3 ways scheduling automation is improving patient access and the bottom line

Bryant Hoyal

Healthcare organizations across the country are striving to improve patient access to meet rising expectations for convenience and timely care. As provider groups continue to operate within razor-thin margins, it’s a winning approach for improving patient experience and clinical outcomes while also driving bottom-line improvements.

For specialty practices like Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT), prioritizing the patient experience is essential to lay the best foundation for patient acquisition and retention. Automation — particularly in appointment scheduling—becomes a critical differentiator, directly impacting a practice’s appeal and accessibility to patients.

In a 2024 survey, patients overwhelmingly expressed a desire for improved digital, self-service scheduling options. Among those who were unhappy with a provider experience, 8 in 10 cited long wait times for an appointment as a top frustration.

There are common scheduling challenges across all healthcare organizations, and they contribute to staffing turnover and burdensome manual processes. For specialized practices like ENTs, the intricacies of the scheduling process are even more nuanced and complex, highlighting the need for tools that streamline patient access, optimize physician schedules, and enhance billing potential.

Building a tech-smart scheduling approach

ENT practices that have implemented scheduling automation in a smart way are seeing notable gains—some improving patient acquisition by as much as 30% within 30 days, in my experience, along with a significant reduction in call center time dedicated to scheduling.

Here are three ways automation is driving this kind of ROI:

1. Smarter scheduling in real-time. Unlike the common “one visit, one doctor” encounter in primary care, patients visiting an ENT often need to schedule multiple appointments with different providers—and sometimes in a specific sequence. For example, a patient needing a hearing device may need a hearing test with an audiologist before meeting with a physician.
   In today’s fast-paced digital climate, both patients and administrative staff can easily become frustrated when practices rely on outdated, manual scheduling processes that often involve multiple phone calls and lots of paperwork. These processes not only negatively impact the patient experience but can also lead to errors that disrupt providers’ schedules.
   When scheduling becomes cumbersome and inefficient, practices often see a higher rate of patient no-shows and time slots that go unused, resulting in significant administrative waste. A JAMA study found that the estimated cost of administrative waste accounts for approximately 25% of total healthcare spending in the United States.
   Automation offers a better way forward. Automated patient scheduling and engagement overcomes these shortfalls and helps optimize capacity, ensuring patients are matched with the right provider. In fact, advanced tools even ensure that patients are matched with multiple providers across multiple appointments, if needed. Automation tools can also manage waitlists and accommodate provider preferences to keep physician schedules full and efficient. Additionally, automated appointment reminders reduce no-show rates, further enhancing productivity and patient satisfaction.
2. Patient self-scheduling. Research suggests that patients overwhelmingly want self-scheduling options. Busy ENT practices facing high staff turnover rates and high-volume calls find that some patients struggle to schedule an appointment. In these instances, patients are likely to seek out another ENT provider.
   Putting patients in the driver’s seat to manage their own scheduling not only improves the overall experience but also enhances operational efficiency. At one 12-provider ENT practice I have worked with, over 500 patients bypassed the call center to schedule appointments online within just five months of implementing rules-based, self-scheduling tools.
   ENT practices attempting to offer self-scheduling without a rules-based system in place often find that they must call back patients due to appointments ending up in the wrong slot. For example, a patient with vertigo might self-schedule with an ENT surgeon, even though their chief complaint typically does not require surgical intervention and can be addressed by a mid-level advanced practice provider. A rules-based system helps match patients with the right provider based on the nature of their needs while supporting every provider in practicing at the top of their license – whether that involves surgery, diagnostics, or treatment planning.
   To be well-positioned for the future, providers should offer multiple, integrated access points, including mobile options for patient scheduling, check-in, communication, and payment. Personalized, automated communication – such as online chat and text reminders tailored to patient preferences – keep patients engaged and simplifies the interactions with the practice.
3. Provider scheduling preference management. Successfully managing provider preferences manually is often unfeasible for busy ENT practices with limited resources. Typically, only a few administrative staff hold this institutional knowledge —until they leave. With high turnover rates, it’s no surprise that managing provider preferences is the top scheduling challenge, according to 31% of executives surveyed in a recent study conducted by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
   Rules-based automation can be a game changer in this area, especially when it comes to the complexities of managing the diverse needs of ENT providers. For example, an ENT practice would want to avoid scheduling back-to-back visits that require a specialized scope to allow for cleaning of devices in between appointments.

The business case for adopting an intelligent scheduling platform that supports flexible patient self-scheduling is compelling for ENT practices. When providers embrace advanced automation, they are positioned for better patient experiences, achieve positive financial outcomes, and stand out in a competitive market.

Bryant Hoyal is VP of Client Services, Strategic Accounts at Relatient, which engages with over 50 million unique patients annually on behalf of provider groups and health systems nationwide.