Like many offices, we have a policy of calling patients to remind them of upcoming appointments, usually one to two days ahead of time. With the advent of our new EMR, we have the option of having the system send them email reminders. The vast majority of folks who’ve received these just love them. But there are still several patients a day who get phone calls.
The other recent change in the office, cutting the staff by 50%, means that my one remaining staffer is the one who makes the calls. She has other stuff to do, though — lots of other stuff, actually — so that she may not get around to these calls until later in the day.
Thank goodness our patients are right on the ball:
Phone rings.
Solo Staffer: Hello?
Elderly patient with appointment tomorrow: Hey! You forgot to call me to remind me about my appointment tomorrow!
SS: I’m so sorry, sir. You know, the other staffer retired and she was the one who used to make those calls. I really was going to call you; I promise.
EPWAT: Well I just wanted to make sure you remembered about my appointment tomorrow.
SS: Yes indeed; we’ll see you tomorrow.
EPWAT: Very good.
Musings of a Dinosaur 
🙂 I know I like those reminder calls. It lets me double check that I have the right date/time and then I know I am expected. 🙂
By: kg on April 5, 2011
at 8:19 pm
My doctor got a new system; now the computer phones with my reminder. The nurse doesn’t get tied up with all those “while I have you on the phone…” questions.
By: WarmSocks on April 12, 2011
at 12:21 am
Those automated calls from the army hospital usually go to my voice mail but it’s a good thing 🙂 I’m so busy that i check my voice mail several times a day. At some point I’ll look at my saved voice mails on my iPhone, see “army clinic” and the date and relisten to it. I tend to forget even if I set up an alert a day before and 2 hours before.
By: M L on April 24, 2011
at 3:25 am