Today I'm going to talk to you about the steps you'll want to consider when setting up the process for scheduling a new patient. 

There are 3 basic ways for a new patient to come into your practice:

1.  Self-scheduled via your website or portal
2. Call your office and speak to a live person
3. Referral from another physician

Things you'll need to consider when setting up the process for scheduling new patient appointments: 

• Will the patient self-schedule or talk to a live person to schedule?
• Do you want relevant medical records to review in advance of their initial visit?
• How are you going to request those records?
• How do those records get into your system?
• How does the patient complete your new patient forms?
• How do the forms get put into the EMR? 
• You need to inform the patient whether you take insurance and who you are in and out of network with. 

Key points: 

• If your forms are not completed via a portal, they will need to be manually placed into the patient chart.
• If records or forms come as paper, they will need to be scanned into the system first. 
• You will need a HIPAA compliant secured email server to send emails.
• Collect the patient's insurance information at the time of scheduling and communicate your financial policy.
• Make sure it's easy for patients to schedule, reschedule and cancel appointments.

No matter how robust your EMR/practice management software, you have to define the process. Going through and setting up each and every step from the very beginning will improve your efficiency and productivity and greatly improve your patient's satisfaction. 

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