Patient churn, sometimes referred to as patient attrition, occurs when patients leave a practice before they finish their plan of care. It’s important to keep an eye on patient churn rates because if they start to trend upward, you’ll want to evaluate why patients are leaving and determine what you can do to keep them satisfied and more engaged.
You cannot expect to bring the churn rate down to zero, since patient dissatisfaction isn’t the only reason they stop showing up. Some patients will be included in your churn statistics because they had to relocate from your area, such as starting a new job or leaving home for college.
The growth rate of new patients in the United States is 45%, while the patient churn rate is slightly higher, at 48%, as noted by a report from Buxton about the healthcare system. While this represents just a three percent difference, a discrepancy between new patient growth and patient churn is not sustainable.
High patient churn rates have a direct impact on your practice’s bottom line. Not only do you lose the revenue you’d expect for the services you provide, you may also miss out on new patients. That’s because a patient who is unhappy with how your staff treated them may leave negative reviews online, and stop recommending you to their friends, family, and neighbors.
Calculating Patient Churn Rate
You and your colleagues will want to know how to calculate patient churn rate at your practice to gather the data needed to set goals for improving engagement.
Here’s how to calculate your patient churn rate:
- Determine the number of patients lost (churned) during a specific time period (e.g., the last 6 months).
- Divide that number by the total number of patients at the start of that period.
- Multiply by 100 to get your churn rate percentage.
Factors That Contribute to Patient Churn
Put yourself in the position of your patients to gain a deeper understanding of why they may be disengaging with your practice and are more likely to leave. Here are the chief reasons for patient churn for you to keep top of mind:
Too much redundant paperwork
Patients resent having to fill out a stack of paper forms, often needing to provide the same information on multiple pages, especially during the new patient onboarding process. They’re accustomed to providing digital information, typing details once into forms instead of using the traditional pen and paper way.
Patient dissatisfaction
Your staff might exhibit bad mannerisms, putting off patients and making them feel disengaged. Or, they may appear to lack empathy, coming across as cold and disinterested in the patient’s situation.
The amount of time spent in the waiting room can also lead to higher dissatisfaction rates. Patients may leave if they think that whenever they make an appointment, they won’t be able to depend on seeing their doctor close to the scheduled time.
Bills are unclear
Patients may be surprised by an unexpected charge on your practice’s statement or struggle to understand the billing details. If the bill is too complicated or appears to contain errors, patients tend to become frustrated, which motivates them to find a new doctor.
Poor staff communication
Is your staff doing a good job of following up with patients, such as to see how they are doing the day after a procedure, or to remind them they need to set an appointment? Or, is it difficult for patients to reach your staff, with them having to spend too long on hold to speak to you?
And, how are you communicating patient instructions? If the educational materials and treatment plans you provide are unclear, patients can grow disconnected, leading to higher churn rates.
Difficulties scheduling appointments
Your patients are likely familiar with other online processes in their daily life, such as banking and shopping, which they can access safely and securely using a computer. However, this familiarity can lead to frustration when they instead have to call your office to inquire about available appointments.
