PI: Missed appointments
Goal: By December 2018, the organization will have a missed appointment rate at or below 25% (2017 rate = 31%)
Outcome: While we did not reach our goal of reducing our missed appointment rate to 25%, we improved by 10% from the previous year!
What's wrong with missed appointments? “Missed appointments,” scheduled appointments for which a client does not show up or shows up at least 15 minutes late, means a client does not get the care they need, which can leads to further health complications. Additionally, missed appointments affect wait times for other clients and the work of our health care providers.
How did we help clients show up? In late October of 2017 we launched a new phone-reminder service for upcoming appointments through a company called Televox. The effect on the missed appointment rate was immediate but limited, reducing the organization average from 31% to 28%.
What's the latest?
- Various departments and sites are conducting personalized reminder calls to their clients the day before their appointment. This approach, in combination with the Televox messages, has been seen to have a further net positive effect.
- Transportation issues remain a barrier for many of our clients. Health Care for the Homeless is piloting the use of materials to help out clients navigate the complex web of transportation options available to them.
- We have begun issuing automated messages to clients who missed their appointments to encourage them to re-engage with care
Have an idea to decreased missed appointments here at HCH? Please send it to Jen Tate in Performance Improvement.