Reducing Appointment Wait Times for Patients with innovation Case Study Example
Brightside Mental Health Counseling
Problem: Lack of online presence, Inefficient Booking Service, Long Appointment Wait Times
From talking with the team at Brightside Mental Health Counseling we found that even though they had availability for appointments it often took too long to book them, causing some clients to turn away and causing longer than necessary wait times for others. They were using a simple online form that would send an email to the Counselor saying that someone had requested an appointments on a certain day, the Counselor would then have to check the calendar, email back the client if there was a time available, and then also have to wait for them to send a confirmation email. The entire process took about 6 hours per appointment booking between responses, which turned away some potential clients and it also meant that appointments were often pushed back a day even though they could have very easily fit the client in sooner.
How we created a tailored solution for them:
Firstly, we identified the specific problems of not having a professional website for clients, using simple email replies to book appointments, and then causing delayed appointment times which was causing them to lose potential clients and slowed their growth.
Then, using our GPT derived from an advanced AI platform, we were able to find similar case studies where a small practice with 10-15 employees, was also struggling to handle appointment booking and use of online programs for therapy. We then did more research on Brightside Mental Health Counseling to find the best available options for them based on their location, patient demographics, and their technology skills.
After analyzing all the data, we created a list of strategies that included:
The STATS method of appointment booking
allowed them to always have availability for new patients to handle growing demand
a simple structure that can increased efficiency and patient satisfaction
We also introduced them to Acuity scheduling because:
of its cost effectiveness for small teams
its simplicity for both them and their clients
encouraging clients to book online & reduce unnecessary phone calls
monitor appointment analytics to measure growth and needs
Providing methods to improve Online Presence:
using AI tools on Squarespace or Wix to make a better looking website
developing email campaigns and provided a list of local business for possible EAPs and schools to work with in the area
offering virtual therapy sessions for private and group sessions
After inquiring with the team at Brightside Mental Health Counseling they chose to implement all of these strategies to their practice. So we created a simple Step-By-Step guide for them to follow for each of the strategies making sure they understood exactly how everything operates.
We also developed a plan for future strategies they could start to implement in the coming year as they grew such as:
offering online CBT/DBT programs
using practice management software to create client portals & handle invoices & EHRs
using an online program to create social media posts
outsourcing short term virtual therapists to handle fluctuations in demand
Results:
Employee and Patient satisfaction increased by 25%
Patient Acquisition Costs dropped dramatically
Wait times were reduced to 2-3 days even with growing demand
Revenue increased by 28%
Operationally efficiency was greatly improved
Appointment volume grew by 35%
These strategies were more cost effective than bringing in new hires and simply reduced wait times allowing the practice to keep up with growing demand over the long term.
