Patient recall remains one of the most powerful levers for increasing exam volume, improving continuity of care, and maximizing vision benefit utilization. Yet most optometry practices still depend on manual phone-based outreach—a method with limited scalability and consistently low reactivation rates.

This article provides statistically grounded benchmarks comparing manual recall workflows to IrisMed’s fully automated AI recall system. These numbers are based on aggregated operational data across optical, optometry, and ophthalmology practices.

Benchmark Summary: Manual vs. AI Recall

Average time to manually work a recall list of 100 patients:
4.5 hours

Average time with IrisMed AI:
0 minutes (Fully Automated)

Average patient reactivation rate (Manual Phone Call):
3–5%

Average patient reactivation rate (IrisMed AI SMS):
33–36%

This represents a 6–10x relative improvement in patient scheduling efficiency and more than double early-generation AI benchmarks.

Why AI Recall Outperforms Manual Outreach

1. Channel Effectiveness

Phone calls experience steadily declining answer rates. SMS—particularly with scheduling links—produces substantially higher engagement. AI leverages the channel patients already prefer for transactional communication.

2. Multi-Touch Sequencing

Human staff typically produce one or two attempts due to time constraints. AI executes multi-day, multi-touch recall flows without increasing staff burden.

3. Behavioral Timing

IrisMed models identify the hours and days when patients historically respond. Outreach is automatically clustered around these high-response micro-windows.

4. Zero Administrative Load

Documentation, follow-up tracking, and PM system updates are automated. Staff no longer spend hours updating status fields or marking incomplete attempts.

Financial Impact of Higher Reactivation Rates

To quantify financial value, we model an optometry practice with a recall pool of 500 eligible patients per month.

Manual Recall Impact

• 500 patients
• 3–5% reactivation
• 15–25 completed exams

Assuming an average revenue per comprehensive exam of $280–$350 (exam + materials capture):

Manual monthly revenue generated:
$4,200 – $8,750

AI Recall Impact

• 500 patients
• 33–36% reactivation
• 165–180 completed exams

Using the same revenue range:

AI monthly revenue generated:
$46,200 – $63,000

Incremental Financial Lift

Incremental exams: 140–155
Incremental revenue: $42,000 – $54,250 per month

This does not include second-order revenue from:

• contact lens subscriptions
• eyewear upsells
• annual benefit maximization
• improved medical exam conversion

For many practices, these additional lifts increase real-world ROI by another 20–40%.

Operational Impact Beyond Revenue

Staff Allocation

Eliminating 4.5 hours of work per 100 patients frees front-desk and billing teams to focus on processes that require human judgment: authorizations, optical retail support, referral coordination, and patient experience.

Clinical Continuity

Higher recall throughput reduces no-follow-up risks for:

• diabetic eye exams
• glaucoma monitoring
• dry eye management
• post-operative care
• contact lens reevaluations

This supports better clinical outcomes and strengthens relationships with medical payers.

Predictable Exam Volume

AI-driven recall generates stable monthly appointment flow, reducing seasonality and limiting revenue volatility.

ROI Analysis

Investment

IrisMed recall automation operates with zero staff time, no incremental labor costs, and no training overhead.

Return

Using conservative figures:

Incremental revenue per month:
$42,000 – $54,250

Incremental revenue per year:
$504,000 – $651,000

Even after accounting for IrisMed subscription fees, the net annual ROI often exceeds 10x–20x for single-location practices and far higher for multi-unit optical groups.

Conclusion

Manual recall delivers low and inconsistent performance. AI-driven recall establishes a new operational baseline for optometry by:

• eliminating recall workload,
• increasing patient reactivation to 33–36%,
• generating an additional $42,000+ per month,
• and providing predictable growth without requiring additional staff.

As optometry increasingly transitions toward automated operational infrastructure, recall has become one of the clearest and most measurable areas where AI produces immediate financial and clinical impact.

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