What Is Arrival Rate? Definition and Formula for Clinics

Arrival rate measures how many of the new patients you booked actually walked in. If a cash PT clinic booked 50 new patient evaluations in September and 38 arrived, the arrival rate is 76%. The other 12 were paid for. Every ad dollar and front desk minute that went into booking them is gone, which is why this number deserves as much attention as cost per lead.

How do you calculate arrival rate?

Arrival rate = new patients who arrived / new patient appointments scheduled, over the same period. Count by the date of the appointment, not the date it was booked, so the two numbers line up. Worked example: 50 scheduled evaluations in September, 38 arrived, 38 / 50 = 76%. Track it by lead source if you can. Facebook lead forms, Google calls and referrals usually show very different arrival rates, and a cheap lead source with a low arrival rate can be more expensive per patient than it looks.

The numbers above are an example, not benchmarks.

Why do booked new patients not show up?

Booked new patients skip mostly because too much time passes between booking and the visit, nobody confirms with them, or they booked on impulse and never felt committed. A patient who calls at 5:40pm and is offered a slot in two weeks is shopping for another clinic by the weekend. One who books off a $49 Facebook offer without speaking to anyone has little invested. Faster replies help: see speed to lead. So does a real phone conversation that makes the visit feel specific to their problem.

How do you raise your arrival rate?

Raise arrival rate by booking sooner, confirming by text and phone, and giving patients a reason to come beyond the price. Offer appointments within a few days, send a confirmation right away and a reminder the day before, and have the front desk restate what the visit will do for them. The new patient phone script covers the call. Then check the effect on cost per new patient: arrivals, not bookings, are what that number should count.