Depending on where you live, school has likely either just wrapped up for the academic year or will do so very shortly. But, as children know all too well, summers are short. In the blink of an eye it will be time for the little ones to return to the classroom, and one stop along the way will be to their doctor for the time-honored ritual of the back to school checkup.
You can make your office run smoothly this fall by planning ahead and making back to school appointments now. As parents bring children to the office for illnesses or routine matters over the summer, be proactive by scheduling immunizations, sports physicals and annual checkups needed for school registration while they’re in the office. Of course, you won’t be seeing all of your school-age patients over the course of the summer, so send out reminders no later than July encouraging parents to call in to schedule their children’s visits. Customizable postcards are ideal for this type of mailing.
As a value-added service, consider setting aside a couple of Saturdays in August dedicated exclusively to back to school visits. Working parents will appreciate the flexibility and your schedule will be less hectic than it would be if you attempted to squeeze in these additional patients alongside all of the others on the appointment book.
Because summertime is busy for most families and because you may have scheduled back to school visits two or more months in advance, make your reminder calls or send follow-up postcards several days in advance of the scheduled visits.
Be sure to order immunizations and other clinical supplies so that they arrive in your office no later than early August. Prepare the staff by going over the different types of forms that schools require so they’ll be familiar with them and be able to help practitioners process paperwork quickly.
Your young patients would probably rather spend one of their precious summer days doing something other than paying a visit to your office, so try to make their back to school appointments as positive as possible. Break out a novelty necktie, a pair of fun earrings, or a pin to wear and encourage staff to don their favorite child-friendly scrubs and accessories on back to school physical days. It’s also a nice touch to surprise children with a small giveaway as they leave the office to make their visit memorable in a good way.
Depending on where you live, school has likely either just wrapped up for the academic year or will do so very shortly. But, as children know all too well, summers are short. In the blink of an eye it will be time for the little ones to return to the classroom, and one stop along the way will be to their doctor for the time-honored ritual of the back to school checkup.
Let us know in the comments below how your practice is preparing for the back to school rush (or other busy times).
