Breakthrough Study Shows Impact of Automated Patient Appointment Reminders on Practice Production
Seattle — Sesame Communications announced today the results of a breakthrough study on the impact of automated patient appointment reminders on practice production. The study spanned five years of actual performance data and tracked the detailed confirmation and patient attendance rates on 21,566,375 appointments scheduled at 491 practices. The study found that in the first 36 months of implementing automated appointment reminders, no-shows were reduced by 22.95% in dental practices and 21.83% in orthodontic practices. These significant changes in schedule compliance drove, on average, $31,456.88 in incremental production for dental practices, and $105,322.80 for orthodontic practices–revenue that would otherwise be lost to appointment no-shows.
“Sesame Communications is delighted to document, for the first time in the dental industry, the precise production impact and the ROI proposition of automated appointment reminders,” stated Diana P. Friedman, chief executive officer. “Considering the fact the average cost per practice of the fully integrated, comprehensive Sesame 24-7 platform is under $3,000 per year, the ROI for lost production alone is substantial. Factor in the opportunity cost of idle overhead–staff, equipment, and other patients potentially turned away–and the investment payoff is even more compelling.”
Beyond automated appointment reminders, the Sesame 24-7 platform also provides other valuable features like patient marketing functionality (including education and re-activation tools), patient engagement tools (including newsletter, special event e-cards, and appointment review tools), financial past due e-reminders, and the ability to view and share treatment images and animations. These features help drive treatment plan adoption, prevent past due accounts, and drive new patient referrals–all critical components in maintaining a healthy, thriving practice. “Sesame helps drive new patients to the top of the funnel and keeps them from falling out of the bottom,” Friedman continued. “As partners in practice success, we are delighted to bring such definitive data to the market.”