Patient access myths specialty practices should ditch today

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Aligning with national priorities and consumer demands, more than 25% of medical group leaders plan to prioritize patient access over every other technology initiative in their organization. Specialty practices, such as orthopedics, dermatology, ENT, and urology, have unique patient access needs compared to primary care and hospital/health system counterparts. They deal with a higher volume of specific procedures, detailed scheduling for complex provider preferences, and a greater diversity of appointment types.

Despite being early adopters of digital tools like telehealth, technology has not sufficiently eased the operational and patient access challenges faced by these practices. Research suggests that physicians in various specialty practices, including urology and orthopedics, are among the most burned-out in the United States, with wait times for new patient appointments averaging as high as 38 days. If specialty practices have been leaders in digital adoption, why do these problems persist?

The root cause lies in several pervasive patient access “myths” that no longer align with the realities of emerging patient and operational needs. Recognizing and debunking these myths is crucial for specialty practices to design effective strategies, improve patient access, and achieve the best ROI from digital tools.

3 myths that can hinder your practice

Myth #1—My practice management system’s current scheduling tools can suffice for now.

Practice management platforms are good for many things, but specialists have specific appointment and patient needs that status quo scheduling tools cannot meet. These generalized scheduling workflows often rely on staff to manage complex provider rules and preferences using offline resources like binders and spreadsheets.

The cost of believing it: Without automated rules and intelligent personalization, healthcare staff spends excessive time on patient calls, manually finding appointment slots and matching patients to providers. This process is error-prone, leads to unbalanced provider schedules, and results in longer wait times for the patient. Additionally, digital solutions can gather valuable data to provide insights on scheduling patterns, helping your practice to optimize processes and identify areas for improvement.

Myth #2—Another digital solution is too much right now. My patients don’t need another platform to manage.

While it’s understandable to avoid adding yet another password or app to patients’ lives, dismissing new technology based on past experiences with clunky, non-integrative tools can be a costly mistake. Organizations with this mentality miss opportunities to use today’s intelligent solutions, designed to integrate seamlessly, offering the convenience patients crave without the hassle of extra logins or complicated processes.

The cost of believing it: Sticking with outdated solutions puts your practice at a disadvantage, especially given challenges with staff turnover and rising patient demand for convenient care. By not embracing advanced digital tools, specialty practices risk falling behind competitors, who may provide more efficient, patient-friendly options. Modern solutions not only enhance patient experiences but also streamline operations, making life easier for both staff and patients.

Myth #3—Patients prefer human interaction over digital solutions.

It’s a common belief that patients value human interaction more than digital solutions for tasks like scheduling. While personal interaction is important, today’s patients also demand convenience and flexibility, such as 24/7 booking, which manual processes seldom provide.

The cost of believing it: By not offering digital scheduling options, practices risk alienating the majority of patients (89%) who prefer managing appointments online or via mobile apps. Without digital tools, practices may struggle with high no-show rates and underutilized slots, negatively impacting the bottom line. User-friendly, mobile-first scheduling and engagement meets patient demands for convenience, reduces no-show rates, and optimizes appointment slots.

A fresh start from outdated operations

To combat these long-held patient access beliefs, consider these three facts:

• Nearly half of provider organizations list patient scheduling as their most important patient experience function. Many organizations rely on practice management systems, but staff still use analog tools like binders and spreadsheets to manage provider scheduling preferences. Tailored, intelligent scheduling platforms can vastly improve experiences for your staff, patients and organization.
• Three out of four digital health vendors use APIs to integrate directly with EHRs, lessening the pain of onboarding digital tools.Advanced solutions enable patients to self-schedule appointments (including referrals), confirm insurance information, chat with representatives, or pay bills from their smartphones without logging in or referencing appointment data.
• Nearly 100% of patients would use a self-scheduling service if offered. Organizations that hesitate to automate daily tasks like scheduling overlook benefits: freeing staff to focus on impactful work and providing patients with preferred access channels.

By understanding these myths and recognizing their costs, specialty practice leaders can expand patient access and equip their staff for long-term success.

David Dyke is Chief Product Officer at Relatient, which focuses on delivering end-to-end intelligent scheduling and communication solutions that take a holistic approach to patient access. Relatient engages with over 50 million unique patients per year on behalf of provider groups and health systems across the U.S.