Clinics
Rebooking rate, properly measured
The single number that decides whether a clinic grows or just churns through new patients.
The short answer
Rebooking rate is the percentage of completed appointments where the patient leaves with their next appointment already booked. Divide rebooked appointments by completed appointments in the same period. Physiotherapy clinics commonly target 85% or better.
The formula
Rebooking rate = (appointments where the next visit was booked ÷ completed appointments) × 100
Worked example
A clinic completes 340 appointments in a month. In 268 of them the patient booked their next visit before leaving.
268 ÷ 340 = 0.788 0.788 × 100 = 78.8%
Against a target of 85%, that is roughly 21 appointments a month that walked out without a next step. At an average appointment value of $95, that is about $2,000 a month, or $24,000 a year, sitting in the gap.
Three ways this number gets measured wrong
- Counting bookings made later. If someone rings back three weeks on, that is a recall, not a rebooking. Mixing them flatters the number and hides the problem.
- Including first appointments only. Rebooking matters across the whole episode of care, not just the first visit.
- Averaging across practitioners. A clinic at 79% might be two practitioners at 90% and one at 55%. The average hides the conversation you need to have.
What to do when it is low
Rebooking is usually a process problem rather than a clinical one. The clinics that hit 85% tend to book the next appointment at the end of the current one, as a default rather than a question, and they have a plan of care the patient understands. If the patient does not know they need six visits, they will not book the second.
Measure it per practitioner, weekly, with a target and a colour. It moves quickly once people can see it.
See it on your own numbers.
Thirty days, no card. Start with your figures or a template for your trade.