How you utilize your schedule is one of the keys to a great practice, because when it’s full, everything is better. Tracking your Capacity Percentage will inform you of the percentage of available clinical time that is actually used for patient care, which tells you how efficiently you’re using your time.
You can calculate your number by dividing the number of hours filled with appointments by the total number of hours available in the schedule. Ideally, the benchmark should be 94% or higher, because that’s when you see the greatest benefits.
Your Capacity Percentage has a significant impact on your profitability, team energy, and growth. When it’s high, it means you’re maximizing your resources and your schedule is tight and productive. When it’s low, it means you’re underutilizing your time and resources, which means open chairs, gaps in the schedule, and lost potential revenue. It doesn’t matter how many new patients you have — if your capacity isn’t filled, production won’t follow.
It’s easy for this metric to drop, because a single hygiene cancellation can take you from 100% to 88%. If you see your number is below the benchmark, it’s time to implement some countermeasures:
- Establish Block Scheduling to protect your high-value time blocks
- Review your schedule 48-72 hours ahead to proactively fill any gaps
- Use priority lists and bulk texting to backfill missed or canceled appointments
If you’re just getting started and don’t look at any metrics, this is one that will let you make a significant impact, and it starts with looking at your number. Once you do that, you’ll start asking bigger and better questions that will lead you toward making the better decisions that will bring you better growth, profitability, and team satisfaction.
