Appointment reminder systems aren’t new. Chances are most of us have gotten that computer driven call from our doctor reminding us of our upcoming appointment. We like these calls because they are short, to the point and we don’t have to talk to anyone. While these systems have been around for quite some time, there are great differences among the various solutions on the market. How do you decide on the best system? Here are 3 tips for finding a the right system.

Tip 1 – Make sure your appointment reminder system is integrated with your practice management software.

Many systems out there will do an adequate job of calling your patients, but since they are not set up to automatically read your daily patient schedule from your practice management software, you have to manually enter in appointments. This is double the work and increases the chances for data entry errors. Stay away from these types of systems.

Tip 2 – Get a system that does not require additional hardware or phone lines.

In the early days of this technology, getting an automated reminder system always meant purchasing hardware and very often additional phone lines. Many systems on the market today still use this approach. Buying or renting hardware and the additional phone lines that these systems require add unnecessary cost to your bottom line. There are additional maintenance headaches that also go with this approach. A few systems out there do not need additional hardware or phone lines. They scan your appointment schedule and use the Internet to relay the call list to an offsite automated calling center. Choose a system that uses the Internet rather than relying on extra hardware in your office.

Tip 3 – Choose a system that automatically customizes the calls.

When you have your staff make reminder calls, they most likely customize their message depending on the type of visit. For example, if the billing department tells the front office that a particular patient’s insurance is no longer valid, the front office person making the call would inform the patient that he or she needs to bring in a current health insurance card so that their billing information can be updated. Likewise, medical practices serving multilingual communities need to make reminder calls in the appropriate language. A few systems on the market can intelligently scan your schedule and detect these types of special circumstances and then customize the phone call to meet the situation. This type of adaptability will maximize your chances of getting full reimbursement for the visit.

If your practice is still making manual telephone reminder calls, you are losing BIG money. Be wise. Choose an automated system that is integrated with your practice management software, does not require additional hardware or phone lines and intelligently customizes each call.

Russ B. Carpenter is a nationally-published author and expert on medical practice management software and electronic medical records software. Mr. Carpenter is Director of Marketing for MARS Medical Systems, Inc., maker of NetPractice Practice Management Software. Find out more a http://www.NetPractice.com