Final answer:
Patients often miss appointments due to long wait times, mental health issues, and high staff-to-student ratios. Business assistants can address these by optimizing scheduling, providing mental health support, and advocating for sufficient staffing levels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Patients commonly fail to keep their appointments due to various reasons, and the business assistant's role includes managing these situations effectively. Here are three common reasons along with strategies for handling them
Long Wait Times
Long wait times are a significant deterrent for patients keeping appointments. As reported by Kay Payne, a campus counselor, a wait time for an appointment is approximately 10 days. In this case, a business assistant should look into reducing wait times by optimizing the appointment scheduling system, potentially incorporating a waitlist for cancellations to increase efficiency and patient satisfaction.
Mental Health Issues
Mental health issues are prevalent and can impact patients' ability to attend appointments. With 75 percent of students reporting mental health concerns, a business assistant should ensure that the practice offers adequate support for these patients, which may include sending appointment reminders, providing mental health resources, and fostering an understanding environment within the practice.
High Staff-to-Student Ratio
The high staff-to-student ratio can lead to overworked staff and decreased quality of service. The International Accreditation of Counseling Services recommends a ratio of one full-time staff member for every 1,000 to 1,500 students. Solutions may include advocating for more staff hires or the use of telehealth services to manage and support the existing patient load effectively.