We broke down Cancellation/No-Show Percentage in our last Data Snapshot, and this week we’re going to take it even further by delving into another important metric: Recaptured Percentage. It measures the percentage of cancelled appointments that you’re able to reschedule, and what it tells you is how effective your team is at saving lost time and keeping patients engaged in care when they break their appointments.
It’s unlikely you’ll see this number at 100%, so the benchmark we like to use for this metric is at least 70-80%. When you’re at that level, cancellations don’t impact your production and provider utilization as significantly, and your schedule is much more predictable. Below that, and you’ll see holes in your schedule, lost revenue, and an active patient base that shrinks over time.
As always, the journey to improving this metric starts with awareness. Check your practice management software and learn your number — if it’s below the 70-80% benchmark, then it’s time to implement countermeasures:
- Develop a script to help manage cancellations. You want to ensure that you’re reinforcing the value of care by using value-building language, and a little trick I like to use is to substitute “customized program of care” instead of “due for.” It makes the appointment seem much more personal to the patient, so they’re more inclined to reschedule.
- Build an active follow-up system. The goal is to recapture in the moment of cancellation, but if that’s not possible, you want to make sure you have a system to follow up within 24 to 48 hours of the cancellation and speak directly to the patient.
Remember, you can’t recapture 100% of your cancellations, but with the right systems in place, you’ll maximize the number you’re able to put back into your schedule.
