Client stories / Grady Memorial Hospital
Grady Memorial Hospital reduces no-shows with Phreesia’s Appointment Reminders
Phreesia’s automated Appointment Reminders have helped Grady Memorial Hospital reduce its no-show rate, minimize staff work and make it easier for patients to confirm their appointment.
1 hospital, 3 clinics
84,767 patients
MEDITECH
Chickasha, Okla.
3.5%
reduction in no-shows year-over-year, resulting in 655 additional appointments
$296K
in additional revenue generated
2,634
phone calls eliminated
65%
of appointments are confirmed
(Previous vendor did not offer this capability)
No-show rate based on Grady Memorial Hospital data, October 2024, all other statistics based on Phreesia data, April-September 2024
The problem
Across departments within Grady Memorial Hospital and its three clinics, no-shows were as high as 13%—well above a regional benchmark of just under 6%. “We were more than double where we should be,” Ty Pool, Vice President, Physician Services said.
The health system was using an automated phone system that deployed a generic reminder with no details about the location or time of the appointment. This lack of personalization prompted many providers to request that front desk staff also call patients, tying up staff and phone lines.
Grady Memorial’s pediatric and primary care departments were experiencing especially high no-show rates—much higher than other service lines. This was impacting referral volumes, utilization and ultimately, the health system’s bottom line.
“No-shows add up in revenue lost,” Pool said. “It also impacts provider satisfaction because it’s lost income for the physicians who are paid based on productivity.”
The solution
Grady Memorial solved its no-show problem by implementing Phreesia’s Appointment Reminders solution, offering reminders via text, email and voice that include details about provider, location, time and more.
The automated reminder solution has helped Grady Memorial reduce its no-shows by 3.5% across departments year-over-year comparing October 2023 and October 2024, with a notable reduction of more than 5% in pediatrics. That’s equivalent to over $296,000 in additional annual revenue for the health system.
Sixty-five percent of patients confirm their appointments in response to reminders, and Pool attributes that to the multiple channels used by Phreesia to notify patients and detailed content that ensures patients show up on time and prepared.
“Personalization helps a lot in getting action from patients,” Pool said. “Text is how a lot of younger patients prefer to interact with us—confirming their appointment without having to interact with anyone—while the older demographic still likes the phone call. With Phreesia, we can do both.”
The Phreesia difference
Phreesia offers Grady Memorial a robust, all-encompassing platform that goes well beyond Appointment Reminders. Phreesia’s two-way texting and email outreach tools offer Grady Memorial multiple ways to communicate with patients quickly and easily—capabilities that the health system didn’t have previously. Across the board, Phreesia’s intake and communications tools have helped the healthcare organization reduce labor costs, alleviate burnout and better utilize its staff.
“We no longer need FTEs solely dedicated to scanning documents or making calls.” Pool said. “We’ve had less turnover, and we are able to repurpose staff in new positions that enhance the patient experience.”
Phreesia has helped us reduce no-shows across the board, but it has been especially important in key areas like pediatrics and primary care. That’s where the return comes from—if patients aren’t seeing these doctors, they’re not being referred to specialists.”
– Ty Pool, Vice President, Physician Services, Grady Memorial Hospital
