Patient Scheduling and Telehealth during the Pandemic

A well-built and communicated schedule ensures high patient satisfaction and a steady stream of patients. Patient scheduling is not among the simple tasks performed in an Optometry practice. Optometrists are tempted to increase the number of appointments and shorten their duration. This method leads to high productivity however, it risks decreasing patient satisfaction for having to wait more than they expected to see the Optometrist. It takes a significant amount of time and experience to be able to understand the workflow and become able to build a schedule that is well communicated between staff and patients. The same principle applies to telemedicine and virtual consultations. Due to the pandemic, patient scheduling is becoming more complex. Many practitioners have embraced telemedicine before the pandemic occurred, however, for the majority, it is a novel practice that they suddenly found themselves in.  

The first thing we need to understand before scheduling for telemedicine in Optometry is that telehealth can be a great assistant for both the patients and the practice. Telehealth shouldn’t be confused with the answers and information patients find by searching the internet or google (even though getting answers from google is the broad definition of telehealth). Telehealth should be organized by the Optometry practice; all information, media, recommendations, infographics, and instructions related to the patient care should be available at the practice website and social media profiles (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, infographics,…). Staff should script weblinks that have to be provided to each patient according to his type of visit. You should expect that patients prefer self-scheduling from the website. Therefore automatic “appointment confirmation” emails should be followed up with customized “instruction emails” and phone calls that help in optimizing the patient consultation through telemedicine before the appointment. Telehealth is one of the important tools that should be employed even after the pandemic; it helps instructed and informed patients to decide on whether to proceed or to reschedule, which helps in decreasing no-show rates.

Most scheduling software have triage protocols to define if an appointment is required or it can be decided by staff. For those serious cases that do not include monitoring a preexisting condition or evaluating something threatening, a face-to-face appointment is required. In such cases, going through scheduling is a waste of time; an immediate intervention is required to schedule a face-to-face appointment or refer to another practitioner.

Optometry is one of those healthcare professions that are not particularly fit for telemedicine because most diagnoses are concerned with objective measurement. In clinics, optometrists move from one exam room to the next while a new patient is getting prepared. Connecting to patients through teleconferencing requires upgrading the technology employed in Optometry offices, expecting the patient to have the appropriate technology, as well as acceptable connectivity that provides a great telemedicine experience. Telemedicine is a great addition to the practice however it will certainly not replace face-to-face visits.