Calculating
Patient Flow
The business administrator or scheduling coordinator in your office
should run these calculations once per month. You might as well
start this week right! The whole team should know the results.
Step #1
Confirm with everyone who posts procedures to a patient ledger that
ADA code 00150 is only used for new comprehensive examinations.
If this is not the case, take the steps necessary to make sure ONLY
ADA code 00150 is used on brand new comprehensive patient examinations
in the future.
Step #2
Each month, run a Production by Provider, Practice Analysis or Production
by ADA Code (different names depending on your software system)
report for the past 12 months (exactly). For instance - 2/13/03
through 2/13/04. The report will tell you exactly how many 00150’s
were performed in your practice in the past 12 months. Jot down
this number on a piece of paper.
Step #3
Each month, on the same day you run the production report, run an
overdue recall/continuing care report for the same exact date range
(the last whole calendar year – same as above). If your practice
management system tracks the number of recall notices received (some
systems call this motivated recall), make sure the “notice
due” range is a wide one. What we’re looking for here
is EVERY human being who was due back into the practice during the
past 12 months. When your computer system is done finding all the
patients, just print the report to the screen. Some practice management
software will tally all the patients on the report and tell you
how many there are on the last page. Some, you have to count. Simply
count the number of patients on one page and then multiply that
number by how many pages.
Jot that result on a piece of paper right next to the number of
new patients.
Example: (300 new patients vs. 350 existing patients overdue for
recall)
You’ve just calculated your first patient flow ratio!
Healthy Patient Flow Ratio (established practice –
6+ years)
2:1 ratio
Example (300 new patients vs. 150 existing patient overdue for recall)
Healthy Patient Flow Ratio (newer practice – Years
1 through 6)
Typically a brand new practice will have an incredible ratio. Years
1 through 3, look for a healthy ratio to be at or above 4:1. Years
4 through 6, a healthy ratio will slowly work its way down to a
nice 2:1 ratio. Use these as benchmarks only! Compare these each
month to the month prior. You might even start a real simple spreadsheet
month by month.
I
hope you find the new format of this article series useful and something
you can implement immediately.
I
welcome any and all readers to email
me with specific questions, problems, requests and challenges.
Who knows? Maybe your inquiry will lead to a new Tips For Today
article! Don’t worry, your inquiry will remain anonymous.
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