Orthopedics · Missed calls
What a missed call costs an orthopedic practice
The number most vendors quote for missed-call revenue is made up. Here is one you can check, because every input is yours.
Where the phone time goes
In MGMA's March 2026 poll of practice leaders, scheduling accounted for about 31% of front-desk phone time and eligibility and prior-authorization questions about 45%. The scheduling third is where a missed call turns into a lost visit; the rest turns into a task someone still has to do.
The arithmetic
900 × 25% = 225 missed calls. 225 × 40% = 90 wanted a visit. 90 × 70% = 63 never came back. 63 × $220 = $13,860 a month, or about $166,000 a year, for a practice that answers three calls in four. Halve every assumption and it is still $40,000 a year.
| Input | Example | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Calls a month | 900 | Your phone system's report |
| Unanswered share | 25% | Rings out, voicemail, abandoned on hold; practices measure 15 to 35% |
| Missed calls wanting a visit | 40% | New patients, follow-ups, reschedules |
| Reached later anyway | 30% | Most new patients call the next practice instead |
| Value of a visit | $220 | Collections per visit, or a new patient's first-year value |
What changes the number
- Answering the after-hours calls: a third of a specialty practice's calls arrive when the desk is closed, and those callers are the least likely to call back.
- Booking on the call instead of taking a message: a message converts to a visit less than half the time.
- The overflow at 8 a.m. and after lunch: the calls that ring while every line is busy are the ones the calculator counts.
Run your own numbers on the missed-call calculator; it shows the formula beside the result.