An Investigation of Implemented Appointment Reminder Systems

Background: As we know, patients that do not keep appointments or "no-shows" are a part of what a health care provider must contend with. This causes complications like loss of available appointment time, productivity, and efficiency of the work place. In an effort to
minimize no-show rates, practitioners use many appointment reminder systems today. The goal of our research is to determine the most efficient appointment reminder system(s) to reduce the rate of no-shows. Melhods: A survey containing questions about patient appointment reminder systems and no-show rates will be sent to optometric practices throughout the state of Michigan. Optometric practices will be polled with this survey with the expected n of 75. Results: We will be measuring the type(s) of appointment reminder system(s) used in each practice, such as personal phone call, automated phone call, postcard, text message, email, and letter in the mail. In addition to determining the system(s) implemented by the office we will collect data regarding their no-show rate. We will then compare each type of appointment reminder to their respective no-show rate to determine the efficacy of each system. This will help to reveal the most efficient manner of reminding patients of their upcoming appointment. Conclusions: This research will help practitioners increase the efficiency of communicating with their patients, thus resulting in a more productive practice.