The Empty Chair Ledger
What an unanswered call and a no-show cost your practice each week, in your own numbers.
- Line 1. Calls nobody answered
- Line 2. Replies that came too late
- Line 3. First visits that did not happen
- Line 4. Empty chairs from current patients
HOW IT WORKS
How to use this ledger
- Take last week. Not a typical week, just the last full one.
- Pull three things: your phone log, your inbox and web form replies, and your schedule.
- Fill in the four lines below. Each one is a count times a dollar figure you already know.
- It takes about 20 minutes. Do it again in 30 days and compare.
Two numbers you need first
V · What one new patient is worth
What a new patient pays your practice in their first 90 days, on average. Use fees collected, not fees billed.
R · Your booking rate
Of the new people who reach a person at your practice, how many book? If 5 of 10 book, R is 0.5.
THE FIRST LINE, IN FULL
Line 1. Calls nobody answered
Count the new callers last week whose call went unanswered and who never called back or booked. Your phone log or call report shows this.
Count × R × V
Example: 4 callers × 0.5 × $600 = $1,200 a week
Example numbers are made up and round, to show the math. They are not a benchmark. Your ledger will differ, and that is the point.
THE FIXES
The four fixes
One fix for each line. Each can be done by hand this week. The automated version is what a TheraCRM.pro seat is set up to run.
Line 1
Missed-call text-back
By hand: one person owns the missed-call list and calls every new number back within the hour, every day.
Line 2
Instant first reply
By hand: set a saved reply for each channel and check the inbox at fixed times, first thing, midday and before you close.
Line 3
Visit reminders
By hand: call or text every first visit the day before, and ask them to confirm.
Line 4
No-show recovery and the waitlist
By hand: keep a short list of patients who want an earlier time, and call down it when someone cancels.
A note on HIPAA
If your practice bills insurance electronically, including through your EHR or a billing service, you are almost certainly a covered entity under HIPAA. For a covered entity, the HIPAA-enabled configuration and BAA is a $100 a month add-on on the Practice and Group plans. It needs guided setup, and the first HIPAA seat has a 3-month minimum. With the add-on, Aday Interactive, Inc. signs a BAA with your practice before first login. It is not part of the Solo plan. We will not decide your status for you; ask your compliance counsel. We are not attorneys and this is not legal advice.
Rather talk it through? Book a 30-minute consultation.