Session three was never booked
A patient starts a course of verruca treatment. The podiatrist explains that it usually needs several sessions a few weeks apart. The first two go ahead. The third is not booked because the diary was not open that far ahead, and the patient assumes the clinic will call. Two months later they phone to say the verruca is still there and ask whether the treatment works.
Shockwave for plantar heel pain follows a similar pattern, with sessions a week or so apart. Machine time is limited and shared between practitioners, so a missed session is hard to replace.
Why courses fall apart
- Sessions are booked one at a time, so the interval stretches when the diary is busy.
- The clinic system treats each session as an unrelated appointment, with no view of the course.
- Patients who pay per session drift away after one or two.
- Prepaid courses are tracked in a spreadsheet, so remaining sessions are unclear.
- The end-of-course review is not booked, so outcomes are not recorded.
- Machine time for shockwave or microwave treatment is not booked as a resource, so clashes happen.
What dropped courses cost
Patients who do not complete a course are less likely to get the outcome they hoped for, and more likely to blame the treatment or the clinic. Machine time goes unused. Prepaid sessions become a liability nobody tracks. And the clinic cannot see how many courses are completed or what outcomes are recorded, which makes it harder to talk honestly about the treatment with new patients.
| Course detail | One appointment at a time | Course record |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions | Booked when remembered | All booked at the podiatrist's spacing |
| Interval | Stretches when busy | Held, with alerts if it slips |
| Payment | Per session or a spreadsheet | Course balance shown |
| Machine | Clashes | Booked as a resource with the session |
| Review | Not booked | Booked at the end, outcome recorded |
How we build course tracking
- Your podiatrists define course types: treatment, typical number of sessions, spacing, review point and price. They choose the plan for each patient.
- When a course starts, all sessions are booked at the chosen spacing, including the machine or room, and the patient receives the full list.
- If a session is moved or missed, the remaining sessions are re-spaced and the patient is offered new times straight away.
- Payment is recorded per course: pay per session, prepay, or a deposit, through Stripe or your card terminal, with the balance shown on each appointment.
- Patients falling behind their course appear on a list for reception to contact.
- The review is booked at the end, and the podiatrist records the outcome in a structured way, as well as in their notes.
- A report shows courses started, completed and dropped by treatment type, with the recorded outcomes your podiatrists choose to track.
Treatment plans and whether a course should continue are clinical decisions. The system books and tracks what your podiatrists decide.
Children are a common group for verruca treatment, and their sessions have to fit around school. Course bookings can be limited to after-school slots where you offer them, and confirmations go to the parent who booked.
What courses look like afterwards
Patients leave the first session with every appointment in their diary. Sessions stay at the intended spacing. Machine clashes stop. Prepaid balances are clear. Reviews happen and outcomes are recorded. And the clinic has an honest picture of how its courses go, which helps when explaining them to new patients.
Does this happen with your courses?
- Course sessions are booked one at a time.
- Patients drop out after two or three sessions.
- Prepaid sessions are tracked in a spreadsheet.
- Shockwave or microwave machine time clashes between practitioners.
- You do not know how many courses are completed.