the size or specialty—to develop an appointment ...

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