Practice tip of the week: Improving the patient experience

With all the useful information available on Physicians Practice, it is easy to become overwhelmed.

With this in mind, the tip of the week is a chance to reflect on some of the wisdom found all across the site. This April 2025 article on improving the patient experience gives this tip:

2. Offer Amazon-style scheduling

Consumers book flights and groceries online; they want the same autonomy in health care. An intuitive web or mobile scheduler shortens hold times, cuts no-shows and frees staff for higher-value tasks. Start by mapping appointment types—new patient, well-visit, urgent squeeze-in—and building smart rules so the platform can’t double-book or slot a complex case into a 10-minute window. Layer in text or email confirmations, plus two-way reminders that allow patients to cancel or reschedule without calling. Add self-service wait-list features to fill last-minute gaps. Practices that publicize self-scheduling in after-hours voicemail greetings and on social channels see adoption climb quickly; many report that half of all appointments are eventually booked without human help.

Click here to read the rest of the article and be sure to check back next week for another Tip of the Week!