Four Reasons Your Practice Needs Physical Therapy Scheduling Software

If your physical therapy practice serves multiple patients, then you've probably already struggled with schedule problems. Some patients fall through the cracks when they don't schedule their next appointment when their daily treatment is completed, while others may miss an appointment because they had the information marked down wrong. And you've probably noticed that on some days, your therapists are overbooked, while on other days they're left with too little, or nothing, to do. It can be frustrating, but the right physical therapy scheduling software can make things easier for everybody. There are several excellent reasons to invest in a program that takes care of the details for you.

Fewer Missed Appointments

Every practice has the occasional missed appointment, but the cost of missed appointments quickly adds up. Every time one of your therapists has a cancellation, he or she is simply sitting around not making any money for your practice or themselves. A good physical therapy scheduling software package will remind you or your front desk employee whenever an appointment reminder needs to be sent out prior to a scheduled session, minimizing missed appointments. You can also use the system to print out appointment reminders for the next session on the spot, before patients leave.

Fewer Lapsed Patients

It can be difficult to keep up with which patients need to be scheduled for a follow-up appointment or additional sessions. With this type of therapy scheduling software, you'll get periodic reminders so that fewer patients "fall off" their schedules. This ensures compliance with their prescribed treatment and results in better patient outcomes. It also means a more reliable income for your PTs and your practice.

Multiple Scheduling Capabilities Of Physical Therapy Scheduling Software

Studies have shown that patients who book two or more appointments at the same time are more likely to keep those appointments. The right program will allow you to schedule appointments several weeks or even months ahead and print out a list of dates to give to your patients, making it easier for all of you.

Improved Documentation And Organization

Most software is either bundled with or part of a physical therapy software program that includes physical therapy documentation templates. These templates are an excellent resource for designing your own forms and ensuring that all patient information is tied together. When you set up a patient's next appointment, her records will automatically be updated and her therapy notes will be made available to her PT. By using standard documentation templates as the jumping off point for your patient records, you'll also ensure that your patient records meet proper documentation guidelines for HIPAA, Medicare and other entities.

There are many quality physical therapy scheduling programs available for businesses of all sizes. When you find one that you feel is a good fit, be sure to ask for a free demonstration so that you and your staff can properly evaluate its performance. After your employees start using it, they'll wonder how your practice ever did without it.