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How to Overcome “Scroogy” Patient Cancellations During the Holidays
The #1 way to make sure your PTs’ schedules are full this holiday season is by having an effective PT marketing plan. But what do you do when a patient calls to cancel an appointment? Neil interviewed Dee Bills, Front Office Guru and Founder of Fix Your Front Desk , about how to overcome patient objections during the holiday season. Here’s how Dee took her clinic from a 75% show-up rate to a 95% show-up rate! 1 BE PREVENTATIVE AND PROACTIVE, NOT REACTIVE “There’s a perception of ‘busy-ness’ or stress around the holidays. You have people who are getting better who think ‘maybe I don’t need this.’ So how do you handle that objection? Don’t be pushy. Any time you induce force into something, people push back. We need to guide patients where we want them to go. When you become the guide, they are more likely to follow you.” A final word: “When you’re being reactive, something bad has already happened, and now you’re trying to regain control. When you’re proactive, you can guide patients where you want them to go. So, you need to script things around prevention.”
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CONTROL THE SCHEDULE
When A Patient Calls to Cancel...
“Your Front Office team has to understand that their sole role in the practice is controlling the schedule. We don’t want 10 same-day cancellations. That makes the front office less efficient. Now they’re scrambling to call around and get patients to take spots. If one can prevent a same-day cancellation and get 24 hours’ notice, then they can help someone else get in for care.
DON’T SAY...
If you cancel on the same day, I’m going to charge a $50 fee.
If you say this, the fee becomes a threat. Then the patient will say “Bring it on! I’ll fight you!”
CALL YOUR FRONT OFFICE TEAM “PATIENT CARE COORDINATORS.”
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What does a ‘Front Office Rep’ even mean? Calling them ‘Patient Care Coordinators’ really describes what I want my team to do. They are Patient Care Coordinators; their job is to manage patients so Physical Therapists can actually treat them. “When the front office doesn’t understand their role, there’s more frustration. The PTs step in where they shouldn’t, which makes them inefficient as providers. There’s confusion, and reactiveness kicks in. When Patient Care Coordinators see their valuable role in the practice, they will take control of the patient experience instead of just answering calls. That helps them as humans, too.”
DO SAY...
Hey— I know it’s crazy busy for you this week. I know you’re probably doing some last- minute Christmas shopping, but it’s really important to help you not fall behind on your progress to schedule an appointment for next week. Let’s make sure you can attend.
The key here is explaining the benefits and the purpose of scheduling an appointment.
Listen to Neil + Dee’s full conversation on “Overcoming Holiday Cancellations” on the PT MARKETING POWER HOUR podcast, wherever podcasts are found.
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