Outpatient reminder service saves time and money
Text reminders slash \'did not attend\' rate by 11% at Forth Valley Royal Hospital
Forth Valley Royal Hospital’s outpatient text reminder service has shown a significant reduction in the number of patients who do not attend their appointments.
Figures from a recent survey show that, in one month, attempts were made to contact more than 2,000 patients, with callers getting through to more than 1,400. Only 10% of those failed to turn up for their appointment, with a number of others opting to reschedule or cancel in advance. ‘No shows’ in the group unable to be reached by the reminder service were much higher, at 21%.
It is estimated that without the service, the non-attendance rate would have been 21%, costing NHS Forth Valley more than £40,000 in wasted time.