Medical appointment scheduling guidelines

Patient scheduling is an integral part of any healthcare business, and an efficient schedule will help optimize your practice's productivity. Creating an efficient schedule that takes into account the individual timetables of each employee and fitting in patient bookings can be time-consuming and complicated. Patient scheduling software offers a streamlined method of managing appointments, allowing your practice to focus on delivering quality services rather than spending time on administrative tasks. There are various features included in effective patient scheduling software, including two-way calendar syncing, integration with other apps, and automated reminders. Not only will implementing an online scheduling system save time and resources for your practice, but it is beneficial to clients. Research suggests that patients prefer to book their medical appointments using online systems; according to a 2019 Digital Health Consumer Survey, 68% of patients are more likely to select a health provider based on whether they offer the ability to book, change or cancel appointments online.

What are the factors that must be considered when scheduling appointments?

• Patient Needs: Prioritizing the patient's needs is a crucial factor to be considered when scheduling appointments. Maintain your professionalism and try to make the patient feel as comfortable as they can. Quality healthcare comes from understanding the patient's needs, so they need to feel as though they can be honest with you.
• Physician Needs: The preferences and needs of the physicians working at your practice are also crucial factors to consider. Physicians need time to complete their tasks outside of appointments, and some physicians will have certain habits that impact a schedule. Being aware of these will help you to create an appointment schedule that satisfies physicians and improves productivity.‍
• Facilities: The services and appointments that you offer are highly dependent on the medical practice facilities. If there are only a limited number of physical examination rooms, you need to be careful not to book them double. After a physical examination, the equipment and space will need to be sterilized, so leaving buffer time between each appointment is another factor to be considered.

There are various methods of medical scheduling that healthcare businesses use, all largely dependent on the services that the practice offers, how many staff they employ, and the size of their clientele. Most healthcare practices will use scheduled appointments, where patients book a service with a specific amount of time. For example, a complete physical examination may take 1 hour, and a blood pressure check may take 5 minutes. Healthcare practices will implement different scheduling strategies to optimize their time and manage both patient and practitioner satisfaction.

• Fixed Scheduling: This is the most commonly used method of scheduling. Time slots are separated into 15, 30, 45, or 60-minute increments depending on the service required. Fixed scheduling is an efficient system. However, lateness and no-shows can interrupt the entire day.
• Clustering: Clustering involves a physician seeing a group of patients with similar needs during a specific period. For example, a pediatrician may organize vaccines to be scheduled on the same day. Clustering allows for efficient use of specialized equipment without interfering with other appointments.
• Wave and Modified Wave Scheduling: This involves booking multiple patients at the start of the hour and seeing them in the order that they arrive at the clinic. The second half of the hour is left open to account for walk-ins, urgent appointments, and running overtime. Wave scheduling works well for large practices with different departments. However, it can lead to patient frustration at having long wait times.‍
• Double Booking: Two patients are booked for the same time with the same physician. This scheduling method works when patients need some testing to wait too long for their results. Double booking can risk upsetting patients, so it is essential to use this method in particular situations.

• Use an Online Appointment Scheduler: There has been a recent rise in the development of online appointment scheduling software that allows patients to book their medical appointments at their leisure. The advantages of using an appointment system are two-fold as research points towards patients preferring this method overcoming into or calling the clinic. It will also save your practice significant amounts of time and resources. 
• Appointment Reminders: Appointment reminders are always a good idea whether you decide to implement an online scheduling system. Dealing with no-shows and last-minute cancellations wastes valuable time and interferes with the entire day's schedule. Appointment reminders sent out to patients before upcoming appointments have been shown to reduce up to 99% of no-shows, guaranteeing the smooth running of your practice's schedule. 
• Waiting List: Even with automated appointment reminders, no-shows are still an inevitability for most practices. We recommend implementing a patient waiting list to be called up whenever there is a last-minute available time slot. This is an excellent way to increase patient satisfaction and ensure that your clinic isn't losing revenue. 
• Necessity of In-Person Care: If your clinic consistently has back-to-back appointments and waiting lists, it could be a good idea to start having over-the-phone consultations with some patients. When a patient books an appointment, they will include their symptoms or health issues. Use your judgment to determine whether they can receive quality care from a remote consultation and save your clinic time that can be spent seeing other patients.
• Collect Scheduling Data: It can take time to find a schedule that allows your practice to operate smoothly. The best way to remedy an inefficient schedule is by collecting and analyzing data to determine the specific areas that aren't working. For example, if you are finding an increasing number of appointments are going over time, consider adding a longer buffer between appointments. This will allow the physician time to complete their assessment without pushing back every consequent appointment. 
• New Patients: The protocol and information required when booking new patients and returning patients varies. A new patient will need to provide their name, age, contact details, medical history, and insurance plan. First impressions count, so be sure to make new patients feel well informed and welcome at your practice. ‍
• Returning Patients: Your practice will already have the required details of a returning patient, and these should be stored in a HIPAA-compliant, accessible manner. Depending on the manner of the service, appointments with returning patients can take less time than with new patients, so you can account for this when scheduling.

Scheduling patient appointments effectively is one of the most important aspects of running a successful medical practice. Unfortunately, these schedules are often impacted by uncontrollable factors, including cancellations, no-shows, and lateness. Utilizing an online medical appointment system can help reduce the frequency of these situations and help your clinic boost its productivity. When scheduling appointments, you should always keep in mind the needs of both the patients and the practitioners. A successful business will ensure that patient's needs are being met and that the schedules are suitable for physicians. Using appointment scheduling software allows physicians to block out specific times of the day for team meetings and other administrative tasks. Communication across staff is the best way to ensure that your appointment schedule runs efficiently. 

Final thoughts

Hopefully, with this guideline, some of your concerns and queries about creating appointment schedules have been clarified. Implementing appointment scheduling software into your business can help streamline this complicated process and reduce no-shows and cancellations. Carepatron is a HIPAA-compliant platform perfect for healthcare businesses looking to organize their appointment scheduling more efficiently. The software syncs across Google, iCal, and Outlook calendars to generate a unified workflow across the entire team. Other features that optimize productivity include automated reminders and complete integration with telehealth video conferencing, clinical note storage, and medical billing. Utilizing a platform that has been specifically designed to improve your scheduling will lead to increased productivity and efficiency, guaranteeing patient and physician satisfaction. 

Further Reading:

• Reduce Scheduling Complexity | IHI - Institute for Healthcare Improvement
• Patient-Centered Appointment Scheduling: a Call for Autonomy, Continuity, and Creativity