Any systems comes down more to WHO is doing the job then the “system” itself.
Don’t get me wrong - systems are vital - but there are tons of good systems out there.
What is more important is how well trained the people are on implementing whatever system you use as an untrained person will simply make matters worse and could even, in the case of scheduling, be the cause of more cancels and no shows!
Therefore it is important to track results so that you can catch quickly when no shows and cancels increase. If results are not satisfactory then:
a. The person was not trained properly to begin with or...
b. The person was trained, did the job correctly and then changed the successful actions without any corrective actions taking place.
Most importantly you must EDUCATE patients when they are in the practice on the likely health consequences of not moving forward. It's not complicated but it does take discipline to ensure the staff (especially hygienists) are getting patients educated.
As to new patients, a call from the dentist welcoming them will decrease NP no shows. If this is not possible with all NPs try to do so for the “higher risk” NPs such as those in their twenties, those who use Medicaid or any other government plan (those who pay cash or have private insurance are more reliable), international patients (this is probably due to a language barrier or different moral codes), etc.
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