Practice management
New patient flow
New patient flow is the number of new patients who join a practice in a period, usually counted each month and each year and often tracked by referral source.
The ADA's list of commonly tracked indicators includes new patients and asks how many come in each month and each year. Its other suggested KPIs include the number of patients by referral source, which shows where new patients come from. New patient flow is one input to growth, but it is not the whole picture: a practice also needs patient retention and enough schedule capacity. Valuation documents may also ask for several years of new patient flow, together with production and collections. Counting rules should be consistent, for example what counts as a new patient and when a returning patient is counted again. See also patient referral.