You hear small business and may think of your run-of-the-mill mom-and-pop shop on the corner selling random odds-and-ends. Believe it or not, that’s not the focus of this blog post and applies to tons of different establishments and industries—even medical ones.

Small medical practices may not be selling homemade cookies and freshly made coffee, but what they have in common is financial stability or, more often, the race to find it and keep it.

Patient care is a huge part of running medical practices, but providing care to others isn’t just fueled by the love in our hearts but by a complex cycle of financial processes called the revenue management cycle (RCM).

Proper and precise management of said cycle is often a luxury that small practices don’t have the funds to support, and so they have to rely on data to stay on top of their finances and stay the course to profitability.

Let’s skip fancy jargon and industry terminology and stick to the basics to help streamline your operations without another headache; all the paperwork is enough of one already.

Patient Volume & Retention

Loyal patients are key to maintaining a successful practice. This means you’re doing something right by providing a high-quality patient experience throughout the workflow of appointment scheduling.

Tracking the data points of new vs. returning patients can help your practice understand growth trends and areas that may need some improvements. If patient retention is on the lower side, that may indicate some issues in appointment scheduling, the patient’s experience, or even in follow-up protocols.

Freshening up this system and process will allow you to hold on to valuable and loyal patients and give your practice a solid foundation to stand on. It’s quality over quantity in many things, including in practice management.

Claims & Denial Rates

Revenue leakage is already one of the biggest financial drains in medical practices, revealing even more disastrous effects on small practices. Profit leakage occurs in several ways, the biggest of which comes from insurance claim denials.

When a small practice’s denial rates are high, it’s crucial to pinpoint where the errors are in your filings. It can be anything from missing information, improper coding, or not providing necessary documentation.

Investing in better billing solutions or outsourcing RCM services can prevent this problem. Claim denials result in tedious resubmission processes and hours of staff labor that can be better spent providing care to patients.

Appointment No-Show Rates

Securing appointments is obviously a requirement for any practice, regardless of size. Patients make up the incoming revenue, and when no-show rates begin to rise, a large chunk of funds is lost.

Tracking these numbers and seeing where improvements can be made is one of the easiest and most effective strategies to ensure your revenue is secured. Software implementations can employ automated reminders, easier online scheduling, and even deposit requirements to reduce patient dropouts.

Patients can fail to show up to their appointments for a variety of reasons. Still, ensuring the appointment process regularly reminds them and offers a multitude of rescheduling options will keep your patients coming in and turn newcomers into a long-standing and loyal recurrence.

Why Analytics Matter for the Future of Small Practices

Financial pressures are mounting in medical offices, which no longer offer the affordance to operate blindly. Small practices may oftentimes lack the resources to stay on top of their game, but hopefully, these tips and key performance indicators (KPIs) will allow all to succeed.

The future of healthcare belongs to those that analyze, adapt, and optimize. This applies to any industry and business and has been proven by history time and time again. Follow the numbers and pivot when needed to secure your finances for the long run.