Quick Tips ISSUE #11

SCHEDULING "The Ideal Day"

If you want happier staff, if you want to run on time and if you want more enthusiastic
patients, consider scheduling “Ideal Days.” An Ideal Day must first be defined and then all appointments scheduled in accordance to this definition.

When defining an ideal day there are a number of factors which must be considered. All practitioners are not the same, nor do they like to practice in the same manner or at the same speed. Nonetheless, there is an ideal day for each one. One way to start the process is to work out the revenue you want to generate that day and your preferences re types of appointments or patients that you want to see.

The revenue aspect can be calculated fairly easily. How much money do you want to make divided by the number of days that you plan to work. The result is a per day amount. Can you produce this amount on a consistent daily basis? Can you arrange your appointments so you can produce this amount? What must the appointment book look like in order to produce this (how many long appointments versus how many short appointments)? You must define the optimum schedule and then show your staff how to book you accordingly.

In terms of patient types, you will have preferences in how they are to be scheduled
as well. For example, patients who require additional or special care can be very trying on a practitioner if not scheduled correctly. This can be avoided by issuing explicit instructions to your staff about what you don’t want to appear in your book and, of course, ensuring that they are carried through with.

No matter which of the above are being phased in, they have to be monitored and often retuned until you get exactly the result you want. Whether you get what you want or not is often a question of how persistent you are in terms of carrying through on your ideal day protocols. Monitor your appointment book and continue to groove in the new procedures for the way you want to be booked.

For more great ideas on how to improve your practice, contact us