Finally, he or she might finish the day with injuries and illnesses. Then, the doctor might focus on seeing patients with mental health concerns. It can help doctors stay in the right frame of mind as they go through the day.įor example, you may group together patients coming in for general wellness checkups. Clustering SchedulingĬlustering is another helpful scheduling method in which practices group together patients with similar complaints. Unfortunately, patients often get frustrated if they realize that someone else has been scheduled in the same time slot, and this can overload doctors and nurses. Or, if the scheduler only allows 15-minute time slots, the doctor might double-book one slot per hour to see five patients per hour instead of four. For example, if a patient is undergoing a lengthy diagnostic procedure, the doctor might see another patient during the procedure. There are several situations where this might be helpful. Just realize that there can be downtime if no patients arrive during the second half hour.Īs the name suggests, this method for scheduling doctor appointments means booking two patients for the same slot. This is best for medical groups with unpredictable visit lengths or practices with patients that often walk in without a previously scheduled appointment. Practices could use this for visits that run long or to reserve a time slot for patients who walk in without an appointment. With this scheduling method, patients might be scheduled for the first half of every hour while the second half is kept open for special circumstances. So, you’ll need to message and communicate any delays to ensure patient satisfaction with this scheduling method. However, some patients may become frustrated when they realize another patient is granted their appointment slot. Occasionally, you might see ill patients before those with routine appointments. This scheduling method is best for doctors who have a lot of patients to work into the schedule. Patients are seen in waves, meaning there is always a patient waiting to be seen. Then, the practitioner sees each patient in the order in which they arrive. In this method, a practice schedules three or four patients every thirty minutes. One potential concern with this scheduling method is that patients might not always show up, which can create gaps in the schedule. New patients and complete physicals are generally longer than urgent visits for an established patient. The allotted time usually depends on the reason for the visit. Most offices use this method in order to minimize the amount of time patients spend waiting for the doctor. Learn more about the different methods for scheduling doctor appointments below: Time-Specified SchedulingĪs the name suggests, time-specific scheduling is when you schedule appointments at a specific time. 7 Popular Methods For Scheduling Doctor Appointments At Your PracticeĮxamples of common methods used for scheduling doctor appointments include time-specified scheduling, top of hour scheduling, wave scheduling, modified wave scheduling, integrated scheduling, double-booking scheduling, and clustering scheduling. That way, you can select the best method to meet your needs. In this article, we discuss scheduling methods for your practice so that you can compare the benefits and drawbacks of each option. Your doctor, nurses, and staff are extremely busy, so it’s important to identify ways to streamline daily operations, such as scheduling doctor appointments. Efficiency is paramount in the doctor’s office.