Tag: office management system

By Bunny Cates Most hearing practices don’t have a lead problem. They have a follow-up problem. Patients call. Patients schedule. Patients show up. They sit through the appointment, ask questions, and in many cases, say they need time to think. And then… nothing. No structured follow-up. No consistent outreach. Just a quiet assumption that the patient will call back when they’re ready. Many never do. Where Patients Are Slipping Through In a lot of practices, what happens after the first visit isn’t clearly defined. Follow-up depends on memory, time, or whether someone at the front desk has a few extra minutes between calls. It’s not intentional. It’s not a lack of care. It’s a lack of structure. Without a clear system, even the best teams end up losing track of patients who didn’t move forward right away. Notes get buried. Tasks get delayed. And before long, that patient is gone—not because they weren’t interested, but because no one followed up in a meaningful way. The Cost No One Is Tracking Every missed follow-up is a missed opportunity. Not just for revenue, but for patient care. These are people who already raised their hand and said, “Something isn’t right.” They showed up. They started the process. And then they were left to figure it out on their own. From an operational standpoint, that’s a breakdown in process. From a patient standpoint, it’s a missed chance to get help. Why It Keeps Happening When you look a little closer, the pattern is usually the same. No defined follow-up timeline No clear ownership of follow-up No consistent tracking system Competing priorities at the front desk None of this is unusual. But it does create a gap. What Actually Works The practices that retain more patients aren’t necessarily busier or more aggressive. They’re more consistent. They follow a system. Start with a simple, defined follow-up timeline. Set a clear follow-up timeline (24 hours, 3 days, 1 week) Assign ownership to one team member (This is where most practices fail.) Use your system to track notes, reminders, and tasks Keep follow-up human, not scripted Not every patient will respond, but far more will than if there’s no plan at all. It’s also worth noting that technology is starting to close some of this gap automatically. Communication platforms and practice management systems that handle everything from phone calls to texting now include AI-assisted features for automated follow-ups, appointment reminders, and patient reactivation sequences, without adding to the front desk’s workload. These tools won’t replace the human element, but they can make sure no one slips through simply because no one had time to reach out. For practices not yet using automation, it’s worth exploring. For those that are, the systems only work if the team understands the intent behind them. A Small Change with a Big Impact In one office I worked with, follow-up had been inconsistent for years. Patients were seen, notes were entered, but there was no clear next step if they didn’t move forward. Once a basic follow-up process was put in place—nothing complicated, just consistent—the change was noticeable within weeks. More patients returned. More conversations continued. Fewer people disappeared. The difference wasn’t more marketing. It was better follow-through. Closing The Gap Most practices don’t need more leads. They need to take better care of the ones they already have. Follow-up is where that happens. It’s the bridge between interest and action, between a first visit and real progress. And when that bridge is missing, patients don’t just fall through the cracks—they quietly walk away. About the Author: Bunny Cates has nearly a decade of experience in hearing healthcare, working in both large franchises and private practices. She specializes in operations, patient flow, and front-office systems, with a focus on improving patient retention and practice efficiency.

Tag: office management system

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