Healthwell PT Achieves 40.5% Reduction in No-Show Rates with Penciled

Customer Background

Healthwell Physical Therapy is a boutique physical therapy practice located in San Francisco, California. Led by Dr. Sonam Patel, the practice consists of three providers and utilizes WebPT as their electronic medical record (EMR) system. Healthwell focuses on delivering personalized care while managing the operational challenges of a lean team. Prior to partnering with Penciled, Healthwell relied on traditional phone-based scheduling, which was labor-intensive and inefficient.

Challenge

The primary challenge for Healthwell was maintaining a full schedule without the constant need for phone outreach. The existing strategy of filling cancellations through phone calls was time-consuming and limited their ability to optimize patient appointments effectively. Dr. Patel noted, "Before Penciled, what was most important was filling up the schedule. Our existing strategy was old-school phone calls."

Solution

Healthwell discovered Penciled through a LinkedIn post and was intrigued by its automated booking capabilities. The key features that attracted Healthwell included the automated waitlist management, plan of care scheduling, and the ability to seamlessly integrate with WebPT. Dr. Patel emphasized, "What made me sign up was that it integrated with WebPT and was easy to use."

Implementation

The implementation of Penciled required initial effort, particularly in getting the front desk team to adopt the new system. However, the hands-on support from the Penciled team proved invaluable. Dr. Patel stated, "Shawn was very hands-on with the implementation process and closely monitoring progress with consistent feedback to my admin team. It's now running very efficiently."

Results

The results of implementing Penciled were significant:

• Cancellation/No-Show Rate: Healthwell achieved a 40.5% reduction in their cancellation/no-show rate, decreasing from 36.8% to 21.9%.
• Visit Volume: The practice booked over 100 visits in the first month of using Penciled, demonstrating the effectiveness of the automated scheduling system.
• Operational Efficiency: The introduction of the Provider Groups feature eliminated the issue of patients booking with the wrong therapist, ensuring appropriate provider matching and reducing administrative workload.
• Patient Engagement: The consistent enforcement of cancellation policies through Penciled's suite created accountability, leading to higher patient attendance rates.

Quote

Dr. Patel remarked, "Since Penciled introduced Provider Groups, not a single patient has been assigned to the wrong provider. It's working perfectly—we don't even have to think about it anymore."

Conclusion

The partnership between Healthwell PT and Penciled has led to transformative changes in the practice's scheduling and patient management processes. With a 40.5% reduction in cancellation rates and enhanced operational efficiency, Healthwell is now better equipped to provide quality care to its patients. Dr. Patel's recommendation to other practices is clear: "Try Penciled—you won't regret it! It's worth giving WebPT a second shot just for Penciled!" This case study exemplifies how innovative technology can drive significant improvements in healthcare operations.