Congratulations! Your medical practice is growing, and it seems like your schedule is always booked. Sometimes you might wish that you could add even more hours to your day so you can treat more patients. But, of course, that is not always reasonable because healthcare providers need their rest, too! So, how do clinicians deal with increased patient load AND keep their sanity at the same time? Good news—it can be accomplished!

Read our tips below to help you keep your practice running smoothly and your sanity intact!

1. Learn to set a realistic schedule.

If a patient is scheduled for 9 am, they will usually not see the provider until 15-20 minutes after arrival. An unrealistic schedule can set a provider behind on other appointments between registration and the intake process, making an increased patient load unbearable. 

Instead, be realistic when setting up appointments, and give your patients enough time for registration and the intake process. Instruct your patients to come in 15 minutes before their appointment time. This buffer time will help to prevent disruptions and help your practice run more smoothly!

2. Make sure your staff is prepared.

Running an efficient medical practice is everyone’s responsibility! Huddle with your staff each morning to review the day’s schedule. Is there confusion about your availability? Are there last-minute cancellations? Is there an appointment that may require a particular supply or equipment? A huddle should help answer all these questions! A morning huddle can help solve any last-minute problem, as well as predict the workflow for the day. 

3. Review patient charts in advance.

Going over patients’ charts one day before the consultation gives your staff the ability to plan and gather the test results and reports that may need to be reviewed before your patient’s next consultation. This helps your staff prepare, which better manages the patient load and workflow! This also gives providers the knowledge and reminder to follow up on previous health-related issues to enhance patient care experience. 

4. Try using Sniffle to treat minor ailments.

Are there patients with minor ailments—such as cough or minor infection—that you easily could have treated without seeing them in person? By joining Sniffle and downloading our easy-to-use telemedicine app, you bring greater efficiency to your office and increase healthcare accessibility for patients.

An average in-person patient visit takes 17.5 minutes versus a Sniffle consult that averages seven minutes. That results in 8.5 Sniffle consultations an hour, as opposed to 3.5 patient visits, at the same reimbursement rate! So, you can finally add more hours to your day while boosting your yearly income by about 11%. Now, that will help you keep your sanity!

These tricks help providers keep their sanity while increasing patient load! Every day, more and more clinicians are joining the Sniffle movement and offering telemedicine services. By using Sniffle, providers add efficiency to the practice and give access to patients who are in remote areas or have other challenges to in-person care.

Did you know that 24 counties in Texas alone do not have access to primary care physicians? Unfortunately, similar access issues span across the United States, leaving patients with no direct medical guidance. You can make a difference by joining Sniffle while increasing your patient load and making more money. All while keeping your sanity! Download the Sniffle app today to get started.