Optimizing Your Appointment Scheduling: Tips for Streamlining Patient Flow

You stroll into your clinic, tea in heand, ready to tackle the day. But as you open your EHR with a sense of forbodeing, what do you find? Surprise appointments scattered about like confetti, all over your calendar. Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. Once upon a time, you said yes to the siren call of your EHR’s online scheduling portal. Oh, the thrill of knowing patients could book appointments without lifting a finger! But fast foward to today, and you’re starting to wonder if it’s less miracle, more mischief. 

Let’s get real for a moment. Allowing patients to schedule online might seem like a stroke of genius, but here’s the tea: you’re giving up autonomy and authority and time, which we don’t have to tell you, is a finite resource. 

So now you’re left with this digital doozy: random appointments, uncoordinated chaos, and a schedule that’s as unpredictable as Mercury in retrograde. 

How is letting a patient schedule at 9am and another at 11:30am and yet another at 3pm an effective or efficient use of your time? It your schedule. It’s your clinic. Opening your schedule to anyone who peruses your website is akin to handing your house keys to strangers on the street. 

Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but you get the point.

So let’s circle back to why you were so excited about utilizing online scheduling in the first place… you kind of hate answering your phone.   Actually you REALLY dislike it.  And that’s okay, because you’re not that great at it. Again, totally okay because you didn’t get a Master’s in phone answering, or a Doctorate in receptioning (assuming receptioning is a verb.)  

But here’s a horrifying little secret – not answering your phone is costing you thousands each day. THOUSANDS. EACH. DAY.  Let that sink in.

According to a LinkedIn study, small businesses miss about 22% of their calls. But in our world of acupuncture, that number skyrockets. How do we know? We’ve “secret shopped” our new clients and discovered a shocking truth: 87% of them failed to answer the phone. Oops.

So, what happens when a potential patient gets your voicemail? Cue the epic fail montage: missed opportunities, endless phone tag, and—wait for it—lost patients to the next acupuncturist on the list who actually picks up.

But wait, there’s more! In your quest for a solution, you opted for online scheduling. Cue the applause, right? Wrong. Instead, you’re shackled to your clinic all day, every day, because your three random appointments couldn’t coordinate if their chi depended on it.

You’re canceling plans, skipping workouts, and praying for a food delivery miracle—all because you’ve lost control of your schedule. And let’s not even talk about the burnout epidemic among acupuncturists.

Now, before you spiral, there’s a silver lining in all of this woe. You’re not alone. School taught you the needles, but not the business.That’s where we come in.

At Mitowi Management®, we’ve cracked the code to reclaiming your time and sanity. Say goodbye to online scheduling woes and hello to an  answering service. That’s right—hire a team to handle your calls and watch your practice thrive.

An answering service is the unsung hero of clinic operations, ensuring every call gets answered and every patient feels heard. Plus, they’re the human touch your digital portal can’t replicate.

So, if you’re ready to take back your time, elevate your practice, and live happily ever after, it’s time to make the switch. Say goodbye to online scheduling and hello to a world where your schedule is yours again.

Of course, like any strategy we endorse, it comes with clear boundaries. The answering service should never have access to your schedule. Their sole purpose is to gather essential information: the name, phone number, and email of the caller. This way, they create a bridge between you and your prospective patients, ensuring that you can respond to their needs efficiently and on your terms.

To make this extra simple – we’ve attached a script for you to provide the answering service.  That’s right, we’re sharing yet another Mitowi secret!  

You can download that HERE.

Stay tuned for more tales from the acupuncture trenches, where the lessons are hard-earned and the solutions are Mitowi-approved. Your happily ever after awaits—let’s make it happen together.