Neil H. Baum, MD, presented “Managing Chronically Late Patients” for the Grand Rounds in Urology audience in October 2022.
How to cite: Baum, Neil H. “Managing Chronically Late Patients.” October 2022. Accessed Jul 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/managing-chronically-late-patients/
Managing Chronically Late Patients – Summary
Grand Rounds in Urology Contributing Editor Neil H. Baum, MD, Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School, offers advice on managing chronically late patients. As most physicians know, late patients create significant scheduling challenges, decrease staff efficiency, and increase stress levels. Dr. Baum suggests creating a written policy addressing chronic lateness that explains the cascading problems for doctors and staff when patients fail to arrive on time, and requesting patients arrive early to complete necessary paperwork or pay for their visit. He also advises seeing chronically late patients at the end of the day or rescheduling them which will serve to reinforce the message. Of course, it is valuable to understand reasons for occasional lateness like older patients who may be dependent on a family member for transportation. Dr. Baum underscores the importance of being an on-time physician if asking the same of patients. Inevitably schedule delays happen. If you’re running late, send a staff person out to the waiting room to explain and give patients an option to reschedule. Contrary to popular belief, charging patients for lateness is ineffective and the fees are hard to collect. Likewise, overbooking patients in an effort to fit them around late arrivals is more likely to create additional delays for physicians and staff.
For more commentary on practice management from Dr. Baum, visit his Improving Your Urology Practice page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neil H. Baum, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Urology at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also a retired urologic surgeon. Additionally, Dr. Baum serves as the Medical Advisor to Vanguard Communications Group. Dr. Baum is the author of Marketing Your Clinical Practice - Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, which is in its 4th edition, has sold over 175,000 copies, and has been translated into Spanish. He also wrote The Complete Business Guide to a Successful Medical Practice, which was published in 2015. Dr. Baum was the columnist for American Medical News for more than 25 years. Dr. Baum also wrote the popular column, “The Bottom Line,” for Urology Times for more than 20 years. He is a requested speaker each year to the Practice Management Seminar for the American Urological Association (AUA), where he discusses techniques for making urology practices more efficient and more productive. He has written more than 9 books on practice management and over 250 peer-reviewed articles on various urologic topics. Dr. Baum is also the medical advisor to Vanguard Communications Group.
