Reducing unused appointment slots

Dental clinic network

The engagement covered eight pilot clinics, where 14% of appointment slots went unused. The choice was between an extra advertising campaign and better appointment scheduling.

Approach

1. 01

   Frame

   The goal was to make better use of schedules, with an initial budget of $24,000 CAD. The engagement focused on appointment organization, without changing the care provided.

2. 02

   Investigate

   Schedules, cancellation reasons and response times showed that openings appeared too late to be offered to patients on the waiting list. Results varied from one clinic to another.

3. 03

   Explain

   Two explanations were examined: demand that was too weak, or a replacement process that was too slow. The existence of a waiting list in several clinics supported the second.

4. 04

   Build

   We compared more advertising, additional time slots and a process for replacing cancellations, with current operations as the comparison group.

5. 05

   Test

   The process was tested in two clinics, and two others were tracked for six weeks. The threshold set in advance was a further three-point drop in unused slots, with no increase in complaints. The tested sites went from 14% to 10%, the others from 14% to 13%.

6. 06

   Decide

   Management extended the process to four more clinics, with a local check before full rollout.

7. 07

   Steer

   At three months, 26 additional monthly visits were being completed across the network. The projection of 30 remains to be confirmed, and no slots were added beyond planned capacity.