Appointment Scheduling Vendors Should Leverage Growing Home Care Market

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SaaS-based appointment scheduling software is a transformative technology for businesses. Not only does it reduce administrative work for employees but it also improves the customer experience. Customers no longer need to make phone calls or wait in line just to confirm an appointment. With a more efficient way to operate and serve clients, businesses of all sizes can experience a positive impact on their revenue when they implement a digital self-scheduling system.

For example, appointment scheduling statistics indicate that 70% of customers now prefer to book appointments online. Also, online self-scheduling leads to 26% more new customers. When it comes to traditional appointment scheduling, statistics show that only 20% of customers would schedule an appointment via phone. As more customers prefer to use digital self-scheduling tools and businesses invest in the solution, analysts estimate the appointment scheduling software market to reach $992.6 million by 2032 from its current value of $393.4 million.

Opportunities in a Growing Home Care Market

One of the major markets for appointment scheduling software is the healthcare industry. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers spent $324.4. million on appointment scheduling apps. And even as states have eased COVID restrictions, 64% of patients still prefer to book their appointments using an online scheduling system. Experts see the popularity of online scheduling as directly connected to the increasing acceptance of telemedicine among patients and healthcare providers.

Within healthcare, appointment scheduling software providers can look at the needs of the home care services market. This is a fast-growing segment due to rising healthcare costs, a growing older population, and advancements in technology. With home care, patients can forestall more expensive services provided in a hospital or institutional setting.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program called “Independence at Home Demonstration” has analyzed the effectiveness of home care services. Home care programs were able to help reduce emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and 30-day readmissions. The average Medicare savings for each patient was $2,700 per beneficiary per year. Home care services also contributed to the overall satisfaction of patients and caregivers.

Data-Driven Home Care Scheduling

With all these promising results in mind, industry experts predict the home healthcare market to reach $340.2 billion by 2027. From nursing services to rehabilitation therapy, pregnancy care, unskilled care services, and hospice and palliative care, home healthcare services would need technology solutions that could help them efficiently deliver their services. This is where appointment scheduling software could have a significant impact.

Patient-Provider Matching

Since home care services primarily manage a mobile workforce, app vendors should strengthen features that improve the way providers and patients are matched. The use of AI and advanced analytics can automatically assess important factors such as provider qualifications, role, experience, and patient history to suggest the best patient-care provider match.

Patient-provider matching could also increase patient satisfaction. The app could make it easy for patients to book providers they already know, find providers with similar qualifications, or book those who’ve had success with similar patient cases.

Shift and Roster Templates

Moreover, features that allow users to create shifts and roster templates could make managing complex schedules easier. With shift and roster templates, home care services can manage single shifts, irregular work patterns, or recurring appointments. Additional filters for location and skillset can help managers quickly determine available care providers or fill empty shifts in an instant.

Optimized Routing

Home care services are also concerned with saving time and costs when delivering their services. Therefore, a scheduling app that can leverage data to provide the shortest travel time or cluster nearby visits could be an attractive feature for vendors to offer. Providers can spend less time on the road and cover more home visits.

Real-time Progress Tracking

Using real-time location tracking, status updates on appointments, and notifications for changes in schedules and requests can be an excellent way to support a mobile workforce. Home care providers like nurses, caregivers, or clinicians could perform their tasks more confidently when they know they have support from their office.

HIPPA Compliant

Compliance and security are huge concerns in the healthcare industry, especially since cyberattacks in healthcare are abundant. Appointment scheduling software providers should also meet HIPPA regulations to protect the privacy of patients and appeal to businesses in the home care services.