OrthoNC: the trifecta of self-scheduling

Good things come in threes: The Three Musketeers. Rock, paper, scissors. Bones, muscles, joints. And now, great scheduling does too.

We sat down with Meredith Penn, Director of Operations at OrthoNC, to talk about what we call the trifecta of scheduling — Self-Scheduling, ReBook, and Booking Booster.

At OrthoNC, the schedule isn't built for the call center, it's built for patients. While competitors send people through endless online forms only to end with "call the office," OrthoNC flipped the script. Booking is simple, fast, and patient-friendly.

"Orthopedic practices can be timid about opening up their schedules — there's this instinct to keep control and protect access," said Meredith Penn, Director of Operations at OrthoNC. "But patients don't fit into neat boxes. They expect to book the way they live, quickly, online, and on their own terms. If we don't give them that option, they'll find it somewhere else."

What's made the difference is OrthoNC's approach compared to the competition. "A lot of our competitors make patients answer endless questions online only to tell them to call the office," Penn added. "We've taken the opposite approach — we streamlined it, opened up access, and accepted that sometimes a patient might book incorrectly. But our providers can review those cases. At the end of the day, our goal is to get patients in the door quickly, and patients love how easy it is."

"They've really reduced the pressure on our call center and made things more convenient for patients," Penn said. "Self-scheduling is huge — patients can just go online and book without calling. ReBook lets them reschedule easily instead of canceling outright, which keeps them on the books. And Booking Booster fills gaps from cancellations, especially for PT or MRI appointments."

At OrthoNC, keeping schedules full isn't left to chance. Booking Booster has automatically refilled 248 canceled appointments — in an average of just two minutes.

"The best part is that it happens behind the scenes," said Meredith Penn. "Providers don't even notice the cancellations — they just see their schedules stay full without extra effort. It's quick, and it works."

On top of that, more than 9,000 appointment confirmations have been managed with ReBook.

"ReBook makes it easy for patients to reschedule on the fly," Penn explained. "Instead of dropping off the schedule completely, they move their appointment. That's helped keep our days full and predictable."

"It's really increased efficiency," said Penn. "A lot of patients complete everything before they even walk in, which means our doctors can take them back quicker. For patients who need more time, doing it at home makes the process easier and less stressful. Both patients and staff are happier with the flow."

"We're a very busy, fast-paced practice, at our main location we see 300+ patients a day with just four front desk staff. We've added doctors and PAs but haven't increased front desk staff. With Qure4u, our existing team can handle significantly more patients than before."

"This is the first system we've had that lets patients pay digitally," Penn said. "The key driver has been giving patients the option to pay ahead of time. It changes the whole experience — patients appreciate the convenience, and our staff appreciate not having to handle those conversations at check-in. Payments are completed before the visit, so patients can simply arrive, check in, and move on.

For us, it means less follow-up, fewer collections issues, and a more efficient front desk. It's a win for patients and us."

OrthoNC is an expert team of board-certified surgeons, advanced practice providers and physical therapists. At locations across central North Carolina, they provide the highest quality and most comprehensive orthopedic care and sports medicine.