Medical Practice Improves Appointment-Setting Accuracy

Too many patients at the Upstate Neurology Consultants, LLP, a three-office medical practice based in Albany, NY, were missing their follow-up appointments. The office staff would schedule the follow-up appointments as patients checked out after their initial visits. After consulting the appointment schedule on the office computer, the staff member would handwrite the appointment information on a business card. But, between mistakes in transferring the data from the schedule to the card and illegible handwriting, patients were getting incorrect - or indecipherable - information.

Upstate Neurology Consultants decided to improve the accuracy of its appointment-setting procedure - and speed up the process at the same time - by installing a DYMO Corporation (Stamford, CT) LabelWriter SE300. The machine, which interfaces with the office computer system and appointment-scheduling software, automates and simplifies the practice's appointment-setting procedure. Now, as part of the patient checkout process, the staff members enter a few keystrokes, and the DYMO LabelWriter prints an appointment card for the patient's next visit. The printed cards eliminate the mistakes that came with handwriting the appointment cards.

After trying the LabelWriter in one office, Upstate Neurology Consultants installed a unit in each of its offices. Now patients who miss their appointments at Upstate Neurology Consultants can no longer blame it on illegible handwriting.