Scheduling Types Flashcards

Types of Scheduling

• Open Hours:

  • Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis during specific hours (e.g., 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.).
  • Commonly used in walk-in medical laboratories and urgent care facilities.
  • High potential for long waiting times due to unpredictable patient flow.

• Double-Booking:

  • Involves scheduling two patients for the same appointment slot.
  • Allows for management of acutely ill patients or walk-ins when the schedule is full.
  • Requires careful management of time, rooms, and staff to minimize patient frustration.

• Clustering:

  • Patients with similar issues are scheduled together in dedicated time blocks.
  • Example: Annual physical exams may be grouped on Wednesdays, flu shots on Saturdays.
  • Enhances efficiency in providing specialized services; also known as categorization.

• Wave Scheduling:

  • All appointments are scheduled on the hour, with patients seen in the order of arrival.
  • Anticipates no-shows and late arrivals to help manage patient flow.
  • E.g., scheduling three patients in one hour, based on a 20-minute average appointment length.
  • May lead to longer wait times for patients.

• Modified Wave Scheduling:

  • Most patients are scheduled a few minutes after the hour to reduce long wait times.
  • Example: Scheduling patients at 0, 20, and 40 minutes past the hour.
  • Provides slightly more downtime for physicians compared to wave scheduling, balancing efficiency with patient wait times.

• Stream Scheduling:

  • Also known as time-specific scheduling; widely used and recognized.
  • Ensures a continuous flow of patients at designated appointment times throughout the day.